I confess
Have you ever had to confess something?
Selling bball cards for $100
Had to confess to my parents.
Somewhat negative connotation attached to the word.
People usually use it as a way of admitting something wrong they
have done.
Something I did many times when younger.
But the word, even though used that way, essentially means to
admit something.
The picture of it – is someone being forced to give information,
and not lying – telling the truth about it.
It’s been used in the Christian world positively through statements
known as ‘Confessions of faith’.
The Westminster Confession of faith written in the 1600’s.
Famous formal statement of beliefs.
So my question is this – if you were made to confess your faith –
admit who God is – what would you say?
The power in confession is the speaking of truth.
There is so much power in what you say.
Proverbs 18:12 (ESV)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
We always focus on first bit. Life and death.
But second is powerful – you’ll eat of its fruit.
Talked few weeks ago – good fruit and bad fruit.
If you speak death – you’ll eat that fruit.
But if you speak life – you’ll eat that fruit.
You can make or break yourself by the words you speak out of
your mouth!
So how do we speak life?
Why is speaking life more important now than it’s possibly ever
been?
Why does my confession matter more than ever?
Because of this – MASK
It’s illegal to walk outside without one of these things on.
I hate masks – we need them but I hate them.
My respect levels for medical doctors and nurses has risen to a
whole new level, based purely on the fact that they wear masks all
day.
It’s itchy on my beard. It also muffles my sound. It’s harder to
understand people with masks on.
I’m not trying to over spiritual this
– but I believe as people will be muffledin their
voice over this next season – that the devil is
trying to muffle the confession of the Christian!
This season the world needs us to speak life, and confess the truth
like never before.
Your life, and your family and your destiny need’s you to speak life,
and confess the truth over it in the season like never before!
So how do we do this?
1. To confess – We have to open our mouths
and speak.
The world was spoken into existence..
Genesis 1
God SAID – let there be light
- Let there be space between the waters and heavens
- Let there be dry ground
- Let there be vegetation and plants
- And so on..
Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV)
5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what
you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake
you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
He has said that he will never leave us or forsake us – so that we
can BOLDY say –
Not just believe BUT SAY
We have to open our mouths!
It’s important what is coming out of your mouth.
Don’t just open your mouth and speak – but we need to say the
right things…
If you speak negativity over yourself..
- I’m poor
- Didn’t go to right school
- Will always be single
- Born into wrong family
- I’ve made too many mistakes
You’re gonna be in trouble if you speak this over yourself!
Because your words have the power to produce what you speak!
Paul tells us -
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is
good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to
those who hear.
You have to open your mouth and let the right things come out.
The secular world has even gotten this principle!
They have stolen it from church!
If I can believe it – then I can see it – I can achieve it!
Tony robbins
They just stole it from the church! There is a kingdom principle
here that is truth regardless of whether you believe in Jesus or not
– your words create life or death
So open your mouth! But make sure you say the right thing..
Leads me to my next point..
2. You can’t confess what you don’t know
What speaks and prophesies life over your situation and world
better than ANYTHING else? – the WORD OF GOD!
When we confess God’s word – we are agreeing
with what he’s said!
Romans 10:17 (ESV)
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of
Christ.
So our faith is built when we hear the words of Christ.
You can build your own faith through any situation by SPEAKING
the words of Christ over your life.
Here are some things Jesus said that you can speak directly into
your situation.
If you’re tired
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
If you’re up against the impossible.
Mark 10:27 (ESV)
27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but
not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
When you’re having troubles.
John 16:33 (NIV)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In
this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.”
Struggling with faith?
Mark 11:24 (ESV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that
you have received it, and it will be yours.
Struggling with your calling?
Matthew 5:14 (ESV)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden.
As you begin to declare these TRUTHS over your situation, the
atmosphere around your life will begin to change.
As you speak these things out – you are speaking LIFE over
yourself.
If your tongue has the power of life – you are speaking life over
situations that are dead.
Those verses were just some things Jesus said – you’ve got the
whole rest of the bible to find amazing things.
Feeling like it’s dark season with no hope?
Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
When you SPEAK IT OUT – you begin to realize that you are
walking THROUGH the valley.
You aren’t gonna stay there – you may feel like you’re stuck there
YOU ARE WITH ME
– SPEAK THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OVER YOUR LIFE.
Speaking the word doesn’t deny the facts.
If you have a doctors report – we don’t deny what it says – but we
believe when the bible tells us in
Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
The truth of God outweighs the facts of what you’re going through.
I choose to agree with God.
But you can’t confess it – if you don’t know it.
So get this into you. (HOLD BIBLE)
I love the words of the prophet Jeremiah –
Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV)
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah didn’t just window shop – he fed upon the word and it
brought joy and delight to him.
Get the word of God into you – so it can come
OUT OF YOU!
There’s another way to confess -
3. Confess through prayer
If confessing is agreeing with God – then as we confess with our
prayers we are agreeing with God!
1 John 5:15 (ESV)
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask
anything according to his will he hears us.
As you align with God – you’ll begin to pray prayers according to
his will.
If God is not answering the prayers the way you want – you’re
praying the wrong prayers!
In this season – we need to take prayer seriously.
It is our first line of defense, not our afterthought.
Need to become militant.
We are fighting a spiritual battle – enemy is trying to shut your
voice down.
Make you disheartened.
I was disheartened this week.
My condo – Extended quarantine.
Its tough – but I’ve chosen to respond with prayer.
One of your most powerful weapons as a spirit filled believer is to
pray in tongues!
Sometimes so much to pray for – not sure what to pray – pray in
the holy ghost!
You can take the mask – the enemy wants to use to muffle your
voice – and use it as a way of speaking in tongues throughout the
day.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray in the spirit – but also pray for others!
I pray for you church – I flick through social media and pray
for people as I see them come up.
I pray over my children!
They are hard – I know I always talk about the FACTS of my kids,
but I believe the truth of Gods word over them.
Praying over my children
John 10:27-28 (ESV)
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I
give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will
snatch them out of my hand.
Today – don’t let the devil snatch your voice, and muffle your
sound.
Get the word of God inside of you.
Open your mouth – and confess God’s word and truth over your
life.
The greatest thing we can ever confess before God is our sin..
Ministry time –
Let’s confess these verses together.
Psalm 139:14 (ESV)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
Deuteronomy 28:13 (NIV)
The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention
to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and
carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the
bottom.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
