I know this woman who had smoked cigarettes from an early age. She had tried to quit time and time again, but she just could not stop. She was constantly saying, "I'll never break this addiction. It's too hard. And even if I do, I know I will gain so much weight." This went on for years. One day, someone told her to change what she was saying and to call things that are not as if they were. She started saying, "I don't like to smoke. I can't stand the taste of nicotine. I'm going to quit and not gain any extra weight." She said that day after day. Even when she was smoking and enjoying it, she would say, "I can't stand to smoke." She wasn't talking about the way she was. She was talking about the way she wanted to be. About three months later, one morning she noticed the cigarette tasted funny, almost bitter. She thought she had gotten a bad pack. It got worse and worse. Several months later, it had gotten so bad that she couldn't stand it anymore. She stopped smoking, and do you know she never gained one extra pound? Today, she is totally free. She broke that addiction, in part, by the power of her words. She prophesied her future.
Some of you, like her, have spent years saying negative things over your life. "I can't break this addiction, Joel. My marriage is never going to make it. I'll never get out of debt." No, you've got to send your words out in a new direction. You are prophesying the wrong thing. Get in a habit of making positive declarations over your life. Every day declare that your dreams are coming to pass. It's not enough to just believe it. Nothing happens until you speak. Like the psalmist, when you say of the Lord, God will do what He promised.
Today as we celebrate our freedom in America, let's celebrate our spiritual freedom. Let's declare the freedom that God has already given to us! Say out loud today this Freedom Declaration:
"Because of Christ, I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am strong. I am healthy. I am talented. I am creative. I am confident. I am secure. I am disciplined. I am focused. I am free from the past. I am free from fear. I am free from condemnation. I am free from addictions. I am free from lack. The right people are in my future. The right opportunities are headed my way. I will accomplish my dreams. I will overcome every obstacle. This is my year! Things have shifted in my favor. I am the redeemed of the Lord, and I say so today. I am free in Jesus' name!"