The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (2 page)

My question today is, What kind of “I am”s are coming out of your mouth? “I am victorious. I am blessed. I am talented. I am anointed.” When you have the right “I am”s, you’re inviting the goodness of God. Maybe if you would just change the “I am,” you would rise to a new level. Words have creative power. They can be very helpful, like electricity. Used the right way, electricity powers lights, air-conditioning, and all kinds of good things.

But electricity used the wrong way can be very dangerous. It can harm you, even kill you. It’s the same way with our words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Life and death are in the power of our tongue.” It’s up to you to choose what follows the “I am.” My encouragement is to never say negative things about yourself. Most of us would never go up to another person, at least to their face, and criticize them,
yet we have no problem criticizing ourselves. “I am so slow. I am so unattractive. I am so undisciplined.” That is cursing your future. Do yourself a favor and zip that up. We have enough in life against us already. Don’t be against yourself.

I had a friend with whom I used to play basketball. When he would miss an important shot, he would exclaim, “I’m an idiot! I’m an idiot! I’m an idiot!” I heard that month after month. He didn’t realize it, but “idiot” was coming, looking for him. I hate to say it, but I think it found him!

If you go around saying, “I am so dumb,” this may be poor English, but “dumbness” is coming your way. “I am so unattractive. I am so plain.” Ugliness says, “I hear somebody calling my name.” Use your words to bless your future, not curse your future.

The Scripture says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am strong’”—not the opposite, “I am so tired. I am so run-down.” That’s calling in the wrong things.

Let the poor say, “I am well off”—not, “I am broke. I am so in debt.”

Let the sick say, “I am healthy. I am improving. I am getting better and better.”

Romans 4 says to “call the things that are not as though they were.” That simply means that you shouldn’t talk about the way you are. Talk about the way you want to be. If you’re struggling in your finances, don’t go around saying, “Oh, man, business is so slow. The economy is so down. It’s never going to work out.” That’s calling the things that are as if they will always be that way. That’s just
describing the situation. By faith you have to say, “I am blessed. I am successful. I am surrounded by God’s favor.”

I asked a young man recently how he was doing in high school. He said, “I’m doing okay. I’m just a C student.” Come to find out, when he was back in elementary school, one of his teachers told him he was a C student, and he let that seed take root and bloom. I told him what I’m telling you. As long as you’re saying, “I am a C student,” you’re not going to become an A student. You’re calling in the C’s, and those C’s will come find you wherever you go. If you’re not careful, you’ll make a C in homeroom, a C in lunch, and a C in PE. Change the “I am.” “I am an A student. I am smart. I am full of wisdom. I am a good learner. I am excellent.”

Have you allowed what somebody—a coach, a teacher, a parent, an ex-spouse—said about you to hold you back? They’ve planted negative seeds of what you cannot do. “You’re not smart enough. You’re not talented enough. You’re not disciplined enough. You’re not attractive enough. You’ll always make C’s. You’ll always be mediocre. You’ll always struggle with your weight.” Get rid of those lies! That is not who you are. You are who God says you are.

People may have tried to push you down and tell you who or what you can’t become. Let that go in one ear and out the other ear. What somebody said about you doesn’t determine your destiny:
God does
. You need to know not only who you are but also who you are not. In other words, “I am not who people say I am. I am who God says I am. I am not the tail; I am the head. I am not a borrower; I am a lender. I am not cursed; I am blessed.”

As was true in this young man’s life, somebody may have spoken
negative words to you when you were young. But know this: Before anyone could put a curse on you, God put a blessing on you. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God knew you, and He approved you. When God made you, He stepped back and said, “I like that. That was good. Another masterpiece!” He stamped His approval on you. Other people may try to disapprove of you. Don’t go around feeling less than, feeling inferior. Our attitude should be:
I am approved by Almighty God. I am accepted. I am a masterpiece.
When you talk like that, the seeds of greatness God has placed inside will begin to spring forth.

You have gifts and talents that you’ve not tapped into yet. There is a treasure inside you. Throughout life, negative thoughts will try to keep it pushed down. The enemy doesn’t want you to reach your full potential. There are forces constantly trying to make you feel intimidated, inferior, unqualified. If you’re going to fulfill your destiny, you have to shake off the negative voices. Shake off the thoughts that are telling you,
I am unable. I am unqualified
. Don’t invite weakness. Don’t give intimidation an invitation. You may feel unqualified, but before you were born, God equipped you. He empowered you. You are not lacking anything. God has already stamped His approval on you. People may try to push you down, but when you know God has approved you, you realize,
I don’t need other people’s
approval. I’ve been equipped, empowered, and anointed by the Creator of the universe!

I know a man who was told by his high school counselor that he wasn’t very smart and should focus on the lowest skilled job that he could find. I’m sure the counselor meant well, but he didn’t know who this young man was on the inside. He didn’t see the seeds of greatness God had planted in this young man. As a high school student, this young man’s “I am” was distorted. “I am not up to par. I am not smart. I am very average.” He didn’t realize he was inviting that into his life, but over time it showed up.

After high school, this man got a job at the local factory and stayed at the lowest level year after year after year. One day the factory closed down, so he went across town and applied at another factory. This company had a policy that job applicants had to first take an IQ test. He took the test and scored the highest in the company’s sixty-three-year history. His IQ score was assessed at genius level. He went on to start his own business, and he invented and patented two very successful products. Today, he is extremely blessed.

What happened? He changed his “I am.”

Could it be what someone has told you is keeping you from God’s best? Could it be that the wrong “I am” is keeping you from rising higher and reaching your full potential? Do what this man did. Change your “I am.” Don’t let what somebody told you determine your destiny. Get in agreement with God. Know who you are and know who you are not. “I am not lacking. I am not average. I am not inferior. I am equipped. I am empowered. I am anointed. I am wise. I am a masterpiece.”

In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve men in to spy out the Promised Land. After forty days, ten of them came back and said, “Moses, we don’t have a chance. The cities are fortified and very large and the people are huge. Compared to them we felt like we were grasshoppers.” Notice their “I am”s. “I am weak. I am inferior. I am intimidated. I am afraid.” What happened? Fear, intimidation, and inferiority came knocking at their door.

The other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a different report. They said, “Moses, yes, the people are big, but we know our God is much bigger. We are well able. Let us go in and take the land at once.” Their “I am”s were just the opposite. “I am strong. I am equipped. I am confident. I am more than a conqueror.”

What is interesting is that the negative report from the ten spies spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the camp. Before long some two million people were intimidated and afraid. Nobody even paid attention to Joshua and Caleb’s report of faith. Here’s what I’ve learned: A negative report always spreads faster than a positive report. When people are murmuring, complaining, and talking defeat, be on guard. Make sure you don’t let the wrong “I am” take root.

The people of Israel were so distressed by the negative report that they complained against Moses and Aaron, “Why did you even bring us out here? We’re going to die in the wilderness. Our children, our wives, they’re going to be taken as plunder.”

God answered back something very powerful and very sobering. He said in Numbers 14, “I will do for you exactly what you have said. You said you’re going to die in the wilderness, so you will die in the wilderness.” God is saying the same thing to us. “I am going to
do exactly what you’ve been saying.” Don’t ever say, “I am weak. I’m intimidated. I’m inferior.” Friend, the wrong “I am” can keep you from your destiny.

Do you remember reading in the Scripture about a man named Sethur, a man named Gaddi, or a man named Shaphat? I’m fairly certain that you’ve never heard of them. You know why? They were listed among the ten spies who brought the negative report. They also never made it into the Promised Land. The fact is they were called to be history makers, just as Joshua and Caleb were. They had seeds of greatness inside them, but the wrong “I am” kept them from making their mark.

Don’t let that be your destiny. You may be facing some major obstacles. My challenge is for you to be a Joshua. Be a Caleb. “I am strong. I am confident. I am equipped. I am more than a conqueror. I am well able.” Make sure you have the right “I am”s coming out of your mouth.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two from that whole wilderness company to ever make it into the Promised Land.

Let me give you some “I am”s to speak over your life. Read over these declarations every day. Get them down in your spirit. Meditate on them. They may not all be true right now, but as you continue to speak them, they will become a reality.

“I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am successful.”

“I am victorious. I am talented. I am creative.”

“I am wise. I am healthy. I am in shape.”

“I am energetic. I am happy. I am positive.”

“I am passionate. I am strong. I am confident.”

“I am secure. I am beautiful. I am attractive.”

“I am valuable. I am free. I am redeemed.”

“I am forgiven. I am anointed. I am accepted.”

“I am approved. I am prepared. I am qualified.”

“I am motivated. I am focused. I am disciplined.”

“I am determined. I am patient. I am kind.”

“I am generous. I am excellent. I am equipped.”

“I am empowered. I am well able.”

“I am a child of the Most High God.”

Y
ou are where you are today in part because of what you’ve been saying about yourself. Words are like seeds. When you speak something out, you give life to what you’re saying. If you continue to say it, eventually that can become a reality. Whether you realize it or not, you are prophesying your future. This is great when we’re saying things such as, “I am blessed. I am strong. I will accomplish my dreams. I’m coming out of debt.” That’s not just being positive; you are actually prophesying victory, prophesying success, prophesying new levels. Your life will move in the direction of your words.

But too many people go around prophesying just the opposite. “I never get any good breaks.” “I’ll never get back in shape.” “Business is slow. I’ll probably get laid off.” “Flu season is here. I always get it.” They don’t realize they are prophesying defeat. It’s just like they’re calling in bad breaks, mediocrity, and lack.

The Scripture says, “We will eat the fruit of our words.” When you talk, you are planting seeds. At some point, you’re going to eat
that fruit. My challenge is: Make sure you’re planting the right kind of seeds. If you want apples, you have to sow apple seeds. If you want oranges, you can’t plant cactus seeds, poison ivy seeds, or mushroom seeds. You’re going to reap fruit from the exact seeds that you’ve been sowing. In other words, you can’t talk negative and expect to live a positive life. You can’t talk defeat and expect to have victory. You can’t talk lack, not enough, can’t afford it, never get ahead and expect to have abundance. If you have a poor mouth, you’re going to have a poor life.

If you don’t like what you’re seeing, start sowing some different seeds. Instead of saying, “I’ll never get well, Joel. This sickness has been in my family for three generations,” plant the right seeds by stating, “God is restoring health back unto me. This sickness didn’t come to stay; it came to pass. I’m getting better and better every day.” You keep sowing those positive seeds and eventually you’ll eat that abundant fruit—health, wholeness, victory.

Instead of saying, “I’ll never get out of debt. I’ll never rise any higher,” you start speaking the promises of God: “I will lend and not borrow. Whatever I touch prospers and succeeds. I’m coming into overflow, into more than enough.” Start sowing seeds of increase, seeds of abundance. No more “I’ll never accomplish my dreams.” Instead, “I have the favor of God. Blessings are chasing me down. The right people are searching me out. New opportunities, new levels are in my future.” If you’ll keep talking like that, you’ll reap a harvest of good things.

The Scripture talks about how with our tongue we can bless our life or we can curse our life. Many people don’t realize they’re cursing
their future with their words. Every time you say, “I never get any good breaks,” you just cursed your life. “I’ll never be able to afford that nice house.” “I’ll never be able to break this addiction.” “I’ll never meet the right person.” No; stop cursing your future. Sometimes the enemy doesn’t have to defeat us; we defeat ourselves. Pay attention to what you’re saying. Are you blessing your life? Or are you cursing it?

I had a classmate in high school who was always very negative even though he was one of the stars on our football team, was always in great shape, and had thick, curly hair. Every time I asked him what was going on, he gave this standard reply: “Not much. I’m just getting old, fat, and bald.” I must have heard him say that five hundred times. I know he was just kind of kidding, but I wouldn’t kid about that. About fifteen years later, when I ran into him at the mall, I nearly passed out. He had prophesied his future. He looked old, fat, and bald. Don’t speak that defeat over your life. Our attitude should be,
I’m getting younger. God is renewing my youth like the eagles. I’m getting stronger, healthier, better looking. I’m going to keep my hair. I’m going to stay in my right mind. I’m going to live a long, productive, faith-filled life.
Don’t go around cursing your future. Start blessing your life. Prophesy good things.

I know this man who was concerned that he was going to get Alzheimer’s disease because several people in his family had it—a grandfather, a great-uncle. This man was only in his early fifties, but he constantly kept bringing up what might happen. He told me that he was actually making plans for someone to take care of him, getting everything lined up. Of course, it’s good to use common sense, to be wise, and to plan ahead in your life where you can. But if you go around talking about when you’re going to get a disease and
making plans for it, you probably won’t be disappointed. You’re calling it in. Just like you’re sending it an invitation.

I told this man what I’m telling you: “Don’t say another time that you’re going to have Alzheimer’s or any other disease. Start declaring, ‘No weapon formed against me will ever prosper. I will live out my days in good health, with a clear mind, with good memory, with clarity of thought. My mind is alert. My senses are sharp. My youth is being renewed.’” You must prophesy health. Prophesy a long, productive life. Your words will become your reality.