For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8 (NLT) What you believe about yourself causes you to feel a certain way. These beliefs create emotions which influence your actions, and in turn, your actions reinforce what you believe—regardless of whether or not that belief is based on truth! For example, many of us were raised in legalistic religion that taught us we are good-for-nothing, filthy sinners that God can barely stand to look at. That kind of teaching will cause you to have a very low opinion of yourself, which influences the goals you aim for and how you allow others to treat you. Then, when people treat you poorly or you encounter failure, it reinforces your …

Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!” and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. Mark 11:23 (AMPC) Early on in our marriage, Sally and I agreed to help to keep each other accountable in using our words to declare God’s promises instead of doubt and unbelief. At first, when one of us would forget and say something like, “I’m confused,” or, “I’m getting sick,” the other would say, “I rebuke that in Jesus’ name!” The trouble was, this approach didn’t come across very well, so we decided that rather than rebuking each other, we’d try something different. When …

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:3 (NLT) The very existence of the world is due to God speaking in faith and declaring what He desired as a finished fact. What a perfect example of active faith at work! This same power and faith God demonstrated in creation He also placed inside of us. But, just as God has showed us by example, we must declare His promises like they’re a done deal. For example, if every day I keep saying, “I will be healthy,” I’m continually speaking into the future. But 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 says now is the time! So instead of …

The heavens are the LORD’S heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. Psalms 115:16 (ESV) Who has the authority to bring change into our lives? We do! In the beginning, God gave the human race authority on this planet, and that fact hasn’t changed. This spiritual law is so set in stone that even God had to enter the world in a human body in order to bring change! He also modelled how to initiate change in our lives—by speaking. By faith, God spoke the world into existence. And He placed that same kind of power and faith in us when He created mankind. This is also how we deal with deep-rooted misbeliefs that fuel feelings of inadequacy. We need …

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) Satan’s infamous for stealing, killing and destroying, but the way he does it may be a lot more subtle than we realize. If Satan can keep us living safe, comfortable lives, it still feeds his goal. If he can get us to believe that we’re lacking something or don’t quite measure up, we’ll tend to stay small and defeated, limiting our ability to impact the people around us. We may not even realize we’ve swallowed the lie that we’re not enough. Instead of reaching out and growing, we may hold back, thinking, “I’m not spiritual enough to get up and …