On Thanksgiving, I played Nintendo Wii with my girlfriend, her family, and some of their friends. While we were bowling, one friend had some difficulty performing skillfully. She started complaining about how she couldn’t get a strike. Instead of letting her have a pity party, we decided to encourage her. We gave her some positive affirmations, and persuaded her to try it again. She started talking about getting a strike, and on her next attempt, she did!
The connection between words and tangible results is not a novel concept. The Bible clearly asserts, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (Proverbs 18:21, New Living Translation); our words are a bridge to our destiny. In Genesis 1, God gives us a great lesson on the word-result connection. While the earth was still a mess, God began thinking about what He wanted to see. Then, He talked about it, “Let there be light, land, trees, plants, etc.” And after He spoke about it, He saw everything He had said.
The second step in God’s extreme makeover is say it before you see it. God has given us power to call those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17), but it’s up to us to use it! So, once you confess your areas for improvement, start speaking about the change you’d like to see. Remind yourself that you’re a conqueror, that this will be your best year yet, or that you will get that habit under control. When your words align with God’s will, then change is inevitable!
Get better, with God’s help!