What's in your mouth, part II

When my 3 year old was a baby, he ate almost everything and it was awesome knowing I could throw a big bunch of kale into some applesauce and it would be met with just as much joy as a wedge of watermelon. Nowadays, it feels like whole food groups he once loved have been eliminated, with near battles going down to get him to eat one fork of rice, or try ANY vegetable besides avocado.

So when  I set his plate down in front of him for dinner on Wednesday, it didn't take long for him to pick up his jacketed sweet potato and ask, "Mama, what's this?" I helped him scoop out the potato, leaving the skin in another compartment. "This is really good for you buddy, but you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." Imagine my surprise when he did eat it, and then asked for more! I gave him a high five, and told him that I thought it was really cool that he tried this new thing. His bravery in taking the first bite made him realize how good it was, and how much he wanted more.

Breakfast is a good time in my house

Last week, I talked about examining what's typically in our mouths, and getting out the gross stuff that we speak over our lives. Often, this first step is a brave one because it opens us up for disappointment, embarrassment, and requires us to let go of our default responses to the trials that come up in life and try something new and likely different than we've had before.

So now that our mouths are empty, what do we fill them with?

God's truth.  Specifically, as Patricia King puts in her book Decree, "Powerful decrees from scripture which put the Word of God to work in your life."  

Now again, I want to reiterate that this isn't the same thing as a "name it and claim it" theology or power of positive thinking, but we are beginning with the assertion that what God says about Himself, about you and I, and about our reality is truth, and we speak those things over and into ourselves, understanding that our words have power to create life or death.


As opposed to the previous example of guarding my faithless, destructive language and creating/fostering darkness in my life, when I boldly declare God as unchangeable, myself as deeply rooted and firmly established, unshakable and that my reality is that I am blessed and highly favored in the midst of uncertain and unstable circumstances, not only is my hope unleashed, allowing me to wait with expectancy for the hand of my Father to move, but I also foster peace, joy, self control within my soul and it becomes a potent system where my properly fed soul contributes to the renewing of my mind, and my new perspective reinforces what I've put into my soul. 

Then, there's the very real Kingdom principle of mustard seed faith and the effect it has on the mountains in our lives, not to mention all the ways scripture says God honors the faith of the righteous.

I'll be leaving links below so you can easily access who the Father says He is in scripture so that you can declare His identity over your personal circumstances, life giving promises from scripture that you can confidently proclaim in the face of adversity, and encouraging scripture affirming who you are in Christ.

It may not feel natural at first, especially if you are, as I've been, accustomed to defeatist language, but speaking life becomes as addicting as speaking death was comfortable. While the results may not be immediate, they are rewarding, satisfying to the depths of our being and to the very fringes of our lives.

THIS life, the one you're living right now, was meant to be lived victoriously, and we can begin to cultivate that through the power of our words and the placement of our faith.

Resources:
Who is God and who am I: https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/ogiwa.cfm 

Promises from the word for everyday life:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/gods-promises-verses-in-the-bible/