Words we speak over ourselves can become self fulfilling prophecies.
When I was in year 10 at high school, I was a School captain. A boy in our grade had mental development issues and he used to hang around me because I was nice to him and took the time to say hello. I can remember being teased about how people thought he was my boyfriend. To make it clear that that was definitely not the case, I would say, “I am never going to marry a boy with red hair and glasses.” Eight years later, I married a guy (not the same one) with red hair and glasses.
“I will never…”
When we say, “I will never…”, we are pronouncing a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. Self fulfilling prophecies will always come back to bite you. We need to realise that when we say these words, we are releasing into the atmosphere something that puts into motion the very same thing to happen to us.
Can you ever remember being embarrassed by your mother as a teenager and you would say, “I can’t wait until I am an adult. I will never….”. Twenty years later, you suddenly realise that exactly what your mum did you are now doing.
Do you ever wonder why people who say “I never win any competitions” never actually win anything?
Are there times in your life you are using those words now?
If you have children, have a listen to your children. Do they ever say it? We can help our children by modelling a life that is free of these negative statements. One of our tasks as a parent is to help our children not fall into the habit of stating “I will never…”. I encourage you to take a few moments to look back on your life and see if there were any times you said, “I will never…” Share these with your kids. Help them to see that it is not in their best interest to speak these negative words into their life.
If we slip up, we say sorry and make amends.
An effective prayer I find useful is, “Lord Jesus, can you please bring to my mind any negative words I’ve said that I will never do…. Lord, I am so sorry I said that. Please forgive me. In Jesus’ name, I cut off the effect of those words especially in regard to self fulfilling prophecies and the judgements I made about that person and situation. Amen.”
Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:
The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.
1. Children / Families Activation: Have everyone ask God to show, tell or give them the name of an article of clothing that best describes something about the person on their left. Ask them to ask God why that particular article of clothing best describes that person. Share with that person.
2. Group Activation: Gather an assortment of items from nature eg stones, feather, leaves, twigs, soil, seeds etc. Spread them out over an area eg on a table, section of floor etc. Ask everyone to pair up and then find an item that they can use from this assortment from nature to prophesy over their partner. Encourage them to go deeper with their prophesying by looking at the feel, sound, look, smell, use etc of the item and prophesy from that, asking God for clarification and extension.
3. Beginner Activation: Grab a blank sheet of paper and start doodling on it drawing a key. Be creative with God and the drawing of the key. Ask God to then show you how you are similar to that key and ask Him what He wants you to unlock or what He wants to unlock for you. Enjoy exploring this with God.
4. Intermediate Activation: Choose a person close to you. Ask God to show you a road sign for that person. Ask God what that road sign means for that person, then share it with them.
5. Advanced Activation: Ask God for a prophetic word for the Principal of a school near you. Write it out in a letter, making sure that it is encouraging and comforting and doesn’t have any christian language in it and then send it to them.