Note to self - on speaking & faith
Updated: Aug 17, 2019
"and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” 1 Kings 18 v. 43 - 44
I have a theory about Elijah’s servant, and this is my theory: After going to look towards the sea for clouds seven times, he realized this wasn’t a test of his sight but of his faith. And so the seventh time, that faith ignited, he spoke based on his faith rather than the evidence of what he saw.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 7
Most of us consider speaking unknown languages as the only form of speaking in tongues. In fact, speaking in faith also is speaking in tongues, speaking in faith must be an habit for children of God, for it is God who"calls those things which do not exist as though they did” therefore, like him, we must speak our faith into existence. God exemplifies how speaking in faith does not mean distorting reality (lying - we must always speak the truth). In Genesis 1, God’s spirit moved across the earth and he saw darkness, but his confession was “Let there be light”. He was not bothered by what he saw, he focused on a future he wanted...and created it.
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Joel 3:10b
What should you do and why?
I recently read up the hypothesis of linguistic relativism (or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) which can be summarized as follows: a speaker's language (at least partly) defines his/her cognitive response or interaction with the world. What you say partly determines how you view and respond to challenges or opportunities or whatever else the world brings your way.
This is like a mind hack, speaking your way into a positive mindset. A positive mindset really matters because it alters perception positively. A positive mind sees hope when it doesn’t make any sense, sees challenges as opportunities and sees the opportunity to reflect God’s light when there is absolute darkness.
Many entrepreneurs repeatedly talk about/describe their products/services even when those products don’t exist yet - there is a good reason for this, repetition strengthens the belief in what you’re doing. Most great products today started by someone talking (not just thinking) about it to themselves and others.
Many entrepreneurs hire teams, convince smart people to invest and even convince customers to buy products that don’t yet exist because they are willing to speak what they wish to create.
The ability to conceptualize what you want and then vocalize it is key to realizing your ambitions.
