The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (4 page)

When Joshua was leading the people of Israel toward the Promised Land, they came to the city of Jericho. It towered between them and their destiny. They couldn’t go around it. They had to go through it. The problem was: Jericho was surrounded by huge, thick, tall walls made of stone and mortar. It didn’t look as though there was any way the Israelites could get in. But God told them to do something that sounded strange—for six days they were to march around those walls once a day, and on the seventh day they were to march around
them seven times. As if that wasn’t odd enough, God gave them one final instruction, which was the key to the whole plan working. He said, “While you’re marching around the walls, I don’t want you to say one word, not a whisper, not a short conversation, not an update on how it’s going. Keep totally silent.”

Why did God not allow them to speak? God knew that after a couple of times around the perimeter of the walls, if not before they even started marching, they would be saying, “What in the world are we doing out here? These walls are never going to fall. Look how thick they are. They’ve been here forever. Joshua must have heard God wrong.” Somebody else speaks up, “Yeah, and I’m tired. I’m hot. I’m hungry. This dust is getting in my face.” God knew they would talk themselves out of it. There are times in all of our lives when it’s difficult to be positive. And that’s okay. Just stay silent. Don’t tell everyone what you’re thinking. The people of Israel marched in silence, and you know how the story ends. On the seventh time around on the seventh day the walls came tumbling down.

Here’s the question today: Could it be that negative words are keeping you out of your Promised Land? Could it be that if you would remain silent, that if you would zip it up and not talk about how big the problem is, not complain about what didn’t work out, not tell a friend how you’re never going to be successful, maybe the walls that are holding you back would come down? Imagine behind those walls are your healing, your promotion, your dream coming to pass. Every day, so to speak, you’re walking around the walls. What are you saying? “This wall is never going to fall, Joel. I’ve had this addiction since high school.” “I’ll never be able to start my own business. I don’t know the right people.”

God is saying to us what He said to the Israelites: “If you can’t say anything positive and full of faith, don’t say anything at all.” Don’t
let your negative words keep you from God’s best. If you’ll stop talking defeat, lack, how it’s not going to happen, and simply remain silent, God can do for you what He did for them. He knows how to bring those walls down.

When we’re marching around the walls, sometimes we go day after day and don’t see anything happening. Just like the Israelites, the thoughts come swirling around our heads:
You didn’t hear God right. Nothing is changing. You go to work every week and do your best, but you’re not being promoted, and it’s never going to happen.
No, that is a time of testing. Like the Israelites, you’re marching around the walls. You may be on day five, day six. That simply means you’ve been doing it a year, two years, or five years. You’ve thought surely it would have happened by now.

Pass that test. Don’t start complaining. Don’t do like the first group that stopped at the door of the Promised Land and said, “Oh, what’s the use? Let’s just settle here.” When the negative thoughts come, let them die stillborn. Refuse to prophesy defeat over your life. If you do this, you will come into your seventh day. Like what happened with the Israelites, those walls will come tumbling down. God is a faithful God. He will do what He has promised you.

In II Kings 4, there is a story of a woman who was a good friend of the prophet Elisha. In fact, she had built an extra room on her house, so when Elisha was in town he could come and stay there. One day Elisha asked her what he could do for her to return the favor. She said, “Nothing, Elisha. My husband and I are doing just fine.”

Elisha’s assistant brought it to his attention that the couple didn’t have any children. Her husband was an older man. Before Elisha left the woman, he prophesied, “By this time next year you’re going to have a baby.” She was so excited. It seemed too good to be true. But the next year, just like he told her, she had a son. When the boy was around ten years old, he was out in the field playing and his head began to hurt very badly. They carried him home and placed him in his mother’s arms where he later died. You can imagine how this mother felt. She was heartbroken, devastated beyond measure. She carried her son to Elisha’s room and placed him on Elisha’s bed.

For most people this would be the end of the story, but not for this lady. She asked for a donkey and said, “I’m going to see the prophet Elisha.” She told her assistant to ride fast and not slow down unless he was told. When Elisha saw the dust billowing up in the sky a couple of miles away, he noticed it was his friend, the woman who had built the extra room on her house for him. Elisha told his assistant Gehazi, “Go find out what’s wrong.”

Gehazi ran to meet the woman way down the road, stopped her, and said, “Elisha is concerned. Why are you coming unexpectedly in such a hurry? Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?”

Speaking words of faith, she simply replied, “It is well,” and kept heading full steam ahead.

Think of all the negative thoughts that this woman was fighting, and then consider her actual words. A lot of times when we face difficulties and somebody asks us how everything is going, we do just the opposite and tell them everything that’s wrong. It’s easy to talk about the problem, how bad it is, how it’s never going to work out. But in those tough times—when you feel like complaining, when you’ve got a good reason to be sour, because you lost a job, or a friend did you wrong, or you’re not feeling well—you have to dig your heels
in and say it by faith: “Business is slow, but all is well. God is still on the throne. He’s the Lord my Provider.” Or, “The medical report wasn’t good, but all is well. God is my healer. Nothing will snatch me out of His hands.”

She finally made it to Elisha’s house and told him the son he promised her had died. Elisha went and prayed for the boy, and he came back to life. What I want you to see is that in her darkest hour, even when it looked impossible, this lady refused to get negative and speak defeat. When Gehazi asked, “Is everything okay?” she could have spoken out loud what I’m sure she was thinking, “No! I’m in the midst of a great tragedy. I’m facing the biggest challenge of my life.” Nobody would have faulted her for that. But she chose to speak faith even though her mind was being bombarded with doubt. She had a watch over her mouth. She wasn’t going to be snared by her words.

When you’re hurting, you’ve been through a disappointment, and you’ve suffered a loss, you have to do what she did. Say it by faith: “All is well.” It may not look well. It may not feel well. In the natural you should be complaining, talking about how bad it is, but instead you’re making a declaration of faith: “All is well.” That’s when the most powerful force in the universe goes to work.

God can resurrect dead dreams. He can resurrect a dead marriage. He can resurrect health that’s going down or a business that’s failing. When you get in agreement with God, all things are possible. You may be facing a big obstacle. It doesn’t look good. But here’s a
key: Don’t talk about the size of your problem. Talk about the size of your God. God stopped the sun for Joshua. He parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. He breathed new life into this mother’s little boy. He can turn your situation around as well. He can make a way even though you don’t see a way.

My challenge to you today is: Don’t let your negative words stop what God wants to do. If you can’t say anything positive, zip it up. You may think it, but don’t give it life by speaking it out. Your healing, your vindication, and your promotion are right up in front of you. As was true of Jeremiah, God has already ordained you to do something great. Now, put a watch over your mouth. Pay attention to what you’re saying.

When you make this adjustment, God is going to release promises that have been delayed. Suddenly the things you’ve been praying about—breaking that addiction, meeting the right person, getting healthy again, starting that business—are going to fall into place. You’re going to see God’s favor in a new way. He’s going to open up new doors of opportunity just as He did for Joshua and the Israelites. I believe and declare that every wall that’s holding you back is about to come tumbling down. You and your family will make it into your Promised Land!

W
ords have creative power. When you speak something out, you give life to what you’re saying. It’s one thing to believe that you’re blessed. That’s important. But when you say, “I am blessed,” it takes on a whole new meaning. That’s when blessings come looking for you. The Scripture says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so
.” It doesn’t say, “Let the redeemed think so, or believe so, or hope so.” That’s all good, but you have to take it one step further and
say so
. If you’re going to go to the next level, you have to
say so
. If you’re going to accomplish a dream, overcome an obstacle, or break an addiction, you have to start declaring it. It has to come out of your mouth. That’s how you give life to your faith.

When God created the worlds, He didn’t just think them into being. He didn’t just believe there would be light and land and oceans and animals. He had it in His heart, but nothing happened until He spoke. He said, “Let there be light,” and light came. His thoughts didn’t set it into motion; His words set it into motion. It’s the same principle today. You can believe all day long and not see
anything happen. You can have faith in your heart, big dreams, be standing on God’s promises, and never see anything change. What’s the problem? Nothing happens until you speak. Instead of just believing you’re going to get out of debt, you have to say so. Declare every day, “I am coming out of debt. I am the head and not the tail. God’s favor surrounds me like a shield.” When you speak, just like when God spoke, things begin to happen. Opportunities will find you. Good breaks, promotion, and ideas will track you down.

Instead of just thinking,
I hope I get over this illness. I’m praying I’ll get better
, which is good, you have to take it one more step and start declaring it. “I am strong. I am healthy. I will live and not die. With long life God is going to satisfy me.” That’s what activates your faith. It’s not just hoping you have a good year or just hoping that you accomplish your dreams. Hope is good, but nothing happens until you speak. Before you leave the house every day, declare it: “This is going to be my best year. Things have shifted in my favor. I’m going to a new level.” When you talk like that, the angels go to work, opening up new doors, lining up the right people, and arranging things in your favor.

Psalm 91 says, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge, my fortress, and my shield.’” The next verse says, “He will deliver me, protect me, and cover me.” Notice the connection.
I will say
and
He will do
. It doesn’t say, “I believe He is my refuge. I believe He will be my strength.” The psalmist went around declaring it, speaking it out: “The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my strength.” Notice
what happened. God became his refuge and strength. God was saying in effect, “If you’re bold enough to speak it, I’m bold enough to do it.”

Have you ever declared that your dreams are coming to pass? Have you ever said, “I will pay off my house.” “I will start my own business.” “I will get my degree.” “I will lose this weight.” “I will see my family restored”? Whatever God has put in your heart, it needs to get in your conversation. Talk like it’s going to happen. Talk like it’s already on the way: “When I get married… When I graduate from college… When I see my family restored…” Not
if
it’s going to happen, but
when
it’s going to happen. That’s your faith being released.

One of our staff members had been trying for more than ten years to have a baby, with no success. One day we were in a staff meeting, planning out the next year. She made the statement, “When I have my baby, I’m going to be out for a couple of months. We’ll have to find somebody to fill in.” I thought she was pregnant and that nobody had told me, so I didn’t act surprised or say anything. My sister Lisa was in the meeting as well. I asked her afterward, “Why didn’t you tell me she was pregnant?”

She said, “Joel, she’s not pregnant. She just talks like it’s going to happen.”

This went on for years. “When I have my baby… When I get pregnant… When my child shows up…” What was she doing? Saying so. She didn’t just believe it. She was declaring it. In the natural, she was getting too old to have a baby. Her doctors told her it wasn’t going to happen. It looked impossible. Most people would have given up and accepted it. But not this lady. She kept saying so, kept declaring it: “When my baby shows up…” Twenty years later, she gave birth not to one baby but to two. She had twins. She declared of the Lord, and God did what He promised.

But think about the opposite of Psalm 91: “I will not say of the Lord, and He will not do.” That’s the principle. Nothing happens until you speak.

When we were trying to acquire the Compaq Center to become our church building, Victoria and I would drive around it night after night and say, “That’s our building. Father, thank You for fighting our battles. Lord, thank You that You are making a way where we don’t see a way.” We didn’t just think about it, pray about it, or believe that it would happen. That’s all important, but we took one more step and declared that it was ours. It became a part of our everyday conversation. At the dinner table: “When we get the Compaq Center, we could do this. When we renovate it… When we move in… When we have the grand opening…” Not “I don’t know, Victoria. It’s going to be very expensive. Where are we going to get the funds? The opponents, they’re really strong.” No, we said of the Lord, as the psalmist did, “God, we know You are bigger than any obstacle. We know You are supplying all of our needs. Lord, we know if You be for us, who dare be against us?” We declared it, and God did it.

What are you saying of the Lord? “Well, Joel. My problems are really big today. My dreams look impossible. My marriage is so messed up. We’ll never be restored.” Don’t talk about how big your problem is. Talk about how big your God is. When you say of the Lord, “You’re my healer, my way maker, my dream giver, my restorer, my vindicator, my health, my peace, my victory,” that’s when God will show up and do more than you can ask or think.

I have some friends who were believing to have another child. They have a daughter, but they really wanted to have a son. Every time the wife got pregnant, she had a miscarriage. This happened five times in nine years. They were very discouraged and tempted to give up. The husband’s name is Joe and had gone by Joe his whole life. But one day he read that his full name—Joseph—means “God will add.” When he understood that, something came alive inside. He knew God was saying, “I’m going to add to you a son.” He remembered the story in the Scripture where God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” God gave Abraham a child, a son, at a very old age when it looked impossible. Joe decided to go back to using his original name. He told his family, his friends, and coworkers, “Don’t call me Joe anymore. Call me Joseph.”

They thought he was having a midlife crisis. But every time someone said, “Hello, Joseph,” they were saying, “God will add.” They were speaking victory over his life. He kept saying so, declaring it. About six months later, his wife became pregnant with a baby boy. For the first time in ten years, she carried the baby to full term. Their son was born healthy and whole. As a testimony to God’s goodness, they named that little boy Joseph: “God will add.”