Your Words Work for You—Use Them on Purpose

Have you ever been praying and wondered "Do my prayers really have power?" "Is what I'm speaking really accomplishing anything?"

If you're someone who has questioned, doubted, or even struggled with faith in this way, this is for you. I'm here to remind you that when you're praying over others, praying over situations, and praying for your own life—praying for yourself—that your words have power, that things are being accomplished as you speak, and especially as you speak the word of God.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruits. One of my main focus points for bringing this to your attention is because in the moments where you're praying and things feel opposite of what you're declaring, I want to remind you that your words have authority, that they carry weight, that they have power and you you should keep speaking the word of God and praying because it is accomplishing things.

There is healing and power, authority, in the word, and in the words that you speak.

Power is defined as the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty. It is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. It is a right or authority that is given or delegated to a person or a body. We see here that power has a direct consequence—that being influence, that being change.

We have the power, the authority to influence, to change things, to change the course of events— and this is just understanding the word in its primary function. Let's really bring this concept to life! In Matthew, Jesus went about healing several people; he commanded the healing and it was so. In Matthew 8:8, it reads, "But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. In Matthew 8:16, it says "That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. What's the commonality here?

Jesus spoke a word and it was so. We saw the power of him speaking healing, commanding it to come forth in these scenarios.

When we dive deeper into authority, we see in Matthew 8:31-32 that he told demons to go and they obeyed his authority. It reads, "And the demons begged him, saying, if you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs. And he said to them, 'Go'. So they came out and went into the pigs and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. Jesus commanded, and the words carried power. The situation changed just by speaking a word.

So let's really understand what authority is.

Authority is the the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. It is the right to act in a specified way delegated from one person or organization to another. It is official permission. It is the sanction to do something. It is the power to influence others. God has given us the power, the right to give orders to make decisions and enforce obedience. He has given us authority in the name of Jesus as believers and this authority is for use on earth and in heaven. Matthew 9:8 tells us when the crowd saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. God's authority given to us by Jesus is omnipotent. There is nothing God does not have authority over. Omnipotent means having unlimited power, being able to do anything, to be all powerful. So as believers, there is nothing we can't access or have through authority in Christ.

The authority of God is all powerful so I want to remind you that if you are praying prayers and experiencing thoughts that tell you, "Your prayers aren't doing anything." "These prayers are useless." "Your prayers have no power." ; that is not true because God has given us authority in Jesus Christ as believers. And I encourage you to keep speaking the word of God. Keep praying because your words have power and when you pray, you pray in the authority of Christ. And there is nothing that Christ does not have authority over.

Lord I pray for the person reading this blog, that you would transform their ability to receive the truth. I pray that the authority you've given us in Christ would rise to the surface and be the truth that they stand on. We bind confusion and cast it out in the name of Jesus Christ. And Holy Spirit, word their mouth that they would pray according to the truth, and approach the kingdom of Heaven in the authority of Christ such that it would produce tangible results and the Father's will. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray —amen!

If you’re new to prayer—or simply want to shift how you pray when making requests and petitions to God—grab the Verse Vault. It’s a powerful, scripture-based reference to help you structure your prayers in the authority of Christ, so you can approach God with confidence, asking for what you need and desire based on the unlimited access we’ve been given through Him.