Declarations for the New Year
Manifestations are a big trend right now. Here’s the thing - the devil is not creative, he is just manipulative. God is the Creator, and there is no creating apart from Him - only rearranging, twisting, or manipulating. Mediation is perverted prayer, fortune tellers are perverted prophets, and manifestation is perverted declaration. Just because the devil has perverted it, doesn’t mean we should throw out the original design. For example, the Bible tells us to look out for false prophets, not to close your ears to all prophets. Likewise, we should not abandon all prayer or declarations, but discern what is perverted, and embrace God’s original design. While the world is creating vision boards, 2025 bingo cards, and manifesting their preferred destiny, true followers of Christ recognize the value of declaring truth and Scripture.
I recognize that a lot of evangelicals will balk at the mention of declarations, it might sound too close to the perverted manifestations the world practices, or it might sound like a prosperity gospel associated with charismatic circles. I have seen the danger of the ditches on both sides of this road, and here is where I land. I’ll give you my argument for declarations, and I’ll share my suggested list for starting the new year, and then I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments (even if you disagree).
Death and life is in the power of the tongue. Either you believe that, or you don’t! If you do, you should let it affect your words. I have been around Christians who are constantly speaking hatred of others - just spend 5 minutes on Facebook these days and you’ll see what I mean. I feel the grief of the Holy Spirit when I am in the company of Christians who speak mean of others. Not that I’m perfect myself, but I’ve always been labeled by others as “too sensitive”, and am seeing now that a lot of my sensitivity is actually the Lord’s.
Science is catching up to the Bible - they are doing more and more studies about how speaking to plants changes their growth - plants that are bullied wilt and die while plants that are complimented grow and thrive. There’s also Masaru Emoto’s experiments on water that showed the same results. And we all can see how our words affect others - if you see a parent yelling insults at a child you know without a doubt that is affecting them negatively.
Jesus himself understood and applied this truth - He made declarations. When the devil tempted Jesus, He didn’t respond by being steadfast in His thoughts, or by turning and ignoring the devil. He declared truth out loud to him. He declared scripture that correlated to the attacks.
When God told Sarah that she would bear a child after she was well beyond her child-bearing years, she softly laughed and declared how impossible that was. God confronted her immediately, stopping her from declaring death over His promise. Another time when someone scoffed at God’s promise, He actually made them mute! Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, didn’t believe God’s promise so God took away his ability to speak until the promise was fulfilled. I think some of us would be better off if God used that tactic more often!
One area that I am weak in and need to improve is how I speak about myself. False humility is just pride undercover, and a lot of us engage with it. Speaking ill of yourself is actually rebellion against God, because it is not what He says about you. Declarations are a way to partner with God, by saying what He says about you.
Declarations are an application of our faith - let your yes be yes and your no be no; or mean what you say and say what you mean. In my own life, I have seen that often at first I feel incredibly silly making declarations. And I live alone, I can’t imagine if I had other people judging me. But I would encourage you to start in a place that feels comfortable, in the morning as you get ready, commuting in your car, or outside on a walk. But thinking it doesn’t count. I mean, it does, thinking good thoughts is good, but your brain values spoken words higher than thoughts, meaning you will believe what you say or is said about you more than what you think.
I have seen changes that happen over time when I make declarations a habit - it changes my thoughts for the better, making my mind a kinder place to be. It changes how I think about others and talk to others, allowing me to truly show the love of Christ. It cements the words in me long term - even after my daily habit lapses, I maintain a hold of the truth I was declaring. And overall, I feel closer to God - I am identifying with His word, His truth, His being. So here is a list of 10 declarations for the new year (or anytime really). I dare you to try speaking these out loud over yourself every day!
God is on my side, I cannot be discouraged or defeated. (Romans 8:37; Psalm 91; Philippians 4:13)
I will thrive no matter what happens. (Philippians 4:11-13)
I serve a mighty God who will do exceedingly abundantly beyond all I ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)
The peace of Christ rules in my heart. (Colossians 3:15)
The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
God forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. I am free. (Psalm 103:3, John 8:36)
God is working all things together for my good. (Romans 8:28)
I am chosen by God and display His goodness to the world. (1 Peter 2:9)
I will never be separated from God’s love. (Romans 8:38-39)
God provides for every need I have, I lack no good thing. (Psalm 23:1, Psalm 34:10)
