As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Mark 4:35 (NLT)
You create your future with the words you speak.
Mark chapter 4 highlights this powerful principle. Jesus had climbed into a boat and told His disciples to take Him to the other side of a lake. As they crossed, a massive storm blew in and threatened to sink the boat. The disciples panicked and woke Jesus, who commanded the wind and waves to stop, and the storm instantly died down.
Look at what started this fascinating story, though. Jesus stated, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” He was declaring the future in faith. Notice that He didn’t say, “Let’s try crossing and hopefully we won’t capsize in a storm.”
You see, Jesus didn’t speak empty words. When He said something, He expected it would happen. This might be why when the panicked disciples woke up Jesus, He basically exclaimed, “Why didn’t you have faith we’d make it? I told you our destination!”
Notice the sequence of events: Jesus had to speak first, and then the fulfillment of His words followed. We see the same thing in Genesis 1 when God created the entire universe. He spoke first and whatever He said came to pass. In the same way, what you say affects your future, so speak the Word over it. That’s the first step toward standing up and proclaiming, “This is where I’m headed!”
When family, friends, the news or social media try to knock you down with their words, don’t let them swamp your boat. Get up and declare, “You will not move me into fear or the guilt zone. I’m going in this direction!”