Looking at this sunset over Camp Life, Zambia brings to remembrance all the amazing ways God is moving there. But one truth Greer Kendall, President and CEO of Family Legacy (https://familylegacy.com/), taught us at camp rises to the top:
It’s not enough to hear.
It’s not enough to understand.
It’s not even enough to believe.
You must speak it.
Being immersed for a week in what is primarily an oral culture (where most information is passed along verbally), we saw firsthand the importance of listening well. Otherwise, you won’t accurately remember when you are ready to retell it. Jesus challenges us many times in the gospels, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:5, 13:9, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 4:23, Luke 8:8, 14:35).
Clearly understanding what you’ve heard is equally important. I’ve made many mistakes in my life because I really didn’t listen to and understand what was being said. That lesson becomes eternally important when it comes to what God is saying.
But faith is not borne from merely hearing or understanding, we must believe. Belief is that moment when the imperishable seed of the Word is received and implanted in the fertile soil of a heart and begins to take root.
But belief has a partner: confession. There is power in the spoken word. And there is supernatural power in the spoken Word.
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 NASB).
Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth. Belief and positive confession go together. Remaining silent keeps belief locked behind closed doors. But when we speak the Word, we unleash the supernatural power of faith in God and His Word. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible” (Matthew 17:20 NTL).
Just as we could travel down the Zambezi River to mighty Victoria Falls in Zambia, Jesus invites us to journey along His river of faith to the roaring waterfall of the spoken Word, “you could say…and it would move.” To the glory of God, we saw mountains move in Zambia – mountains of oppression, fear, abuse, nightmares, physical problems, witchcraft, doubt, worry, condemnation, rejection, and hopelessness.
Consider the power of some of Jesus’ spoken Words, “Follow Me,” “Arise,” “Hush, be still,” “Do not be afraid,” “Come to Me,” “Father, forgive them,” “I am…” Not simply thoughts or beliefs, but words. Powerful, supernatural, life-giving Words.
With the convenience of texts, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and email, we have defaulted to a culture of many more words, but far less spoken. Let’s put down the phone, lift up our voice, and proclaim the Word!
Perhaps you need to speak a Word of blessing or encouragement over someone or boldly shine some Light into a dark place. Or just maybe you have a mountain that is waiting to hear your voice of faith?
Speak it.
© 2014 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com