There is a common misconception that God made the visible universe from nothing, but that’s not what we find in the Bible. The book of Hebrews tells us that the seen, our perceptible reality, is a product of the unseen [Hebrews 11:3], highlighting that the invisible isn’t the same as non-existent. However, the most apparent contradiction to that misconception is in Genesis 1. There, God does something before each act of creation; He speaks. Consequently, throughout that chapter, we find the phrase: “…And God saw…” preceded by: “…And God said…”.So, God said whatever He wanted to see; He called it forth, and it manifested [Romans 4:17]. God was establishing a principle, and later in the Gospels, Jesus would expound on the dynamics of that principle. Just as a mustard seed has the potential to become a tree, God furnishes His word with the power to make it manifest so that His word never returns to Him void [Isaiah 55:10-11].

Someone could argue calling forth what you want to see, irrespective of what is, is reserved for God alone. But that too would be a misconception because, in Genesis 1, God said: “Let Us make man in our image and likeness…” [Genesis 1:26]. In that one statement, He endowed humankind with the ability to emulate Him as He gave us responsibility over the rest of creation as His regents. When God put Adam in charge of the Garden, He didn’t expect Adam to wrestle elephants, lions and rhinos, animals bigger, stronger and faster than him to submission. Instead, He endowed Adam with the ability to use his voice and words to establish and maintain godly order in creation. That potential is inherent in all of us, but unfortunately, many are unaware of it, and some of us who know about it haven’t mastered the dynamics of dominating creation and reality with our words as God intended.

It has helped me to think of God as a skilled farmer who invariably achieves the perfect harvest. Hopefully, that comparison isn’t irreverent because, in the Gospels, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a farmer scattering seeds [Mark 4:26]. In the parable of the sower, Jesus drew parallels between the dynamics of farming and the operation of God’s word in our lives. He taught His disciples that seed is the word of God, and the soil, the heart of man – not the blood pump in our chest, but the seat of our thoughts and emotions [Luke 8:11-15]. As we observe from agriculture, a great harvest is a product of the quality of the seed, the soil and the proficiency of the farmer in maintaining the right conditions for the harvest. Peter tells us that God’s word is incorruptible seed [1 Peter 1:23], so the seed we receive is never the issue [2 Peter 1:19-21]. But we’re responsible for the soil and the conditions, and they’ll determine the harvest we experience [Mark 4:3-8]. 

Genesis 1 was a demonstration of God’s faith in His words. So, when Jesus instructs us to “have faith in God”, He’s calling us to have the God kind of faith in what God says to experience the God kind of results [Mark 11:22-24]. He demonstrated it and told us we would do even greater works [John 14:12-14]. Sadly, many of us can’t imagine our Christian experience without doubt, and the thought of being confident that what we say will happen sounds fanciful because we’re unconvinced of what Scripture says. So, we neither believe nor understand that what we say matters, and maybe even behave as though what God said doesn’t matter. It should come as no surprise that ignorance or unbelief, coupled with careless lips, adversely impact the fruitfulness of God’s word in our lives [Matthew 13:18-23]. The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue [Proverbs 18:21], so it repeatedly warns us to control our tongues [Matthew 12:36-37, James 3:1-12]. David understood this principle and asked God to set a watch over his mouth [Psalm 141:3]. Many of us would pray likewise if we realised that our words shape our reality. 

You may have heard about the power of words before, but you’re yet to adopt it as a lifestyle. I encourage you to act like God and only speak things congruent with His word [Psalm 34:13]. That’s what Jesus did [John 12:49-50]. At first, it will probably seem strange and inconsistent with your reality to only say what God says about you and your situation. But keep at it because the manifestation often takes time. Faith may not be present when you start, but it’ll come as you loudly declare God’s word concerning your situation [Romans 10:17]. Hold onto your confession [Hebrews 10:23], and do your best to fulfil any conditions associated with your promise [Deuteronomy 28:1-2]. As you speak, meditate upon, and do what God says, you’re partaking in God’s nature and programming an inevitable harvest [Joshua 1:8-9, 2 Peter 1:4]. Here’s a creed I’ve adopted: “Say only what you want to see and believe only those things God says about you”. I’ve had to unlearn many things and place a guard over my mouth, but I can see my seeds sprouting already [Mark 4:26-28].

Reality is often a deterrent to speaking God’s promises. For instance, loudly declaring Isaiah 53:5 might initially seem strange if you’re sick. However, remember that reality is a fact but not always the truth. If it disagrees with God’s word, it’s a lie, and God’s word, spoken in faith, can change it like it did when the earth was formless and void [Genesis 1:2-3]. So, your assignment is to find the promise that contradicts your undesirable reality and loudly repeat it until your whole being lays hold of that truth in faith, and heaven will do the rest [Psalm 103:20, John 15:7]. Chaos is a prime opportunity to speak God’s word.