POSITIVE CONFESSIONS

YES WE CAN Romans 4:17b - "... even God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."

According to the Bible, God created the world with His words. The Book of Genesis explicitly reveals this - "Then God said, 'let there be light', and there was light." Awesome this is! Since we were made in God's image, likewise the human race has the ability to create incredible things out of nothing, by merely using words. As ridiculous as this may sound, great achievers have left their footprints in the sands of time wearing the efficacy or fruits of the truth that words carry creative power.

I once read about an experiment that was carried on two seedlings. They were both planted separately. One was showered daily with praises such as 'you are beautiful.' It indeed grew to be beautiful and bore nice flowers. On the contrary, the other was daily showered with negative words such as ' you are such an ugly stalk.' It sprung up into an ugly stalk, withered and died. This experiment confirms the power of words. Words indisputably can create!

The phrase 'Yes we can' run through Barack Obama's campaign for the US Presidency in2008. Many disputed that America could ever have a black President. Yet this phrase -'yes we can' believed and continually spoken by Barack Obama did bear fruits of his dream to become the President of America.I bet he saw it mentally, believed it, spoke it and lived its reality. Obama's belief and words -'yes we can' urged him to embark on a good campaign that led to the realisation of his great dream. What you think in your heart is what you will become. Proverbs 23:7 does not mince words as it puts it plainly - 'as he(a man) thinketh in his heart so is he.' You become what you think on, and what you think in your heart is what comes out of your mouth. Jesus explained this by declaring that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks - Matthew 12:34b.

A typical example of how our words can determine the course of our lives is depicted in the lives of the Biblical characters Caleb and Joshua. In the book of Numbers chapters 13 and 14, Moses sent out spies to survey the land God had promised them. Caleb who was one of the spies brought back a positive report saying - ' Let us go at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it .' However the rest of the spies(except Joshua)disagreed and spread fear amongst the Israelites that they were unable to conquer the giants of the land, as they appeared like grasshoppers before them. Caleb and Joshua were nearly stoned for their positive confessions. In accordance to their confessions, Numbers 14: 36 - 38 records that among all the spies sent by Moses, it was only Caleb and Joshua that God allowed to live. The rest perished and were unable to enter the promised land. Joshua after the death of Moses led the Israelites to the promised land, and in the book of Joshua chapters 14 and 15, we read about how Caleb possessed the promised land.

The book of Proverbs completes it all by teaching us that ' death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who like it will eat of its fruit. In simple terms, the words you speak can either give life (positive things) or bring about death ( negative things). You shall have whatever you believe and speak so exercise restraint in your choice of words. I wish you all the best!