Coming to the New Testament we see Jesus using the power of the
spoken word to obtain victory over living and non-living beings. The first time
Jesus spoke to a storm, "And he saith
unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and REBUKED
THE WINDS AND THE SEA; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled,
saying, What manner of man is this, that EVEN THE WINDS AND THE SEA OBEY
HIM!" (Mat 8:26-27). The sea and the wind were non-living objects but
they obeyed the command issued by Jesus because he was operating the laws of
faith, the same laws that brought them into existence. Again Jesus spoke to a
fig tree and it withered, occasioning a lesson given to the apostles on faith, "And seeing a fig tree afar off having
leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to
it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus
answered and said unto it, NO MAN EAT FRUIT OF THEE HEREAFTER FOREVER. And his
disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig
tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him,
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away" (Mar
11:13-14, 20-21). The fig tree was a plant that did not have ears to hear and
respond, but it had to respond because the force of faith was put into motion
through the force of the confession or curse placed upon it by Jesus. The third
time we see the power of confession in the life of Jesus was in the healing of
Peter's mother-in-law, "And he
arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's
mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood
over her, and REBUKED THE FEVER; and it left her: and immediately she arose and
ministered unto them" (Luk 4:38-39). Jesus spoke to the sickness and
the sickness had to obey him. The faith servant took hold of the sickness in
the body of this woman and killed it. That is what happens when we boldly speak
out against cancer, AIDS, fever or any other sickness. Interestingly we do not
find any incident of healing mentioned in the New Testament when Jesus or his
disciples prayed to God to remove a sickness or demon from the body of any
person. In most cases the sickness or demon was displaced through the spoken
word or laying on of hands. This is more than enough proof to show us that
confession works and should be implemented in your life. Whenever you see Jesus
doing anything, it is in line with God's will and this is what you should
follow, "Herein is our love made
perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because AS HE IS, SO
ARE WE IN THIS WORLD" (1Jo 4:17). As Jesus is, so are you in this
world. You are not a mere worm groveling through the dust, but an heir of God
and joint heir with Christ, what is His is yours (Rom 8:17).
Another example
is from the life of a New Testament believer. With this example you will have
no doubt that God expects you to work this principle in your life. This example
is Apostle Paul in his pronouncement of judgment over Elymas the sorcerer who
attempted to prevent the spread of the gospel on the island of Cyprus, "And when they had gone through the
isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose
name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a
prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of
God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood
them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is
called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, AND SAID, O full
of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And
now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and THOU SHALT BE BLIND, NOT
SEEING THE SUN FOR A SEASON. And immediately THERE FELL ON HIM A MIST AND A
DARKNESS; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the
deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine
of the Lord" (Act 13:6-12). The judgment pronounced upon Elymas did
not occur with Paul praying for God to make him blind. All it took Paul to
exercise this authority was the power of the spoken word, nothing less. Paul
said, "thou shalt be blind, not
seeing the sun for a season" and immediately after saying this, the
eyes of Elymas were shut, "immediately
there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead
him by the hand." From this we are able to see why the Church of the
Living God has not been exercising the power that the early church moved in.
The error has been in the neglect of confession and over-emphasis on praying to
and asking God to intervene yet the power is in the believer's mouth.
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