Just Say the Word
by Scott Breckenridge

So is this word of faith stuff actually real? Does it really work? Well, the scriptures emphatically point over and over (usually in the words of Jesus) that we can ask for whatever we will and receive it. (John 14:13) We are told to have the faith of God and say to this mountain be cast into the sea and it will be done. (Mark 11:23-26) We are told that we will do greater things than Christ. (John 14:12) What more can Jesus say? Jesus reemphasizes the point over and over that we will receive what we ask for. So obviously the scriptures say that speaking the word of faith and calling into being that which does not exist is real and expected from every believer.

But just how does this word of faith work? How do I know it is not just me wanting what I want selfishly? Let’s start with the first question. How does the word of faith work? The first word of faith in Genesis 1 was “Let there be light and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) By the simple utterance of the word God effortlessly brings forth all the universe as we know it. Anything God desired in His imaging he brought forth by His word… “In the beginning was the word… all things were made through him”. So our immediate introduction to God in the Bible introduces us to the centrality of the word of faith.

We get a better idea of how this process works in the creation of man. We see there has been a discussion in the God- head: “Let us” make man. There is some kind of reflective thinking process where a desire is sorted out. This reflective process culminates and climaxes in a word – Let us make man. This is a decisive commitment. Then a man appears. The deed is done. Thought, word, deed. That is it in a nutshell. This is how the Creator and Source of the universe operates.

As Norman Grubb says in Yes I Am p. 177 “The father has his universal plan for the ages; the Son, called the Word, gives the plan its particular form with His “Let there be”, the Spirit moves upon the face of the waters and transforms the deed into substance. Father, son, spirit – thought, word deed”.

We humans who are made in God’s image operate the same way, by thought, word and deed. We want or desire some toast. We say I will have it and we take and eat it. Thought, word, deed. Even though on the level of toast, thought, word and deed happens very quickly, the process always breaks down that way. As Norman Grubb again says “By no other process has any single conscious action ever taken place in all human history. It is the universal human process of self manifestation, whether it is the taking and eating some food from a plate, or a decision of the United States congress!”

So as we operate on the earthly level by thought, word, deed, we do the same on the kingdom level. (Both levels are really the same. The physical is the spiritual slowed down to the point of visibility). We decide inside ourselves what we want (thought), we commit to it (word), and we bring it to pass (deed).

Now comes the second question we asked earlier. How do I know that what I want in a situation is what God wants? How do I know when I speak a word of faith it’s not just me wanting what I am wanting for selfish purposes? As we have pointed out throughout the entire teacher trainer outline and in virtually every article in every Intercessor magazine, we are not just ourselves. We are in union with Jesus Christ: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” (I Cor. 6: 17) We have the mind of Christ. (I Cor. 2:16) We have never been just us wanting or doing anything. We are either expressing Satan’s wants or lusts (John 8:44) or expressing God’s will or desires. (Phil. 2:13) John says “NOW” we are the sons of God. Our whole presupposition in all our articles is that we really are Christ in our human forms. Our desires are really his desires.

How does this normally work? Usually circumstances or situations come up in our lives which disturb us or cause us to feel anxiety, fear or depression. This is not wrong. As Norman Grubb points out, negative circumstances are how God conditions us to speak a word of faith. Any circumstance that disturbs us causes us to want to change the situation. It is here where faith enters in. We say “God what are you up to here?” “What do you want in this situation?” But the real question is what do I want? Christ is joined to me. I have the mind of Christ.
I have recently experienced this kind of situation. A family matter came up which deeply disturbed me. I felt the pain of the situation and even felt some despair over the problem. Then I thought, what do I want from this situation? What is my deepest desire for this circumstance? What is the best possible outcome? This was a critical step. This took quieting all my fears and racing thoughts. I had to look away from the outer circumstances of the situation and in some sense let my imagination work.

I pictured the people I was concerned about and what I wanted for their lives. This was not a selfish desire but a desire for what was best for them. I then asked myself if such an outcome were possible, could God really do what I wanted for this situation? The answer was yes. As scripture says: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Was what I wanted in accordance with God’s will as revealed in scripture? Again the answer was yes. At this point I took what Norman Grubb calls the leap of faith (borrowed from Kierkeggard). I spoke a word of faith, committing myself to the outcome I wanted. I said such and such will happen by a certain date. Wishing and hoping are both fine. We can spend years wishing and hoping, but speaking the word is our decisive commitment that what we say is going to happen.

This all sounds too easy, doesn’t it? Just say that whatever I want to happen will happen. But Jesus was even more blunt… “Whatsoever things you desire…” (Mark 11:24). Get that: you desire! Jesus does not qualify the statement. He assumes that your desires are his desires. Why then don’t we trust ourselves as freely as he trusts us? Remember Gal. 2:20 says it is now Christ living our lives. What we want at our deepest level is what He wants.

When the difficult situation confronts us, we face our disturbed self and search out what is the best answer for the problem in front of us. Then, as Norman says, we press the button marked “say”. “We do that from our inner spirit center, simply by our authority as sons of God.” (Yes I Am p. 180) This is adulthood in the spirit and is not to be taken lightly. Elijah prayed (said) it would not rain for seven years and it did not. We speak our word sometimes publicly (when appropriate)-and wait expectantly for God’s outcome.

When we speak our word of faith, we are committing ourselves to the situation as God. We are looking at a situation through His eyes and willing His outcome. Sometimes the prayer (word of faith) can be answered through our own body action. If we, as Christ, spoke a word to bring an outcome into existence, is it unrealistic to think that God could bring out the result through our own body effort? The same is true on a physical level. We desire a house, we finally say “I am going to have a house.” “We” hunt for and choose a lot, “we” hire a contractor, “we” go to a mortgage banker, “we” hire an, attorney. Our decisive act or word that we should build a house entails body action on our part. Obviously we will speak our word of faith about many things over which we will have no physical control. We then speak our decisive word and watch as God brings it about.

What happens if what we say doesn’t appear? Let me quote Norman again: “Never of all things do we ask why hasn’t it happened? We surely give ourselves totally away, if when the answer has not yet come (or even after if cannot come for the time for the answer has passed with no answer) we say ‘He hasn’t done what I believed for. It hasn’t happened. Faith doesn’t work.’ By that we would imply that the answer depended on our faith, and this has failed, or that we have believed amiss or something. But it is His faith expressed by us, and we are saying He has done it. Not we, but He. Therefore it is a done thing by the word of faith. We never say it hasn’t been done, never! For our word of faith means that we have said it has happened in the spirit. It has happened and if someone says it hasn’t happened, we still say it has happened. God will fulfill His own word. It was He who told us to say to that mountain ‘be gone’ and to believe that when we pray, we have received. So it has happened. Hold on! Even if we do not see things until the other side of the grave!” (p. 192-193 Yes I Am)

Isaiah says we will run and not be weary and walk and not faint. Faith
often starts with a gallop of excitement and if what we have believed for does not appear, we maintain our word! We slow down from a gallop to a slow steady walk without fearing.

The great temptation when what we declare does not appear is to doubt ourselves. Satan will tell us it was just “us” saying our word of faith, “Perhaps it was not God’s will”, “That wasn’t God speaking through you”, “Just give up. It will never happen”, “You just said what you wanted”. If we don’t get this point straight we will never speak the word of faith with confidence. As James says a double minded man can expect to receive nothing from the Lord. If we let Satan take away our confidence by making us doubt whether Christ was speaking the word of faith by us originally, we will never see our word made manifest. Remember Jesus said the mountain will be removed if we do not doubt in our hearts.

Let’s discuss what it means to doubt in our heart, for Satan loves to confuse us on this issue. We may decree a thing as Joshua did (the fall of Jericho) and have many thoughts and feelings which seem contrary to our spoken word. This is not unbelief or heart doubt. It is whether we maintain our choice commitment that the thing will be done, that constitutes whether we are really doubting in our heart. We may think “this will never happen” but we maintain our faith (choice) commitment that the God of the impossible will do it. Remember Abraham looked at his own body as good as dead and did not weaken in faith regarding the promise of a child in his old age. (Rom. 4:19). Abraham certainly had to have some thoughts and feelings contrary to God’s promise as he considered his age of ninety- nine. However, the scripture says he never wavered. So remember it is not your feelings and thoughts which constitute the doubt Jesus talked about. Faith is your choice or commitment to keep on believing despite appearances and feelings and thoughts of doubt.

So this then is our highest destiny as co-workers and co- heirs with Christ. Made in God’s image we operate by thought, word and deed. God places us in His difficult situations to arouse us to our word of faith action, which is really Him coming through to fulfil the need. “Before they call I will answer”. It is not us waking God up, but Him waking us up. The situation arouses us to speak our word of faith, which places all the resources of the universe (God himself) at our disposal to get the job done. This is our natural function as sons and part of what it means to have dominion. All of this is of course based on the fact that we are eternally joined spirit to Spirit to the one Person in the universe. Our word of faith is really His word of faith and He always fulfills His word!