‘Stop! That’s not the way it works!’ These are the words I heard coming from the backseat as I began to pray.
I was driving Bryson and Brailee home after a wonderful day and night with them. As I usually do, I began to pray on the ride to their house. I began with ‘thank you God for this time with these two, it was so much fun and I am so thankful for them.’ Then I asked God for something and in the middle of asking, Brailee yelled out ‘stop! That’s not the way it works!’
I stopped and questioned her. I said, ‘what do you mean?’ She said, ‘you can’t ask God for something and expect to get it, that’s not how it works.’
I responded, ‘what makes you say that Brailee?’ She proudly said, ‘my teacher said that is not how it works.’ I then asked, ‘what did your teacher say?’ She shared with me that her teacher said, you can’t ask God for something and expect to get it. I said ‘well, honey, that’s wrong.’ I began to remind her what the Bible says however, in her mind, a voice of authority in her life had told her something and she believed it.
I said ‘Brailee, we have had dozens of bible studies about this very subject?’ She said, ‘I know Nana, but Ms. So and so, said it is not the way it works.’
Now, PLEASE UNDERSTAND my point here. I am sure, at age six, Brailee misunderstood her teacher or there is more to the conversation. That is NOT my point here. My point is this; a voice of authority spoke into her life and erased everything she had been taught or believed to be true.
As I pondered this thought over the holiday weekend, I thought of the many people who have been going through life, serving God, doing all they know to do, when suddenly a voice of authority in their life says something to them to crush them or to erase all they believed.
It is a sad truth, but I have seen and dealt with many people, in the church, who have been crushed by a voice of authority in their life.
I shared Kelita’s book with you the other day, her book is about this very subject. It happens more often than we care to think.
I also thought about the power of words. WOW! Words are powerful. They build up and they tear down, that is what the Bible says.
Daily people, even people who know who they are in Christ, are torn down by words from loved ones, spouses and friends. This should not be so.
Why do those words change what they know to be truth?
It is a voice of authority in that person’s life. Authority in the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is defined as; Legal power, or a right to command or to act; as the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children. Power; rule; sway. 2. The power derived from opinion, respect or esteem; influence of character or office; credit; as the authority of age or example, which is submitted to or respected, in some measure, as a law, or rule of action.
Words have power, as I said, and when they come from someone who has or who we have given authority in our life, they often have the ability to rule and sway our thoughts and emotions.
This is one reason it is vital we remain very careful of who we give authority to speak into our lives.
Regardless of what a voice of authority speaks, the truth remains the truth. What God says about you is truth. What God says about your situation is truth. What Gods word says is truth. Those truths will supersede any other words, if you will allow them to.
For those of you who have had ungodly words spoken over you by a voice of authority in your life, and for those who have been spoken to with words that were NOT spirit-led, I say to you today; first, forgive the one who spoke them, forgive and let them go. You don’t want to hang on to that hurt and rejection any longer, walk free today. Secondly, do what the word says, cast those words to the ground.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 says; For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Cast every negative word to the ground and declare them null and void. Then, take the time to sow the word of God into your heart. Sow the word of God in your heart until you believe it more than the negative words that were spoken to you. Remember, His word is alive and power-filled and His word will NOT return void. It will always accomplish what it is sent for.
Ask God to put the right voices of authority in your life. Don’t allow just anyone to speak into your life – watch their fruit – that will tell you all you need to know. God wants you to have voices of authority but He wants them to be godly and pure voices of authority and He wants those words, even words of correction, spoken in love and from a pure heart. That, my friend, is my prayer for you today. That God will put those types of voices of authority in your life.
Prayer for Today: Father, I thank you for the voices of authority in my life. I thank you that they speak from YOUR heart and they speak YOUR words at all times. I forgive those who have spoken into my life and brought hurt, I forgive them today and release them to you. In Jesus name. Amen.
