Worldly pagans will often say that they believe in the power of prayer or the power of positive thinking. They even attempt to prophesy things into existence using their words to “speak to the universe” around them. To a limited degree this may bring some real improvement to their lives. Nevertheless, they are relying upon their own willpower and “faith” in order to achieve their goals. They are not truly trusting in God to provide them with blessings that only He can make possible.

     Believers often attempt to pursue success in the same way as the world does. This turns faith into a set of self-produced works, rather than a genuine reliance upon Christ. Yet we are much more priveleged than the unsaved are. Our faith in the Lord is much more powerful than their faith in their own psychic or metaphysical practices.

     As born-again saints, we have a legal right to many things that others are not guaranteed. We can confess that we are peaceful, healthy, rich and moral - not in order to become those things, but because Christ has already paid the price to make them ours (Isaiah 53, 2 Peter 1:3). These descriptions already belong to us because of the transaction He carried out on the cross! Our confession is not about us trying to convince ourselves that something is real in order to make it seem like a reality. Our confession is us claiming the prize that Jesus died and rose again to win for us. Therefore the lost do not have the ability to expect everything that we do!

     Further, we do not just speak positively in order to fulfill our own ambitions. We have the Holy Scriptures to guide everything we think, pray, or speak about. We know God's will from the Bible in a much clearer way than sinners do, and because of this we release power through our words in a much greater way. We declare that the Lord's promises will come to pass, and that His kingdom will crush Satan's. Other's waste their efforts trying to change their environment without seeking to glorify Christ. Much of what they attempt to create will never be made, because they do not have God's approval. They do not know His heart, so they cannot be genuinely fruitful through their plans (John 15:4).

     Also, the Church is the only group of men that has the Holy Spirit empowering it. The rest of mankind may have some natural abilities that come from being made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-28). Nevertheless, they lack a relationship with God Himself. He offers supernatural grace to help us speak life into our future, which means our declarations alone are not our source of power. We have the Creator of the universe backing us up when we “bind and lose,” and He can make things occur which would be physically impossible with mere positivity (Matthew 16:19, Matthew 19:26).

     Do not ever let people, even within Christendom, try to convince you that you are just using occult methods or suggestive psychology in order to attain something you do not actually have. Rest assured that Jesus' finished work has brought you wealth in all things (2 Corinthians 8:9), that you are inspired by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and that the Spirit of God is working along side of you to confirm your statements (Mark 16:20). You have authority and strength that is extremely unique.