Leon Fontaine - Speak It And Believe It
As you look at God's Word, I want to talk today about faith. And I've noticed that over the years, that a lot of people who were excited about faith at one time, and the fact that now they are, have believed on Jesus, and therefore they are now in the family that they struggle with this thing called faith. And of course, for every mile of truth in the Bible, there's two miles of ditch. Meaning, that Christians will get so far on the one side of the ditch on faith, that it's just ridiculous. And then there's Christians on the other side, who don't believe it even works. We just walk through this world of woe, and the only thing your faith does is get you saved, and one day when you get to heaven you can finally have a house, and a newer car, or whatever it is you feel we can't have down here. And so, this issue of faith is crucial. And I want to dive in to some thoughts, that if you're here and you were, you know, raised in it. This is going to really help you. And if you've never heard about it, it's really going to help you. Because the Word is very clear, that whatever you want in life. Wherever you want to go in life, you're not going to get there because it's God's will. You're going to get there, because you believe.
Now someone just got a brain cramp right there. Well, what do you mean? God's in control. Oh really? Is that why you swore this morning at the person that cut you off? Did God control your tongue? No. Oh, that's why you got angry and did this. Well that's, no, God's not controlling your words, He's not controlling you cheating on your income tax, He's not controlling what you look at, what you say, what you do, and the Bible's very clear that according to what you're saying, how you're living, there's an impact. The choices you make every day are determining where you go in life. So you can't just take what most of Christendom does is, He's got the whole world in His hands. Everything's going to be okay. Oh, tell that to the Syrians. Tell that to the Russian church. Tell that to the Chinese church. Go back in history over the years. Like, that's a naïve Western thinking.
In Mark 11:24, it says, therefore I say to you, whatever things you declare when you pray, believe you receive them and you'll have them. It does not say, hey. Just trust in the Lord. Everything you ever need's going to come your way. It says, therefore I say to you, whatsoever things you declare. When you pray, this is words that you are speaking. Believe that you receive them, and you will have them. There is something that we need to do as believers, and if you do not speak words, God's Word. When Satan came to tempt Jesus, and he tried to tempt Him off course, which the enemy is trying to do to you as well. Jesus didn't just wave His hand. And the devil went poof and disappeared. Jesus didn't just snap His fingers and poof the devil fell down and, no. Jesus spoke with words, and He said, "It is written". It is written. It is written.
The devil thinking he was doing okay, he started quoting the Bible, too. Didn't help him much. But Jesus spoke out loud. He didn't have to speak out loud to the enemy, He spoke out loud. And when God created the universe in Genesis 1, He didn't snap His fingers and pop some planets out. Then He didn't just, you know, and snap His arm and out came some water. He spoke it, and spoke it, and spoke it. Showing us, and all through the Bible, there is continuing verses that talk about the words that you speak. The Bible says these words are powerful because, they place you. You hang around with somebody for a day or two, and from the abundance of their heart, their mouth speaks. They call them Freudian slips sometimes. But their mouth will speak. And so, the words, they place you. Words can change your own heart. James teaches us in chapter one, that your tongue can deceive your own heart.
So, spoken words have an impact, God created with them. Spoken words impact the spiritual, Jesus used them to deal with the enemy. Words will show what's going on in our heart, and words can determine what's happening in our heart. The speaking of God's Word is absolutely crucial. And here, is where the church of Jesus Christ seems to just forget about this all the time. In John 15:7-8, it says if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, then whatever you want's going to be done. It's not what it says. It says, if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask and that word 'ask' if you look it up, it can be, it's used for ask and it's used for declare. It's not a begging word. It's like, it's a, it's a declaration. So and declare, ask, whatever you will. It shall be done unto you.
So, it's one thing to have God's, so many mature Christians. There's people sitting here right now, who have learned the Word, been coming to church, are excited about the things they're learning and growing in, but you are missing something in your life. You don't seem to have active faith. You don't seem to see the favour and the miraculous power of God flowing in your life. It's because, as you abide in Him, and His words abide in you, you still need to be declaring, praying in the name of Jesus, speaking to mountains, prophesying to the wind. Speaking to that mountain, or to that valley of dry bones. There's so many analogies in the Word. And if your mouth is silent, then you are not activating the authority that has been given to you. For authority on this world, to be active, it must be spoken. The spoken word is all through the Bible.
And so today I want to encourage you in this area. That you need to be in your prayer time, in your quiet time, you need to be declaring God's Word. That's what you might call praying God's Word. Confessing God's Word. Professing God's Word. And 1 Timothy 6:12, it says fight the good fight of faith. Well Leon, how do we fight? Alright. Give me someone to take out and I'll help grow the church. That's not the kind of fight he's talking about. He says fight the good fight of faith. Another way of saying it would be, fight this fight of staying in faith. Don't fight a physical fight, don't fight a mental fight, fight the faith fight. And lay hold on eternal life.
Now the word 'eternal life' doesn't just mean heaven. There's two words there, 'eternal' which is the timeframe, this life lasts forever. But then there's the word 'life', and that word 'life' always means that Zoe life of God. If you can lay hold on the life of God. And that life of God that we know is in heaven, that life of God that we know is in Jesus, that life of God that is now in us if we're born again. You actually begin to lay hold of that, through this, through the confession. So fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on life, this eternal life, to which you're called. And have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. We need to be a person who speaks. We must speak God's Word. Did you know that in the Greek, there's the word 'graphe' where we get our English word 'graph'.
So it's the written word. Then we have the word 'rhema' which is the spoken word. And then we have the word 'logos' which is the very revelation of that word. And so whenever you see the word 'word', in the New Testament, we have to recognize that, go and find out that what is it, does it mean talking? Does it mean speaking the word, reading the word, understanding the word, the logos of the word? But you'll notice that rhema, the spoken word, has very crucial verses that begin to talk about, what are you saying with your mouth?
You will never experience the promises of God beyond the confession. Beyond your words. Beyond your talking. This, this speaking of words, this forming a word, has power to communicate in the physical realm to another human being, it has the power to communicate and declare to the enemy. Say well Leon, I don't have to speak for the devil to go. He can't read your mind. Whoever told you that? It's nowhere in the Word. He's not omnipresent. For you to begin to rise up and speak the Word of God, so that demons tremble and angels step into, we need to learn to speak God's Word. Hebrews 10:23, let us hold fast the confession of our faith. It doesn't say hold fast our faith. It says hold fast the confession of our faith. Without wavering. There is something about you as a believer, and I'll look at this a little later if we can get to it, speaking who you are in Christ, what the cross did for you.
What it means to have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus, that the curse of the law was paid for when He died on the cross. That when He rose again with new life, you have this new life. It's important for you and I to be speaking these New Covenant promises. Let's look at some things about speaking for a minute. Proverbs 12:18, there is that that speaketh, and it's like the piercing of a sword. But the tongue of the wise is health. Did you know the Bible says in many places, that your tongue can destroy? Your tongue can bring death. Your tongue can cause such hurt and heartache, and you say well that's just because of the content of what it's saying, and I would agree with you, but that's only a part of it. The Bible very clearly teaches what you are saying about your life. What you are saying about your world. What you are saying about yourself has a powerful impact on you.
As you look at a lot of the science of the study of the brain, they have proven beyond shadow of a doubt and the Word's been saying it for thousands of years, that the words that are spoken from a human being, seem to dominate all other parts of the brain. Isn't that interesting? The speech centre seems to dominate all other parts of the brain. And so, if you continually say, for example, I'm stupid, I don't fit in, and you know, life's awful and then you die. And if that's the words that you speak, you are reinforcing. And like the, and here it says, um. That like the power of that sword. Like the piercing of a sword, those words that are speaking, continue to deceive her own heart, or his own heart. And so people need to be taught. Children need to be taught. Watch the words that you speak.
I have seen children in our schools, literally, at a young, young age, do something wrong. And then bang their head against the wall and say things like I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid. You kind of go, woah. What in the world is going on? The words that we speak from our mouths, are the most powerful words that shape our lives. And so, we need to be speaking God's Word, because God's Word is the software to your hardware. Your mom and dad didn't know how to raise you up completely. Neither did your teachers, and neither do many preachers, and so we need to recognize that death and live, Proverbs 18:21 says, are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it, will eat its fruit. Well what kind of fruit? Well, whatever you love. Some people love to gossip. And their life will be one constant mess of people mad at them, no friends last with them because they can't shut their mouth about other people. And they're always messing in other people's, others might be continually saying things about themselves, that they think they're being humble.
And you've got to be careful because death and life are in the power of the tongue. And as you go through the Word, it gets even more powerful. It starts talking about blessings. You can speak blessings, and this blessing becomes. Blessings were so powerful that when a great great grandfather spoke blessings over his kids, his grandkids, and his great grandkids, those things all came to pass. And you can track them down through the Old Testament, and even into the new. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 21:23, whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. Today we have an incredible problem. The word 'soul' means the thinking, the emotional makeup. We have mental illness and we have emotional struggles exploding everywhere. And it's like more and more and more people are needing help with medication to handle what's going on. And here it's teaching us, that if you can change your words, your mouth and your tongue, that there's a lot of trouble there because of what you say.
Well, you know, Leon, I didn't. That was just words, I didn't have any faith with that, that was just teasing. That was just joking around. Well, what do you do with Matthew 12:36? But I say to you, that every idle word men speak are going to give account on the day of judgment. Well Leon, what is, he's not talking here about the judgment seat of Christ. Or the white throne judgment where every word. The only words you're going to be judged for at the white throne judgment is going to be did you believe on Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord? That gets you in. Here it's saying, that your words, period. Every word you speak, is judging you. That's a good way to put it in modern-day vernacular. Every word you speak is judging you.
And we know that the words we speak affect the organs of our body. They, they say that the energy of the words that goes, out into the world, could go anywhere around this planet because they've never been able to track. Because the words that you speak have such a powerful impact. The Bible has a verse, and it says, he sent his word, and healed them. What? He sent his word. Well, you guys believe in prayer. If you're going to pray for a son or a daughter that might be on a mission field, and they need healing in their body, you can speak the Word of God, and you can literally the Bible says, cause healing to flow towards them.
Now it's going to have to do with them as well. Because they have to be in agreement, and believe, and together, something phenomenal can take place. God's Word needs to be meditated on. And spoken. And thought about. And as it does something deep on the inside of your heart. People struggle with verses like, assuredly, Jesus speaking, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be removed, and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he'll have whatever he says. Three times it says, 'says', and only one time it says 'believe'. We're so focused on the word 'believe', that well I don't know if I believe that, I don't have enough faith for that. And we forget that the speaking of God's Word is the planting of God's Word in your heart. And so, we've got to understand this.
In 2 Peter 1:1-4, it says Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those, now listen to this. Who have obtained like precious faith with us. How? Everyone's got precious faith who is born again. Well, where did you get it from? You didn't earn it? No. You got it by the righteousness of our God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So this measure of faith that every believer now has, isn't something that you earned because you're better and I got stronger faith than you and I've got bigger faith than you, and look what I can do. No. Everybody has like precious faith. And it comes because of the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then he says, now grace and peace is what is multiplied in your life. It doesn't say faith is multiplied, but we know faith comes from God's Word. But I want you to know it says grace, which is God's ability, freely given to you. It comes through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to us, all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him.
Verse four says, by which we have been given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these, through what? Through promises. Through promises. That you'll partake of the divine nature. In His divine nature is joy and peace. In His divine nature is healing. All of the promises of God in the Bible, both Old Covenant promises which are all about the physical world, and all the New Covenant promises which is about you, your spirit, your soul, and the things you can't see predominantly. Are all included in the New Covenant. And when people know the New Covenant and who they are in Christ, something happens on the inside of them. Make sure every day, you take some time to begin to declare, I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I thank You that my sins are forgiven. I thank You that He took my curse. I thank You that the wrath was poured out on Jesus so it's not poured out on me. I thank You right now, that it's by His grace I am saved.
His ability, through faith. You begin to declare who you are in Christ, and all of the promises as well, in the Old Testament about healing, about having babies, about no enemy would be able to get through to you, all of the promises of the Old Covenant did not disappear for the New Covenant. The Old Covenant wasn't one that dealt with the physical life and the New Covenant only deals with our spiritual life. No. Because there's far too many verses in the New Covenant that show healing, prosperity, show stopping enemies, and so whatever you're believing God for, whatever you, you know, what is it you want? What do you want as a believer? Whatever you want, are you speaking the promises of God? Because they've been given to you, so that you could be a partaker of the divine nature in those areas.
So my challenge to you, and you know, remember this. Go ahead and take a look at some of the incredible verses like Deuteronomy 28:2-13 where it talks about all these blessings are going to come upon you and chase you down. That you're going to be blessed in the city, blessed in the field. You're going to be blessed, it's going to be the fruit of your body. His, His will is that everyone has babies. His will is give as many as you want. Then it says, that your, your goods will, that your food only brings health, verse 5. Blessed is your basket, blessed is your kneading bowl. At a time when every person out there is saying, there is sickness in all the food we eat, there's traces of medications that have gone to the drains, it's in the soil, and in the food that we have. I mean, you take a pick. There's all this saying the food supply is poisoned, water supply is poisoned, I'm not saying it is or it isn't, I'm just telling you that today as never before is a time to believe this promise, that my basket and my kneading bowl, the food that I eat, brings health to my body and no deadly thing can hurt me. That I eat, drink, absorb, breathe, or radiate. Okay?
Here it says in Deuteronomy 28, that you're going to be blessed. your enemies will rise against you and be defeated right in front of you. These, God's going to command the blessing on you. It says you're going to stand out, you're going to be the head and not the tail. Again, it says you're going to have children. You're going to have plenty, is the fruit of your body. You're going to have prosperity as He increases your treasure, it says. And you're going to be a leader because you're going to be the head. All of these promises, do you want them? Well, you know, then you know what? If you don't believe in them, would you do something for me? Would you say God I don't believe in the promises, so give mine to Leon. I dare you to pray that.
You know, I've actually talked to pastors who want to debate this, and, you know I'll let them talk for a while. And then they don't know where to go because I just stick to the Word, they just tell me stories. Finally I said you know if you don't believe that God can prosper you, that God can heal you, bring you peace, if you don't believe that He can give you buildings and lands and TV stations and schools and you can do it in languages around, if you don't believe, then just say God, all these things that Leon's saying, give him mine if they're real. But none of them have prayed that prayer yet. They just look at their experience, and their experience forms their doctrine. According to the Bible, you should look into God's Word. The powerful, beautiful promises of God. Should form your life. And then you know, that you can rise up and do incredible things for Him.
Father, I pray right now. That every person listening to this message, would understand the very power of the spoken word. That when a believer speaks the Word of God like Jesus did, it is written. It is written. It is written. That we should do this every day in our prayer time. We should do this any time fear rises up. We should do this when we have needs, to speak the promises and thank You for it in advance. Because it's already done, it's already been given to us. Father, touch every person listening. And to those who don't know You, I pray they'll open their heart right now.
If you are listening and watching this right now and you don't know Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Just pray out loud or in your own heart, just say:
Jesus, I give You my life. Come into my heart. From today and on, I'm following You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen. And amen.
Well welcome to the family of God if you prayed that prayer, and let us know. Because ahead of you's a stunning life, an amazing life.