Speak life!

    Diana, a Christian oncologist, has been a source of hope to many of her patients. She chooses to never decree death over her patients or tell them how long they have to live. 
    She believes that words are alive. As a child, she wanted to become a doctor and a teacher and she decreed this over herself. She has fulfilled exactly what she said she would become. She is a doctor and as a doctor in oncology she teaches patients everyday. When she began practicing medicine, she saw it as a ministry, the opportunity to guide patients through the physical and spiritual aspects of healing. She trusts God to guide her in what to tell her patients. Her office is filled with framed Bible verses, an inspiration to her patients when they visit her. She believes that you must offer them hope to motivate them to want to live. 
    She prays with her patients and encourages them to put their hope in Jesus. She believes that prayer is the essential for life and it changes things. She has been practicing medicine for twenty-five years and treated thousands of patients and has one of the highest survival rates in the country. She attributes this to the power of prayer and a healing God. She believes that God never changes and to her it is an Ephesians 3:20 day everyday: “Now to Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.”
    I was inspired as I listened to the story of this doctor. To hear her choose to allow God to have the final say and to speak His Word over her patients is truly inspiring. She could be practical and “real” but she chooses to motivate them to have hope and to trust in a God who can do the impossible.
    I am reminded of a song sung by singer Tobymac, “Speak Life.” One of the verses states: 
    It’s crazy, amazing,
    We can turn a heart through the words we say
    Mountains crumble with every syllable 
​    Hope can live or die
I believe that’s exactly what Dr Diana does for many of her patients. She chooses to speak words that destroy the negative, debilitating thoughts in their minds. In this way, she motivates them to want to live and to fight to live.
    We too can be like Dr Diana. The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. When we take this seriously, we can choose the words that can bring life to someone who is discouraged and wants to give up. We can even do like David and encourage ourselves in the Lord by speaking words to motivate ourselves to want to live, to want to get up and try again, to want to make it. We don’t even have to wait for someone to speak it over us. We can speak God’s Word over our lives for ourselves. We have the authority to do that. As children of God, we do have authority over all the power of the enemy. With that in mind, we can remind the devil and ourselves of what God’s Word says to us and about us. We can choose to speak in such a way so as to will ourselves to live and not die!
    I will insert here the story of Peter and John (Acts 3:2-8) and their encounter with the lame man at the temple gate, Beautiful. They had no money or medical help to offer him but they had the words of life. When Peter commanded him to walk in the name of Jesus, he did just that. Peter chose to speak the Word of life, in the name of Jesus, over his lame body and his body was healed and his life changed from that day forward. 
    Even Jesus’ words to Jairus when they were told that his daughter was dead were words that brought encouragement and hope. Jairus believed that it was over but Jesus told him: “Don’t be afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36b). When Jesus said that, it gave Jairus hope to believe for the impossible.
    Words are indeed alive as Dr Diana said. We have to be careful therefore with what we say. We can be the ones to either hinder or encourage our progress. We also have the power to cancel any negative word spoken over us or about us. People’s words don’t have the final say, God’s Word does and when we choose to let our words align with God’s Word, powerful things can happen.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God wants you to live an Ephesians 3:20 kind of life. He wants you to have hope when there seems to be none and to trust that if He says it, He Himself will bring it to pass.

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