Central Truth: The confession of our lips will give either God dominion over us or Satan dominion over us.
The Bible is the Word of God and contains God’s thoughts. And of course, God’s thoughts are different than man’s thoughts. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9). As we study God’s Word and know His thoughts, we can dare to think God’s thoughts after Him as we get our thinking in line with His Word.
As we have been studying about confession, we have learned that if our confessing is wrong it is because our believing is wrong. If our believing is wrong, it is because our thinking is wrong. And if our thinking is wrong, it is because our mind has not yet been renewed with the Word of God.
Sometimes the teachings of the Word of God may not seem reasonable to the natural man, but that is because his mind hasn’t been renewed by the Word. Mark 11:22-24 says, “… Have faith in God (or the God kind of faith). For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say … and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe … shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” The Amplified version of this last verse reads, “For this reason I’m telling you, when you pray, you trust and be confident that it’s granted you. Then you are going to say, ‘It’s mine, I have it.'”
The greatest things that will ever happen to the Christian will be when he moves out into this realm. The intellect and the physical senses will fight him every step of the way to keep him from entering that realm, because if the natural mind is not renewed by the Word of God, it wants to hold him in the natural realm. But there is a spiritual realm, and this is realty the realm of the Christian.
Right and Wrong Confession
Looking into the matter of wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong confessing, let us ask the question, just what is a wrong confession? Wrong confession is a confession of defeat and failure, and of the supremacy of Satan. Talking about how the devil is hindering you and keeping you from success, about how he is holding you in bondage, about how he is keeping you sick, is a confession of defeat. And such a confession simply glorifies the devil.
As we have said in previous lessons, confession is witnessing for a truth that we have embraced, testifying of something we know, and affirming something that we believe. And many times our confessions, rather than witnessing to what God’s Word has to say about a matter, admit to our defeat and glorify the devil rather than God.
Few of us are like the dear old sister who stood in church to testify, “The devil has been after me all week, bless his holy name.” Yet many of our testimonies do more to witness to the supremacy of Satan in our lives than to Christ’s dominion. Just as when we testify to what God has done for us, we are glorifying Him; by the same token, when we talk about what the devil is doing, of our failures and defeats, we are glorifying the devil. Many people lose the blessing that God has for them just by making a wrong confession. They are defeated and life is just a grind to them.
Actually a wrong confession that glorifies the devil is an unconscious declaration that God is a failure. Such a confession destroys our faith and holds us in bondage. The confession of Satan’s ability to hinder and keep us from success gives him dominion over us. Therefore, with your mouth you are going to either give God dominion over you; or you are going to give Satan dominion over you. The confession of your lips that has grown out of faith in your heart will absolutely defeat the devil in every combat.
When we are saved, we confess the Lordship of Jesus, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus …” (Romans 10:9) or Jesus as Lord. That means He is our Lord. When we confess His Lordship over us, He begins to have dominion over us and rule in our life. But when we confess Satan’s ability to hinder and keep us from success, then even though we may be a Christian, we are giving Satan dominion over us. He is the god of this world, and he will move right in because we permitted him to do so. Even though it may be a permission of ignorance or an unconscious consent, it is nevertheless consent. And when Satan has dominion, we are filled with weakness and fear.
Overcoming Fear and Doubt
II Timothy 1:7
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Even though in the natural we may sometimes feel afraid, we should never confess fear. Fear is not of God. The above scripture says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, “but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Fear isn’t something that is coming from the inside of you. It is something that is coming from outside, trying to get hold of you. It is the enemy. We should not confess fear, but rather we should confess “power … love, and a sound mind.”
The same thing is true of doubt. Don’t confess your doubts or your fears. This is not to say that you should not admit doubt and fear if you have them. Just don’t say anything about it. Doubt is of the devil. Doubt is contraband goods. Doubt is evil. The Christian has no business talking about doubt, for it doesn’t belong to him. A lot of people think they are being honest when they confess that they are afraid or that they doubt. You may have been tempted to doubt and have listened to the devil, but you can put him on the run by resisting him.
So don’t confess doubt, confess faith. Start talking about who you are and what you are in Christ, as we discussed in our last lesson. You are a believer. You are a new creature. Talk that, believe that, think that. And if you are tempted, and none of us is above temptation, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Refuse in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to doubt and fear and they will leave you. If you entertain them, however, they will come right in and rob and defeat you.
Confessing God’s Word
Instead of confessing your doubts and fears, confess what God’s Word says. God said, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee …” (Isaiah 41:10). Therefore, you can say, “I am not afraid. I am a child of God and He is with me. He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and love and of a sound mind.” We are not doubters, we are believers. We can stop talking the devil’s language of doubt and fear and can start talking God’s language of faith. God is a faith God. We are faith children of a faith God.
In one of my meetings a lady told me about her sister who was in a mental institution. She said, “She is not too bad but does need institutional care. She understands what is said to her. Occasionally I can bring her home for two-week periods. I am going to bring her home now so she can attend these meetings. I believe they will help her.”
I didn’t pray for the woman during those two weeks, but she was in every service and just from hearing the Word her mind became clear and she never had to return to the institution. The doctors released her, giving her a clean bill of health. In the past she had been confessing defeat, fear, and doubt until they became a part of her. But as she listened to the Word preached, she saw where she had missed it; she began to confess the right thing and was healed.
Seeing the remarkable recovery of this woman, another lady in the church was inspired to bring her neighbor who had just been assigned to the state mental hospital but had not yet left. Neither the woman nor her husband were Christians, but he consented to let her attend our services with her neighbor. Within a week the woman had been saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Ghost; and she never did go to the mental hospital.
People can become sick mentally as well as physically, and God can heal mental illnesses as easily as He can physical. We have to recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear. We need to learn to stand against the enemy.
Remember, confession of fear gives fear dominion over you. Your fears become stronger and you come more into the bondage of the enemy. But if you will boldly confess your Father’s care, confess His protection, confess His Word, and declare that what God says about you is true, confess that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, you will rise above Satanic influence every time.
When you confess your doubts and fears, your weaknesses and diseases, you are openly confessing that the Word of God is not true and that God has failed to make it good. His Word declares that by His stripes you were healed.
I Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Matthew 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
If instead of confessing that Jesus “took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses,” and we declare that we still have them, we will remain sick. But when we start confessing that He has already done something about our sickness, then we will receive healing. Too much of the time we take the testimony of our physical senses instead of taking the testimony of God’s Word. We have to practice God’s Word for it to work for us.
Memory Text: “For God bath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
Faith in Action: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only ….” (James 1:22).
Previous Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Confession of the Believer’s Privileges in Christ
Next Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Faith for Prosperity
Comments
I thank God for this timely Word,
Right confession is my portion in Jesus Mighty Name,
More blessing our Father of great Faith Pastor Kenneth Hagin.
Dynamite! I am blessed.
I feel blessed
This one thing. I connect myself ahayayhaya power ansd is the gospel
love you Pastor
GOD HAS BLESSED MY SOUL. I HAVE RECEIVED MY LIFE. MY JOY IS FULL.THANK U PASTOR
mightily blessed
Glory to God!
Wonderful news.
Its very encouraging.God bless you pastor Hagin
I am so blessed by this word of Pastor Hagin. God’s word is forever true and the testimonies of Pastor Hagin continue to help our knowledge and understanding of the Lord and HIS unchanging word. Thank you and God bless you for making these teachings available to all.
power word sir, am enriched with your teachings.
I’m blessed by your word, thank you sir more grace
God bless you man of God, for being a blessing to the world.
You shall Know the truth and the truth shall make you Free! Thank you for keeping the TRUTH coming?And This is The Victory even ourFaith And Faith cometh by Hearing & Hearing &continually Hearing The WORD Love love Love How JESUS used Brother Hagin to Teach His children Faith & continues w/these timeless teachings!! Glory To GOD!!!!!!!
I truly blessed, been enlightened and empowered to believe and confess right.
THAT is the true message.father Hagin God bless you
Wow wow wow. ..glory glory halleluyah. I’ve been thoroughly blessed by this.Please keep it coming.We’re hungry for it.
my spirit has consumed good food
Donald – Keep eating.
By his stripes I AM HEALED!
is very blessing to have this teachings
These words of faith are so rich, touching and inspiring.I am so blessed, thank you MOG
By these word of God I am healed, I am blessed. Really the word of God is speaking to everybody yesterday, today and tomorrow ane blessing everybody. God Bless these word of God.
I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. I am not a poor man trying to get rich, but a rich man rejecting poverty. I am not a sick man trying to get healed but I am healthy man refusing sickness. I am not a sinner trying to get saved but a saved man refusing sickness. Glory to God in the Highest.
Thank you Pastor Haggis for your lessons.
i am much in need of teachings on Faith