I’ve had a recurring thought pop through my head lately, to which I’ve become more attuned and attentive. It has taken a few different shapes and gone through many iterations, yet, it has the same base. Do I truly believe the words I sing in praise/worship songs and those I confess from Scripture? Do I have them so ingrained in my heart that when I open my mouth I know those words are true and faithful? Scripture is filled with examples of the power our words hold, as well as admonitions and teachings on how best to use our words.
In the beginning Papa created the world by speaking it into existence. He spoke. He saw. He declared it was good. He created man in His image and His likeness, which means we also have the power to create with our words. Proverbs 18: 21 tells us death and life are in the power of the tongue and we will eat the fruit of it. It is very important we understand the words we choose are the words which shape our very atmosphere.
I am not writing about our word choices. What has so captivated my attention is my belief, or unbelief, in what I am declaring. My faith in God and His word. Words are declarations and decrees. Praise and worship songs, prayer, regular conversations, secular songs – all are declaration and decrees. What is it I truly believe when I lift my voice and sing?
As a church, when gathered in worship or when alone, do we believe the words we are singing? Are they making an impact in our hearts and lives? For example, when we sing “Nothing shall be impossible
Your kingdom reigns unstoppable
We’ll shout Your praise forevermore
Jesus our God unstoppable” (Unstoppable God, Elevation Church) are we actually grasping how unstoppable He is? Do we fully know that nothing is impossible with Him? Or, are we simply singing along because the words are in front of us and we aren’t really paying attention to what it says? Another example is Break Every Chain. In this one, we are declaring the power in the name of Jesus to break every chain. Are we understanding the depth in these few simple words? It is easy to become caught up in the snappy beat, or the heart-tugging melody, yet miss the richness and power of the lyrics. The opposite is also true, we may not care for the melody or beat and therefore, completely miss the powerful message of the words.
What I’ve been thinking about recently has been convicting. The Holy Spirit pointed out my deafness to my confession through song because of familiarity. The same of prayer. Don’t ever discount those dry places and seasons – they teach a lot! I lost the beauty and vision of God when I stopped paying attention and simply put myself on auto-pilot. I had a crises of faith, I suppose you could say. Since He spoke so sweetly to my heart about this, I have had a renewed interest in what comes out of my mouth and my attentiveness to it. Do I still have fails? Yes. I’m not perfect, but I’m perfectly human and divinely loved. I pay closer attention to the words I sing; and I believe He is who He says He is, He does what He says He will do and His Word is living and powerful and never returns void. I believe what I am declaring through song, through Scripture and through my word choices.
Do you believe?
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