My challenge as a pastor is to help you develop such a strong faith that the storms of life will not shake you, allowing you to reach the end of your journey as a victor in Christ Jesus.
We all know that faith is essential in the Christian life. Without faith, we cannot please God!
“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6
“The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38; Galatians 3:11; Habakkuk 2:4)
However, you will agree with me that many times, your faith doesn’t seem to work. You have believed, prayed, maybe fasted and yet nothing happened!
Jesus said that faith is powerful and unstoppable, but why does our faith often waver and fail to produce results?
I want to share an illustration about the journey of dreams.
“Imagine someone who is planning an amazing trip to a dream destination. They’ve bought their plane tickets, packed their luggage, reserved the hotel, and even learned a few phrases in the local language. Everything is set for an incredible holiday ! But, every time someone asks them about the trip, they say, ‘Oh, I’m sure the plane is going to crash! With my luck, I probably won’t even make it out of the airport!’
It’s funny because their actions show they have faith in the trip – they’re prepared and excited. But their words are completely opposite! They’re confessing disaster while acting like everything will go perfectly.
This is a perfect picture of how faith and our words must walk together. You can’t say one thing and believe another! Just like the traveler, our words need to match what we believe, otherwise, it’s like trying to walk in two different directions at the same time.”
“The words from your mouth must be aligned with your faith and your prayers!”
It’s impossible to speak about faith without addressing confession. You cannot separate faith from confession; you cannot separate believing from speaking!
What you speak and your confession are the primary ways you release your faith.
I want to read Mark 11:23 and 2 Corinthians 4:13, which speak about the power of a faith-filled confession.
But I want you to approach these verses as if you’ve never heard them before. When you receive a revelation, it becomes real to you, and when something is real inside of you, you get excited about it.
In Mark chapter 11 Jesus spoke to a tree.
“Jesus spoke to the fig tree and said, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’” Mark 11:14
You couldn’t see it at that moment, but the scripture tells us that over time, the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Jesus spoke to the fig tree, and it obeyed His words. He also spoke to the wind, and it obeyed Him. He spoke to the waves, and they obeyed Him. He spoke to demons, and they obeyed Him. He spoke to the tree, and it obeyed Him. He speaks to us and we don’t obey Him.
“Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.”
Mark 11:21-22 NIV
When the disciples saw that the tree had withered away from the roots, they were amazed.
Jesus said: “Have faith in God; you need to have this kind of faith!”
What is faith?
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Mark 11:23
Listen, this is Jesus speaking. He said that if you speak and do not doubt in your heart, but believe, you will have whatever you say. Jesus said that whatever you believe in your heart and declare with your mouth will come into being! You need to hear it over and over until you are confident and truly expect it to happen. When you speak it, you are hearing it, and faith comes by hearing!
Even if you don’t believe it, start declaring it, and if you keep saying it long enough, it will get into you, and you will believe it.
When you speak from a heart of faith, it releases power to change things. It works! That is how you were born again.
“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”
2 Corinthians 4:13
We have the same spirit of faith that was in Abraham, in David when he faced Goliath, in Joshua when he commanded the sun to stand still, in Daniel in the lion’s den, and in Jesus, Paul, and Peter as they walked the earth.
2 Corinthians 4:13 explains how this spirit of faith operates: “I believed, and I spoke; we also believe, and therefore speak.”
You cannot separate faith from confession! Speaking is the primary way you release your faith.
Some people say, “Marcio, faith without works is dead, and dead faith doesn’t work. I need to act on my faith!”
How do I release my faith? How do I act on my faith? By saying it!
My brothers and sisters: Saying is acting on the Word! Speaking is releasing faith when you express what you believe with your words.
Think about creation—God said, “Let there be light.” Through the words of His mouth, power was released, and the Holy Spirit moved to bring it to life.
Another example is our salvation.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
When you were born again, you heard the Word, believed in your heart, and confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. When you confessed your faith, that opened the door for the power of God to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus.
That’s the greatest miracle of all—healing and blessing are lesser miracles.
Be careful with the words you use!
Proverbs 18:20-21: “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips, he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
The Message version says: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”
Words are serious business. As believers, we need to take seriously how to use them.
Words can kill or give life, and you must choose the words you speak.
I have a powerful and sad testimony about our words—my father-in-law! Since I met Fabiana’s father, he often said, “I won’t live past my 50s.” I heard him say that many times. When he was 49, he passed away!
Our words hold power over life and death! We must be cautious about how we phrase things. Our mouths are very powerful.
I’ve heard people say, “My diabetes,” “my allergies,” “my rheumatism,” “my arthritis,” “my bad ankle,” “my problem.” Stop claiming it as “your” problem! If so, this allergy will be yours forever!
Some say, “Every time flu season comes around, my kids are always the first ones to get sick!” You are declaring it, so it’s going to happen!
“I can’t do this; this sickness is incurable; I’m dumb; I’ll never learn this; I will never pass driving test , I’ll never be able to do that.”
Some people say to their children: “You’re dumb; you’re stupid; you’re useless; you always do everything wrong; you’re bad; you’ll never learn; you’re a burden.”
Or they say about themselves: “I’m stubborn; I’m an idiot; I’ll never be able to do this.”
Why would you say that? The Bible says you will eat the fruit of your mouth. Your words are destroying your life and your family!
You don’t realise it, but you are opening the door to defeat; you’re inviting death and destruction into your life. You’re calling it close to you, and it will stay with you, your children, your family, and your church.
But you can create something different!
Instead, you should say:
“Jesus took all my infirmities, and I’m healed!” (Isaiah 53:4-5)
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
“God in Christ will supply all my needs.” (Philippians 4:19)
“I have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
“My family and I will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
“My children are a blessing; they are intelligent, and they will prosper and have a great future.” (Psalm 127:3-5)
“Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
But you might say, “I’m not speaking the truth; I’m not wise; I’m weak; I’m not strong.” But even if you feel weak, the Bible says you should declare, “I am strong!”
“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” (Joel 3:10)
You must speak what the Bible says about you. When you declare it, you are calling things that do not exist into existence!
“As it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ This is true before God, the one Abraham believed—the God who gives life to the dead and speaks of things that don’t yet exist as if they are real.” (Romans 4:17)
The Bible instructs us to call things that do not exist as though they did! This principle of calling things that are not as though they were is the spiritual principle through which everything physical becomes manifest. God created light by calling for “light” when only darkness was present. Jesus used this same method—calling the lepers clean, raising the dead, and bringing peace to the storm.
Jesus did that. When Lazarus was dead, what did Jesus say? “He’s sleeping!”
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.””
John 11:11 NIV
Stop saying what you see! Jesus always spoke about what He wanted to see.
He didn’t view circumstances as impossible! Jesus never spoke of what He saw; He always spoke of what He wanted to see!
Remember: You will have whatever you say! Jesus said: You will receive whatever you say!
It’s your responsibility to correct your confession and the words that come out of your mouth. Pay attention to your speech!
Stop criticising your brothers, stop criticising your leaders, this is gossip and you are destroying your life, your ministry, your faith. Use your mouth to bless!
Change your words, and you will change your future!
We need to repent for our wrong words and change the way we speak.
We need to be filled with the Word of God and then we are going to start saying what the bible says !
God bless you