WORDS TRANSMIT IMAGES
WORDS TRANSMIT IMAGES
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
Jesus said there is spirit life in the spoken word.
That’s why it is important for us to confess what God has already said about us in His Word. Words carry spiritual forces. Words can transmit fear or words can transmit faith. They transmit images after their kind to others. God’s Word transmits the image God wants you to have. The devil’s words transmit the image he wants you to have.
If I wanted to have an image of my car, I would simply describe it. Every detail I give would transmit a clearer image. I could describe it in such detail that you would recognize it when you saw it. God also transmits the image He has of you in His written Word.
Your words are also powerful transmitters. Be careful what you say to yourself and others.
Faith is Transmitted by Words
In Romans 10:17, Paul said, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” That is “A truth,” but it is not the whole truth. When Paul made that statement, he was talking about faith in God and in His Word. Faith in God’s Word comes by hearing what He said. But there is a reciprocal of that truth. Just as faith in God comes by hearing and receiving the Word of God, faith in the devil comes by hearing and receiving the words of the devil.
The opposite of faith is fear. Most of the time, fear is actually faith in the devil. Don’t take “A truth” and make “THE truth” out of it. For if we dogmatically declare that the only way anyone can obtain faith is by hearing the Word of God, that’s not the WHOLE truth. You can have faith in the weather man by hearing him predict the weather.
Same Spirit of Faith
The truth is that faith comes by hearing. Whether you are hearing me or hearing the weather forecast, faith comes by hearing. Spoken words transmit a corresponding spirit. Fear-filled words produce fear in those who hear and receive them. Faith-filled words produce faith in those who hear and receive them.
The Apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 4:13, “We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak...” This reveals you can transmit the spirit of faith with words. That’s one reason Jesus said, “...The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) Jesus transmitted the spirit of faith and life that was in Him to you through words. Life-giving faith comes more quickly if you give voice to His Words.
Then the Apostle Paul stated in Romans 8:2, “...the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
How did that spirit of life which was in Christ Jesus get in Him? It was resident in God’s Word and Jesus was the Word personified!
Jesus admonished the disciples, “...take heed what ye hear...” (Mark 4:24) You should not sit under teaching you know is in error, because that spirit of error is being transmitted – even though you may know that it is wrong – it will eventually affect you if you hear it long enough.
Some people say, “You ought to be as smart as a horse. They eat the hay and spit out the sticks.” That sounds good, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Several years ago, we had a horse that wouldn’t eat anything. We called the veterinarian and he opened that horse’s mouth, ran his arm down her throat, and pulled out a stick that was stuck in her throat. The horse would have starved to death if the stick had not been removed.
Some people are like that horse. They don’t always know the difference between the hay and the sticks. The spirit of error is transmitted through words. Jesus gave us good advice when he said, “take heed what you hear.” In other words, don’t give your ears to wrong teaching.
When faith comes it is spiritual conception. Faith is developed by continually hearing the Word of God. When you first hear it, you don’t necessarily receive it.
If you have been raised in certain denominations, you may have been taught that healing went out with the Apostles. If you were taught that way, you believed it until you heard that God said something different. Then it took you a while to decide whether or not you were going to receive it. You had to make a decision to receive that Word which was the “seed of truth.” Once the Word was conceived in your spirit, it manifests itself in you in the form of faith.
A Hearer of the Word
In Luke, chapter one, we find a classic example of a man who heard a word from God – a message sent by an angel – but he didn’t receive it at first. Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth, had been praying that they would have a child (she was barren). Then the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias,“...when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord... And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” (Luke 1:12-15,18)
It seems that Zacharias was asking the angel, “What sign will you give me so that I will KNOW you are telling the truth?” Zacharias was not willing, at that point, to receive the Word of God without a sign. He wanted more evidence than the Word of God sent by the angel.
Some promises of God are conditional and some are unconditional. If they are unconditional, God will bring them to pass. Many of the promises in the New Covenant are conditional. Some of the promises God made to Israel and to Abraham were unconditional. God had established the promises; then, He set in motion exact principles that caused those promises to be fulfilled.
When Zacharias asked for a sign, the angel replied, “...I am Gabriel, that stands in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not be able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (Luke 1:19-20)
The angel knew if he didn’t stop that doubt and unbelief, the miracle wouldn’t happen.
His sign was that He would not be able to speak until God’s promise was fulfilled.
These verses indicate that there are some prayers God wants to answer and things He desires to do that will never happen unless we get in agreement with Him. So many have said, “Well, if it’s the will of God, it will happen and if it’s not the will of God, it wouldn’t happen anyway.”
Jesus gives us a biblical perspective concerning this matter “...all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22) In other words, you are only limited by what you can believe when it is based on the authority of God’s Word.
Then there are some things that will happen whether you believe or don’t believe. Jesus is coming again. You can believe it or not believe it, but He is still coming. What you believe about that promise is not going to change the fact. But when it comes to the promises of God and entering into the provisions He has made for you, then your words of faith or unbelief will either activate or eliminate the promise as far as you are concerned.
In the book of Hebrews, we find a classic example of unbelief keeping all the people who doubted God from the Promised Land:
“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 3:19-4:3)
Make a decision to mix faith with the promises of God so you don’t come short of God’s promises. The tongue is the mixer. What you continue to speak you will eventually believe. This is how you become fully persuaded that the promises of God are yours. When your words come into agreement with God’s Words, they create an atmosphere of faith and produce an exact image of the promise inside you. Once that image is perfected on the inside, you will be a partaker of the exceeding great and precious promises of God. (II Peter 1:4)
------------------------------------
Click Here to go back to the Monthly Teachings Page
For More on this topic...
Purchase Charles Capps' teaching "Words and Sound Waves" on CD or MP3 Download
or Annette's 2-CD, 2 DVDs, or 2 Part MP3 Download, "Changing the Course of Your Life"
