October 12: The Covenants We Make – The Words of Our Mouths

When considering spiritual warfare we need to be aware of the covenants that we may have made in the past through a lack of understanding of the power in the words we speak.

Not so many years ago it was not uncommon to hear someone declare that their word was their bond. People had a habit of keeping their word in agreements, or promises they had made.

Even today a verbal agreement can be held to be binding, in a court of law, most especially if there were witnesses to that agreement being made.

A covenant was made with words: vessels, or carriers of power, or authority, that convey messages, or meaning between tow parties. We are informed that “by Faith God spoke the worlds into existence.” So too we create the world around us with the words we speak; both to and over other people. But, particularly over ourselves and our own lives.

Zig Ziglar, one of my favourite motivational speakers has been quoted over and over again, saying: “the man who says he CAN and the man who says he CAN’T are both right!” The biblical principle that he is espousing here is as effective today as it was in the 1970s when he made this statement initially.

The word covenant is a legal term still in use. It refers to contracts and agreements that have been made between parties. In New Testament times the understanding about the power of covenant agreements was well understood; they usually involved the shedding of blood and the declaration of the benefits and the penalties attached to the covenant.

As I said earlier, words are carriers of power, energy, meaning and authority. If we are people who keep our promises and do everything in our power to ensure that such promises are NOT broken; even if in so doing we inconvenience ourselves; we become known by other people and more importantly, to our own souls (our mind, our will and our emotions) as a person of integrity.

Additionally, we develop an ability to be able to depend our own words, so that when we pass a compliment, or describe a sunset, we know we say what we mean and we mean what we say.

Such covenants were binding between families up until and in many cases well past the deaths of the two making the original covenant. A Will, the document that is read after a person dies is a covenant agreement. It is also referred to as the Last testament of the person who has died. It is the reach of that person, from the grave itself often placing a range of expectations swell as benefits upon the survivors of whom the testator has named.

So how does all of this have anything to do with Spiritual Warfare?

The principles of interacting with other people on a natural level have implications for ourselves and others on a spiritual level as well. We need to realise and be aware that Faith, the substance that takes the place of those things unseen (until they appear; Heb 11:1-2) is released through words. Likewise Fear, the opposite spiritual force to Faith, is also released and empowered to produce results by being released through words.

When we consider the Ziglar equation of “Can and Can’t” then it begins to become apparent that our own words create the environment, in our lives that can spur action or, feed inaction and increase our inertia.

The book of Proverbs, usually attributed to King Solomon, still regarded as a wise, if not ‘the’ wisest man to walk the Earth has a lot to say about this very topic:

²You are snared with the words of your lips, you are caught by the speech of your mouth. Prov 6:2 AMP

Another translation says it slightly differently:

²Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,
thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Prov 6:2 KJV

Further in, there is even more wisdom:

²⁰A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].Prov 18:20-21 AMP

To Moses, God said:

¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live. Deut 30:19 AMP

In this last example we see, very plainly, that the words that we speak will either bless our lives and may even affect the lives of our descendants.

There are numerous examples throughout the New Testament (there’s that word) as well. Jesus demonstrates the example and then teaches the disciples about the power of our words in Mark 11:23-24; Matt 8:23-27. James tells us that our tongues are like the rudder of a ship, that can change the course of our lives, or the outcome of a situation, through the use of words of power.

The Deuteronomy reference is particularly important because God chooses to use words specific to the establishing of covenants: “Life, or Death; Blessing and Cursing.” We need to realise that at the spiritual level we are accountable for every word we speak. Jesus even said that we would be held to account for the words that we have spoken (Matt 12:33-37).

Bringing this principle into the realm of Spiritual Warfare and in particular to Intercessory Prayer, it is very clear to see why the ability to pray in the Holy Spirit, to pray in “Other Tongues” (Our personal, private, perfect, prayer language), to avoid our ability to carelessly curse, when the intention was to bless the person, or situation we are praying for.

As an additional weapon in our arsenal, Jesus demonstrated just how effectively using the written word of God; the principles, promises and the statements contained within the scriptures themselves; “It is Written” (Matt 4:1-11). The Word of God in written form (logos, in the greek) is powerful. But, when it is spoken, it becomes the rhema (gr), two-edged sword, the sword of truth outlined in the study of the Armour of God in Eph 6:11-18.

That is why I continually recommend the book “Prayers that Avail Much” by Germaine Copeland of Word Ministries Inc. I remember it from the 1980s and see that it is still selling well today. A lot of the hard work has already been done for you as Germaine has researched the scriptures required to pray blessing and Life into a multitude of situations and circumstances that can come up in either your prayer time; or in everyday life. Follow the link on the Image to see what she has available.

This weeks message looks at this subject and I believe that the Holy Spirit can provide you with revelation knowledge as you listen. Ensure you have your bible with you when you listen and see the scriptures themselves right in front of your very own eyes.

To download this important Spirit-Filled message click on the following links and save the linked file to a directory of your choice on your computer. Otherwise your browser will open up with a player to simply listen online.

 The Covenants We Make – The Words Of Our Lips

One more book that I highly recommend for reading in this area is by Charles Capps, called “The Tongue – A Creative Force. It is one of the foremost comprehensive books to deal with this subject and is invaluable to growth, spiritually. Follow the link on the image to go directly to the Capps Website, or check out your local Christian Bookstore.