What You Say
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Gen 1:1-3
“Its dark out here!”
“Not even a full moon.” I thought.
The huge oak trees blocked our view of the sparkly sky. You could hear the sounds of the night creatures, which seemed to croon in unison, as if to remind us whose domain we were really on.
The campsite that night was the temporary home of the Royal Rangers Troops for our annual camping trip to earn Merit badges. Our troop specifically consisted of several troop leaders, about two dozen 9 – 10 year old boys and a few tag along fathers.
Later that night, in my tent, snuggled in my sleeping bag; I was awakened by a strange noise. It was my 10-year-old son.
“Dad, I gotta go!”
“Now?” I asked.
Of course I knew that was a dumb question as I extended my arms and legs out the sleeping bag. Half sleep, fumbling around for my flashlight; it was like my eyes locked on some strange, opaque painting of some sort. I couldn’t see my hands in front of me. But interestingly, no matter how thick the darkness was, when I finally switched my flashlight on, a focused beam of light pierced through the obscurity and illuminated our pathway to our destination – the outdoor bathroom.
Genesis chapter 1 describes how God awesomely created the heavens and the earth. What God creates is always good but something happened between verse 1 and verse 2 that caused the earth to be empty, lifeless and filled with darkness. Sometimes we find ourselves in the dark because of life circumstances.
For some the darkness represents the obscurity of tomorrow or the emptiness of today, or perhaps recurring thoughts of hopelessness because of our past. But I have good news. Like my experience with the flashlight, the bible shows us how we can experience light that can change our dark situations?
The first approach to changing your situation is – To say something different. According to Genesis 1:3, when God saw the earth’s condition, He said something. Nothing changed until God said something. Words were His first action but not just any words. God didn’t say, “Wow, that’s really dark.” He didn’t reinforce the gloom but rather reinforced what He wanted. In spite of earth’s abysmal condition, God said what He wanted it to be, “Let there be light.” As a result, the earth was filled with the light of the glory of God.
In the same way, you must believe and declare something different if you want your situations to be different. If God had said it was dark, it would have stayed dark. Acknowledging what you see is important but to continue expressing the negative aspects of what you see won’t change anything.
In Isa 46:10 and Romans 4:17, God shows us how to say something different. He asserts, “Declaring the end from the beginning…and call into existence the things that do not exist.” What do you want your circumstances to look like in the end? Believe God’s Word, trust Him, and affirm the outcome in advance (Mark 10:27).
You have every right to make declarations like, “I have the strength to overcome this challenge because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world and with God all things are possible.” You insert where you want to go, and where you want to be.
Change your outlook on darkness by doing what you heavenly Father did. God changed the world by His Words. You can change your world by your words. Begin to speak light.