I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life. By Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church
Our words have creative power. Whenever we speak something, either good or bad, we give life to what we are saying. Too many people say negative things about themselves, about their families, and about their futures.
They say things such as, “I’ll never be successful. This sickness will get the best of me. Business is so slow I don’t think I will make it. Flu season is coming. I’ll probably catch it.”
They don’t realize they are prophesying their futures. The Scripture says, “We will eat the fruit of our words.” That means we will get exactly what we’ve been saying.
Here is the key; you’ve got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go. You cannot talk defeat and expect to have victory. You can’t talk lack and expect to have abundance. You will produce what you say.
If you want to know what you will be like five years from now, just listen to what you are saying about yourself. With our words we can either bless our futures or we can curse our futures. That’s why we should never say, “I’m not a good parent. I’m unattractive. I’m clumsy. I can’t do anything right. I’ll probably get laid off.”
No, those thoughts may come to your mind, but don’t make the mistake of verbalizing them. The moment you speak them out, you allow them to take root.
There have been plenty of times where I’ve thought something negative and I’m just about to say it, but I’ll catch myself and think, No. I’ll zip it up. I’m not speaking defeat into my future. I’m not speaking failure over my life. I will turn it around and speak favor into my future. I will declare, “I’m blessed. I’m strong. I’m healthy. This will be a great year.” When you do that, you are blessing your future.
Joel Osteen writte this book “I Declare” of thirty-one declarations so you can bless your future one day at a time, one month at a time, with hope is that you will take just a moment each day to bless your future with one of these positive, inspiring, and encouraging declarations. If you read one declaration and story each day, you will put yourself in a position for God’s blessings.
You may be in a difficult time right now, but let me challenge you. Don’t use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation.
Joel Osteen say: When we were looking to renovate the former Compaq Center in Houston so it could serve as the new Lakewood Church, our architects told us the project would cost millions more than we’d originally estimated.
I was shocked by the figures they gave us. After I got up off the ground, I thought, That’s impossible. I could never raise that much money. There is no way that will happen.
The thoughts were there, but I knew better than to verbalize them. My attitude was, If I prophesy my future I want to prophesy something good. I’m not saying what I feel. I’m not saying what it looks like in the real world. No, I’m saying what God says about me.
My declaration was, “God is supplying all of our needs. He is Jehovah-Jireh; the Lord our Provider. This may seem impossible but I know God can do the impossible. Where God gives vision He always provides provision.”
Use this book “I Declare” as your guide for declaring your victory each day. Declare health. Declare favor. Declare abundance.
You give life to your faith by what you say. All through the day we should go around saying, “I have the favor of God. I can do all things through Christ. I am blessed. I’m strong. I’m healthy.” When you do that you just blessed your life.
Each Declaration is developed for a better understanding of what we confess with our mouths. We honor God and his promises when we declare them daily and we believe them in our hearts.
Then the first three statements without their development:
DAY ONE
I DECLARE God’s incredible blessings over my life. I wil see an explosion of God’s goodness, a sudden widespread increase. I wil experience the surpassing greatness of God’s favor. It will elevate me to a level higher than I ever dreamed of. Explosive blessings are coming my way.
DAY TWO
I DECLARE I will experience God’s faithfulness. I will not worry. I will not doubt. I will keep my trust in Him, knowing that He will not fail me. I will give birth to every promise God put in my heart and I will become everything God created me to be.
DAY THREE
I DECLARE I have the grace I need for today. I am full of power, strength, and determination. Nothing I face will be too much for me. I will overcome every obstacle, outlast every challenge, and come through every difficulty better off than I was before.