So many Christians are hindered in their walk with God simply because of our own words, and the power the carry to rule our destinies. While God isn’t obligated to fulfill our every whim, and He’s certainly not Santa Claus, He does provide for His children, and He frequently permits our words to determine the course of our lives, or of some part of them.
The children of Israel had sent out 12 men to spy out the Land of Canaan, and ten came back with a report that spread terror through the camp. They had seen giants, who were indeed great and terrible, but the real problem was how they had seen themselves, and as a result, how that caused them to see their God. (Numbers 13:30-32)
Of the twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained confident that God would enable them to overcome whatever obstacles remained in their path to the Promised Land. The Children of Israel murmured, complained, and even wept about what they felt was the futility of the situation, and what seemed to be certain death waiting for them in the form of the Sons of Anak. They had seen themselves as grasshoppers by comparison, and became afraid. As a result, an entire generation (minus 2 Joshua and Caleb) was condemned to die in the wilderness without ever inheriting the Promise. Many of us suffer from the same problem: we allow our circumstance to become greater than our certainty, and as a result we begin to speak negatively about it. This often leads to wrong actions, and actions always lead to results. Furthermore, the principle of Numbers 14:28 endures to this day, that  often  our words of unbelief can cause us to remain frustrated in our pursuit of God’s purpose. Some of us are frustrated in this area in a different way: we try to profess and confess the things we want, whether or not God approves of them. There are things that may be good, but not necessarily the best things for this present time. Hebrews 12:2 identifies Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, so we must understand that God is only obligated to finish what He started.
While surely we must call those things which be not as though they were, we’d better be sure that what we speak over our lives and the lives of others are things which are within God’s will. Many of us have a tendency to confuse God’s will and God’s Promise. The Bible clearly tells us that we receive the promise after  we have done the will of God (Heb. 10:36). God’s promise was that He would bring the Children of Israel into the Land of Canaan to inherit it. His will was for them to continue to trust Him, and therefore to proceed into the Promised Land and conquer it. There may very well be things that God will promise you that you will have to fight for, and just as God took His time getting His people to the Jordan river so that he could prepare them for war, there may be steps and stages through which you progress toward the promise God made to you. Whether He takes you there quickly or gradually, let your mouth speak what is right in His sight.
Many people have cursed themselves with their words, and many have seen God’s blessing come when they confessed not simply what they wanted, but a total trust in God that He would do what is right and what is best. The key lies in remaining in God’s will , following His direction, and speaking what is consistent with the direction He has determined for you, not the direction you want. If you can do this, your words will bring life to your every situation, and you will find yourself wandering no more.

What is “the Word of the Lord?”
We live in an exciting time, and a dangerous time, during which our choices will impact not only our own lives, but the lives of many as we take our place in God’s Kingdom.  With great uncertainty in the future of the housing markets,  credit and banking crises, and increasing challenges to the Faith arising around the world, there is an increasing need for clarity, accuracy, and precision in the prophetic.
I have, over the years, encountered people who wondered whether prophecy and “the Word of the Lord” were the same thing, and found quite a few of them surprised to discover that there is a distinction between the two. The Bible makes it clear that there can indeed be a difference between the two.
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deut. 18:20)
Prophets in the Bible were known to sometimes prophesy by means of sources other than God, such as in the above example, or as in the case of the lying prophet n 1 Kings 13. Furthermore, in Ezekiel it is shown that there were prophets who prophesied out of their own hearts (Ezek. 13:2, 17), and the Bible does identify some prophets as being of other gods (1 Kings 18:19, e.g.). Thus there are instances in which someone could prophesy with the word not having come from the Lord at all, and then there are times when even a prophet of the Lord may communicate his own perception of something God has shown him, but which he does not understand. And still others may even knowingly put their own ‘spin’ on something they have seen or heard prophetically, or even fabricate a ‘prophecy.’

The genuine Word of the Lord comes forth when God has spoken and has been heard clearly, and what He has revealed is communicated when, where, and to whom He directs. Our prayer is that you and yours may clearly hear the Word of the Lord all the days of your life, that His purpose be fulfilled in, by and through you.

–Sam Medina, Chairman
The Restoration Group