The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (3 page)

Proverbs 6:2 states, “We are snared by the words of our mouth.”
Snared
means “to be trapped.” Your words can trap you. What you say can cause you to stumble and keep you from your potential. You’re not snared by what you think. Negative thoughts come to us all. But when you speak them out loud, you give them life. That’s when they become a reality. If you say, “I’ll never get back in shape,” it becomes more difficult to get back in shape. You just made it harder. When you say, “I never get any good breaks,” you stop the favor that was ordained to you. If you say, “I’m not that talented. I don’t have a good personality,” you’re calling in mediocrity. It’s setting the limits for your life. When negative thoughts come, the key is to never verbalize them. That thought will die stillborn if you don’t speak it.

When we acquired the former Compaq Center, it was a dream
come true. We were so excited. Our architects drew up plans to change it from a basketball arena to a church. They called us together and said it was going to cost a hundred million dollars to renovate! After they picked me up off the floor, my first thoughts were,
That’s impossible! There’s no way! I’ve only been the pastor four years. They cannot expect me to raise those kinds of funds.
Even though those thoughts were racing through my mind again and again, I knew enough to keep my mouth closed. I kept a big smile on my face and acted as though it was no big deal. I knew if I didn’t verbalize those negative thoughts, eventually they would die stillborn. It’s one thing to think that something’s impossible, but when you start telling people something’s impossible, it takes on a whole new meaning.

You may think,
I’ll never get that job. I’ll never get well. I’ll never meet the right person.
Those thoughts come to all of us. You can’t stop that. My challenge is: Don’t give them life by speaking them out loud. Don’t go call your friends and tell them how it’s not going to happen. I told our team, “I don’t see a way, but I know God has a way. He didn’t bring us this far to leave us.” My report was: “God is supplying all of our needs. The funds are coming in. It may look impossible on paper, but with God all things are possible.” I knew better than to curse my future. I didn’t want to get trapped by my words. I knew if I kept prophesying the right things—increase, favor, more than enough—we would start moving toward it, and we did!

In the tough times, you have to especially be on guard. It’s very tempting to vent your frustration and tell people how the loan didn’t go through, how bad the medical report was, or how certain people just didn’t treat you right. When you continually talk about the problem, that’s going to only make you more discouraged, and it
gives that problem more life. You’re making it bigger. Turn it around. Don’t talk about the problem; talk about the promise.

Instead of complaining, “Oh, man, I’ve got this big challenge,” state, “I serve a big God. He spoke worlds into existence. Nothing’s too difficult for Him.”

Instead of surmising, “I didn’t get the promotion they promised. They passed over me again. Another disappointment,” declare, “I know when one door closes that means God has something better. He’s directing my steps. I’m excited about my future.”

Instead of concluding, “I’ll never meet the right person. I’m too old. It’s been too long,” state, “Something good is going to happen to me. Divine connections are coming my way.”

When someone says, “I’m sorry to hear that you got a bad medical report. Is it true?” you should respond, “Yes, that’s true. But I have another report that tells me God is restoring health back unto me.”

If your friend remarks, “Well, I heard those people did you wrong,” feel free to smile, nod your head, and explain, “Yes, but I’m not worried. God is my vindicator. He’s fighting my battles. He’s promised to give me beauty for ashes.”

In life, there are always two voices competing for your attention—the voice of faith and the voice of defeat. Just as I did, you’ll hear a voice piping in, “You can’t possibly raise that amount of money. It’s insurmountable. It’s not going to work out. Just accept it.” You’ll be tempted to worry, to be negative, to complain. But if you listen
carefully, you’ll hear another voice. The voice of faith is saying, “God has a way. Favor is coming. Healing is coming. Breakthroughs are coming.”

One voice will point out that you’ve reached your limits. You’ve gone as far as you can. You don’t have what it takes. The other voice is clear and matter-of-fact: “You are well able. You can do all things through Christ. Your best days are still out in front of you.” Now, here’s the beauty. You get to choose which voice comes to life. The way you do it is by what you speak. When you verbalize that thought, you’re giving it the right to come to pass. If you mope around saying, “The problem’s too big. I’ll never get well,” you are choosing the wrong voice. You have to get in agreement with God. The other voice may seem louder, but you can override it. You can take away all of its power by choosing the voice of faith.

Maybe you’re going to a job interview. One voice will warn you, “You’re not going to get it. You’re wasting your time. These people are not going to like you.” Another voice will counter, “You have the favor of God. You’re blessed. You’re confident. You have what it takes.” If you get up that morning and tell your spouse, “I don’t think I’m going to get this job. They’re not going to like me. I’m not qualified,” there’s no use in your going. You’re being trapped by your words. You have to dig your heels in and say, “I am not giving life to any more defeat. I am not speaking lack. I’m not speaking sickness. I’m not speaking mediocrity, fear, doubt. I can’t do it. I’m choosing the voice of faith. It says I am strong, I am healthy, I am blessed. I am favored. I am a victor and not a victim.”

God gave Jeremiah a promise that he would become a great prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1). But when he heard God’s voice, he was very young and unsure of himself. He instead listened to
the other voice and said, “God, I can’t do that. I can’t speak to the nations. I’m too young. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

God said, “Jeremiah, say not that you are too young.”

The first thing God did was to stop his negative words. Why did God do that? Because He knew that if Jeremiah went around saying, “I’m not qualified. I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes,” he would become exactly what he was saying. So God said in effect, “Jeremiah, zip it up. You may think it, but don’t speak it out loud.” It goes on to tell how Jeremiah changed what he was saying, and he became a prophet to the nations. The promise came to pass.

In the same way, God has called every one of us to do something great. He’s put dreams and desires inside, but it’s easy to acquiesce as Jeremiah did and say, “I can’t do that. I’m too young. I’m too old. I’ve made too many mistakes. I don’t have the education. I don’t have the experience.” We can all make excuses, but God is saying to us what He said to Jeremiah: “Stop saying that.” Don’t curse your future. Those negative words can keep you from God’s best.

Sometimes the reason a promise is being delayed is because of what we’re saying. Imagine that your answer is on the way. God has already dispatched the angel with your healing, your promotion, your vindication. But right before it arrives, God says to the angel, “Hold on. Don’t go any further. Stay right where you are.”

The angel replies, “Why, God? This is what You promised. It’s in Your Word.”

God answers, “No, listen to what he’s saying. He’s talking about how it’s not going to happen, how the problem is too big, how it’s been too long, how he’ll never meet the right person.”

Negative words stop God’s promises. I wonder how many times we’re just a couple of months away from seeing the answer, a couple of months from meeting the right person. You’ve been praying for years that God would bring somebody great into your life. But right before that somebody shows up, you let your guard down and start saying, “Oh, it’s not going to happen. I’m too old. Nobody’s interested in me.” God has to say to the angel, “Don’t go any further.”

The good news is that promise is still in your future. God didn’t cancel it because you got negative. He still has the right person for you, and if you’ll zip up the doubt and switch over into faith, at the right time, that person will show up. God will release what negative words have delayed. God still has your healing, your promotion, your restoration. Now do your part. Quit talking about how it’s not going to happen. You may not see a way, but God still has a way. It may look impossible, but God can do the impossible. Just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean God is not working. Right now, behind the scenes, God is arranging things in your favor. He is lining up the right people. He is moving the wrong people out of the way. He is positioning you exactly where He wants you to be. Now don’t delay the promise by speaking negative words.

When our son, Jonathan, was seventeen years old, we were in the process of applying to different colleges. Some schools accept only 5 percent of the students who apply. That means, of course, that 95 percent of the applicants get turned down. It’s easy to think,
Why do we even want to apply to those schools? It’s practically impossible to get in. More than nine out of ten students get denied. Jonathan, don’t get your hopes up. I don’t see how you could get in there.

If we’re not careful, we’ll talk ourselves out of it. You may think those thoughts, but don’t make the mistake of verbalizing them. Learn to turn it around. “God, I know You have my son in the palm of Your
hand. You’ve already picked out the right college for him to attend. There may be only a 5 percent chance for some schools, but God, I know that with You there’s a 100 percent chance he will get in exactly where You want him to go. God, You control the whole universe.”

That’s much better than going around saying, “All the odds are against me. It doesn’t look good. I don’t see how it’s going to happen.” No, zip that up. If you can’t be positive, at least be quiet. Your words prophesy your future. If you say, “I’ll never get in,” you’re right; you’ll never get in. If you say, “This problem is going to sink me,” it will take you under. If you say, “I’ll never be able to afford a nice house,” you’ll never be able to afford a nice house. You’re being snared by the words of your mouth.

In the first chapter of Luke, an angel appeared to a priest named Zachariah while he was serving in the temple. The angel told him that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby and they were to name him John. Zachariah was very surprised, because he and his wife were way up there in years. He said to the angel, “Are you sure this is going to happen? It sounds great, but do you see how old we are? To me, it just doesn’t seem possible.”

The angel said, “Zachariah, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of Almighty God, and what God says will come to pass.”

God knows the power of our words. He knew that if Zachariah went around speaking defeat, it would stop His plan. So God did something unusual. The angel said, “Zachariah, because you doubted, you will remain silent and not be able to speak until the baby is born.” Zachariah left the temple unable to talk; he couldn’t speak one word for nine months, until that baby was born.

Why did God take away Zachariah’s speech? God knew he would go out and start telling his friends how it wasn’t going to happen. “Hey, man. This angel appeared and said we’re going to have a baby. He must have the wrong person. We’re too old.” Those negative words would have stopped his destiny. That’s why the Scripture says, “Put a watch over your mouth.” In other words, “Be careful what you allow to come out of your mouth.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get well. I’ve had this sickness for three years.” No; put a watch over your mouth. Don’t prophesy defeat. If you’re going to say anything, declare what God says: “I will live and not die. God is restoring health back unto me. The number of my days He will fulfill.” All through the day you need to ask yourself, “Is what I’m about to say what I want to come into my life?” Because what you’re saying, you’re inviting in.

When you say, “I’ll never pay off my house and get out of debt. The economy is too slow,” you’re inviting struggle and lack. When you say, “My career has dead-ended. This is as good as it gets,” you’re inviting defeat and mediocrity. You need to send out some new invitations. When you say, “I will lend and not borrow. God’s favor surrounds me like a shield. Whatever I touch prospers and succeeds,” you are inviting increase, good breaks, and success. When you say, “I will overcome this problem. I am more than a conqueror. If God be for me, who dare be against me?” you’re inviting strength, healing, restoration, vindication, and breakthroughs.

Pay attention to what you’re inviting. “I’ll never pass this algebra course. I’ve never been good in math. I just don’t understand it.” Change the invitation. “I can do all things through Christ. I have good understanding. I am full of wisdom. I am an A student.” When you do that, you’re inviting wisdom
and an acceleration of knowledge. You’re inviting God’s blessings. Make sure you’re sending out the right invitations.

When I first started ministering back in 1999, I had never done this before, and I was very nervous and unsure of myself. Negative thoughts bombarded my mind:
Joel, you’re going to get up there and make a fool of yourself. You’re not going to know what to say. Nobody is going to listen to you. Why should they? You don’t have the experience.
All through the day I had to ignore those thoughts. I would go around saying under my breath, “I am anointed. I am equipped. I am strong in the Lord.” Before I would come to church and minister, I would look at myself in the mirror and say, “Joel, you are well able. You’ve been raised up for such a time as this.”

I didn’t feel confident, but I called myself confident. I didn’t feel anointed, but I called myself anointed. You may not feel blessed, but you need to call yourself blessed. The circumstances may not say you’re prosperous, but by faith you need to call yourself prosperous. You may not feel healthy today, but don’t go around telling everyone how you’re not going to make it. Start calling yourself healthy, whole, strong, full of energy and full of life.