My recent post, I Think Myself Happy, is still rolling around in my spirit. Unless you study the scriptures more fully, you might have the impression Paul found contentment and joy by only “thinking” happy thoughts.
This isn’t true.
Paul said, “I think…” which we learned meant to command with official authority. Well, you can’t command something by only thinking it. My kids would never clean their room or do their chores if I only used my authority in my head! No– I have to use my voice.
In the same way, you will have to use your voice to change your situation.
In meditating on this, I remembered reading Mark Hankins’ book, The Spirit of Faith, and his helpful teachings on this subject. He said:
“Your mountain needs to hear your voice.” In fact, the Holy Spirit told him, “If you knew what was on the other side of your mountain, you’d move it!”
Mark 11:23 says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Notice this scripture doesn’t say your mountain will be moved by whatever you think.
This is where people miss it. And this is where the devil fights us! The minute you get an ounce of faith and decide to “speak” it out, what happens? The devil makes you feel silly.
But in Luke 17: 6, Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Notice again, Jesus said you’ll have to say something.
Mark Hankins even joked and said in his book regarding the sycamine tree: “I have identified the problem and I am sick of mine.” He went on to say, “Sometimes things will stay around until you get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and you determine things must change.”
But they won’t change by simply “thinking” happy thoughts. Paul commanded his inner man, with official authority, meaning he must’ve said something.
Notice in both of the scriptures I’ve given you that Jesus said the obstacle in your way would obey… who? He said it would obey YOU. Remember:
“Jesus didn’t say it would obey your favorite anointed preacher. He didn’t even say it would obey God. He said it should obey you!”
In other words, your mountain needs to hear YOUR voice. Your voice is the address to your authority. This is why Paul had results when he said, “I think myself happy.” He wasn’t just thinking happy thoughts. He literally spoke his faith, commanding with official authority.
And here’s a secret I learned: You don’t have to speak it loud enough for everyone to hear. You just have to speak it loud enough for YOU to hear. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Paul is also the one who said, “And since we have the same spirit of faith [as David] according to what was written [when he said], ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13 [Psalm 116:10]).
So the bottom line is, if you want to see results, it’s not enough to just believe and think. You’re going to have to believe and speak!
