Telling It Like It Could Be

In review of Romans 4:17 it say, “[God] speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past”

Bottom Line:

We can believe that when God says he will do something, his promise is good.

What this means to me:

Like Abraham, I can believe that when God says he will do something, his promise is good and will certainly happen.

I’m am learning that there is enormous power in my words. If I’m going to become a person of faith, I’ll have to change the way I talk. Rick Warren suggests that I have to announce it in order to experience it.

Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, totally arrogant, and totally out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.”

There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and his wife was past the age for bearing children. He was probably ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says that we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality, and we see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, as God wants it to be.

Romans 4:17 says that God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith — you announce it in order to experience it.

Some say, “I just tell it like it is.” That’s one way to do it. However I should move from this and just tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive.

For example, I could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when I label somebody, you reinforce it. Instead, you could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you would let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you wouldn’t be perfect, but you could become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change!

So, I’m encouraged to not tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith. Today I should consider how I speak. As a leader, I should be about building up and encouraging others.