The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
- David, the beloved psalmist
Words indeed work wonders! There definitely is power in the spoken word. This fact has been known and acknowledged over the ages; and this principle, which has been used by many to achieve success and attainment in life, has been variously referred to as the principle of audible autosuggestion (which we discussed a while back) or more commonly, the power of positive confession/affirmation.
My first contact with what the Master said about it over two thousand years ago was through my late Dad about three decades ago when he told me during the course of one of our several discussions that ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’
Expressed longings
Dr Sidney Newton Bremer, whom I was to come into contact with later through his writings, taught me a profound truth and explained the Master’s pronouncements further when he said, “our hearts’ longings, our souls’ aspirations, are something more than mere vapourings of imagination; they are prophecies, predictions, couriers, and forerunners of things that can become realities.”[J1]
I dare add that the starting point of these ‘prophecies’ coming true is in releasing the words through our mouths in total deference to Christ’s declaration that we can have what we say. What we say does come to pass; albeit not immediately but surely.
God’s creative power
Creative power was in God’s mouth and it is in our mouths also as creatures made in His likeness. Our words carry potential creative power and become even more potent when we speak them in faith or in any of the lesser emotions of desperation, anger or fear.
As in the opening quote taken from Psalm 23 verse 1 of the Holy Book, where David was employing this principle, as he did several times throughout his inspired speeches, masters of the times have learnt to make use of this all-potent concept.
So, so powerful
The spoken word is so powerful that if repeated many times, both the hearer and speaker begin to believe it even when it is a lie! And this is the basis of most advertisements and of what is commonly known as ‘brainwashing’.
It has long been established that words are so powerful that when the same sets are repeated to children over the years, whether true or false, these children believe them, at times permanently. And this procedure is known to be most potent in the moments just before they sleep or just after waking up.
It also works, albeit to a lesser extent, on adults too and that is why it is often advised to observe positive prayers and meditations in the early hours of the morning, when the ‘resistance’ from the sub-conscious mind is at its minimal level.
Words so spoken and repeated at such times settle into the subconscious, which is the seat of our actions and emotions, and over time, affects our very thoughts, speech and action, which in turn, affect our lot and ‘destiny’.
Sometime in 1985, after having not performed well in my Advanced Level exams, I locked myself up in our sitting room and prayed earnestly that failure would no longer be my portion. I also resolved to put in fresh effort into my studies.
I then declared aloud with a holy indignation and almost mysterious faith that I was no longer going to fail any written examination. I did put in that effort and the result was that I had 300 points in my JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) result that year; 10 points in my GCE ‘A’ Level exams; an admission to read Economics and Statistics at the University of Benin; a Best Student Award at UNIBEN and a University Scholarship for academic excellence!
Words indeed do work wonders, especially when backed with the emotion of faith and the resolve of a determined heart.
Strong and not weak, rich and not poor
Illness and poverty are two of those things a man should resist on principle. Never say you are weak if you wish to be strong, fatigued if you would be perpetually fresh or poor if your desire is wealth and plenty.
About the principle of audible autosuggestion, Dr. J. Herman Randall has the following to say, “Let a man take 15 minutes, and get away somewhere from the noise and turmoil of it all, and just say to himself, ‘I am God’s child, I am God’s child, I am God’s child.’ No man can do this very many days without carrying into all of life – the life of the home, the life of business and finances and the social life – a sense of dignity and confidence and power such as he has never experienced before.”
Think about it!
Whatever we assert, firmly believing, we tend to become
– Sidney Newton Bremer.
