DON’T BE A THERMOMETER!
Most people go through life reporting the current conditions which they are experiencing or observing in the lives of others. They function as thermometers for themselves and their families. Operating in this manner is dangerous because your words have power according to Proverbs 18:21a:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue…
“Finances are so tight, I doubt we will have enough to make it through the month.” “My symptoms are getting worse; I must have a serious condition.” “My teenagers are hanging around with bad companions; I am worried they will end up in jail.” “My spouse has been so moody lately, I am afraid he’s planning to leave me.”
Some readers may ask, “What’s wrong with saying that if it’s truly how I feel?”
There is nothing wrong with speaking that way if you want to continue in that condition. But God has given authority to His children to change the conditions in our lives by coming into agreement with His Word rather than our natural circumstances. Our spoken words matter – because they do impact our lives. Even unbelievers recognize that negative words will poison a person’s attitude, mood, and outlook on life. But this is not a “new age” discovery, this is a subject that was addressed thousands of years ago in the Word of God.
King David, who was called a “man after God’s own heart,” and was the author of seventy-five of the 150 psalms in the Bible, recognized the importance of watching his words. He wrote this prayer in Psalm 141:
Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips!
Psalm 141:3
David was also a warrior as well as a King, and he never lost a battle. I guarantee you that his revelation about God and about the power of his own words was a key to his many victories. When David faced off against Goliath, a giant of a man who was also a seasoned warrior, David announced to him that he was going to take off his head and feed his body to the birds. Those were not just the boasts of a plucky teenager – they were words of faith from someone who knew God well. And we all know that David won that impossible-looking battle with Goliath.
SET THE THERMOSTAT!
The purpose and function of a thermostat is to set and regulate the temperature in a home or building to a level that is desired by the operator of the thermostat. The desired temperature isn’t reached instantly, but once you set the thermostat, the heating or cooling system engages and gradually brings the space into alignment with that setting. We can function like that thermostat regarding our lives, if we understand the applicable principles in God’s Word.
- Recognize that God requires you to choose the setting of your life’s thermostat. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants…Deut. 30:19 This scripture shows we must take responsibility for choosing the direction our life takes!
- God clearly states that He has given human beings a unique ability – speech – that will regulate the outcome of our lives. If we respect this gift – we can have good fruit from our well-chosen words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Prov. 18:21 KJV
- Both the Old and New Testaments affirm that God has given man authority to rule in the earth, and these passages show that this authority is exercised through spoken words. You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways. Job 22:28 Amplified Bible. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18 NASB
- We need to stay in agreement and alignment with God’s word in everything we say and do – if we are going to have God back us up on what we have decreed for our life and family!Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)
PRACTICAL STEPS TO SET THE THERMOSTAT:
- Be vigilant to guard what comes out of your mouth. Eliminate every negative, self-deprecating, hopeless, or fatalistic statement from your vocabulary. This process will require hard work to retrain yourself from life-long habits. But this is necessary because you can’t continue to speak the way the rest of the world speaks if you are going to re-set the thermostat of your life to align with God’s promises. Pray like David did in Psalm 141:3 and when you stumble and say something you should not, quickly repent and restate with the truth.
- Choose to say what God says even if you do not feel like it is true (yet) in your life. We are called to “walk by faith and not by sight…” (2 Cor. 5:7) Remember – it takes time for the thermostat to regulate and bring the temperature in a building up to the specified level. Keep saying what God says!
- Memorize scriptural promises that apply to your situation to renew your mind and heart. This will set the stage for what will come out of your mouth. Jesus taught, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of…” Fill your heart with God’s promises rather than repeating the problems you see. Here are some scripture-based examples which you can DECREE over your life and circumstances:
- If you have a child struggling with addiction or mental illness say – I decree that the seed of the righteous will be delivered according to the promise of Proverbs 11:21. My child will be delivered!
- If you are struggling financially – start saying what God’s word says about your finances – I decree that according to 3 John verse 2 – God desires that I prosper and according to Philippians 4:19 - God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Therefore, I decree that I will prosper and all my needs will be supplied.
- If you are fighting sickness or disease – stop talking about the symptoms you are experiencing and say only what God says: I decree that according 1 Peter 2:24 - by the stripes of Jesus I was healed and I refuse to receive anything less than the healing Jesus paid for on the cross with His own blood!
If you will make the switch from being a thermometer – constantly reporting the current negative conditions in your life – to operating as a thermostat – setting the scriptural goals for the condition of your life with faith-filled words – positive change will begin! It won’t be instantaneous (much like the thermostat) but it will come because God promises to watch over His word to bring it to pass.
…I watch over my word to accomplish it.
Jeremiah 1:12 CSB