BY GREG CRUM
“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:8-9
Lately at our church, we’ve talked about the importance of expressing our thanks to God for all that He’s done and continues to do for us. We’ve referenced Hebrews 13:15 a few times, where it tells us to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
What is that “fruit of our lips”? Our words, of course! This responsibility we have been given to use our words to offer thanks to God is just another example of the power and place of our words.
Brothers and sisters, the words of man, spoken from the appropriate perspective, bring the life of God into our lives. Do you remember the warning of Proverbs 18:20-21? There we are reminded that “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
God’s life finds a place in our lives when we use our voices to agree with His Word concerning our lives. In a nutshell, this is the “word of faith” which we preach.
Now, perhaps you’ve heard mention of this term “word of faith” outside its Romans 10:8 setting. Sometimes, when spoken, it refers to the group of believers who rallied around these Scriptural insights back in the ’70s and ‘80s. But the “word of faith” is not just a group; it is a Bible doctrine. It is a way of life that can bring to pass the will of God in the life of a believer, and a revolutionary way of life it is! It has changed lives for the better in the last 40 to 50 years, mine included. How? By helping me to understand how God works, and allowing me to know how to operate in a similar way.
Growing up around these truths, thankfully, it did not take me long to figure out that if you do things the way God has designed for us to do them, the way He does them, you are going to be successful. In relation to our thoughts about faith, faith works if you work it God’s way!
Now, to work your faith the way God has designed, you have to express your words wisely and from the appropriate spiritual perspective. If you do, you can expect to achieve the success of the Lord in your life—all His promises, grace and goodness. Where did I get such an outlandish idea from? Jesus himself!
In Mark 11:23 Jesus stated that “…whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” In other words, say what you believe and receive.
Wait, is that not another way to say “name it and claim it”? Sure it is!
I know the world wants to mock these ideas, and religion loves to scorn them, but this is a Jesus-taught truth. Like, He is the one who was quoted in Mark 11:23, right? Well then, maybe people should not be so critical of that line of thinking about faith.
Friends, our words have the power to move mountains and receive God’s salvation in our lives. A modern group of people did not come up with this idea. It is not a fringe ideology or theology. God Himself created us with this capacity, and He chose to have faith operate through the mechanism of our heartfelt words.
Let us learn how to use our mouths to speak into our lives God’s will on this earth.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.