In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God…. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1-2,14 KJV)
Have you ever “stuck your foot in your mouth” as the saying goes? Saying something foolish that you wished you could have taken back? Once you spoke that foolish thing, they were still your words, even after they were spoken and you paid a price for them – maybe even for a long period of time.
That’s why we are told in Proverbs 18:21 that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Your words are your words, even after they depart from your mouth.
Understanding this, now apply it to speaking into the life of your unsaved loved one whose heart’s present condition is not good. Unattended, the words that you speak will fall victim to the condition of the ground in which they were sown, but you have a right to stand guard over them because they are your words!
What happens is we become so “sowing” minded (which is a good thing), that we fail to stand guard over that which we have sown. We diligently guard our hearts, watch over our words, and protect ourselves against attacks of the enemy insomuch that we fail to realize that the words we have sown are still our words and require the same diligence from us.
We have the power to stand guard over our words to keep the enemy from stealing them, to keep the cares of the world from choking them out, and to keep them protected so that they will take root and have depth.
Child of God, your faith-filled words are powerful to the point of destroying every work of the enemy. Stand guard over your words. Protect the seed you have sown in order for that Word to change the soil it has been planted into.
As you speak into the lives of your unsaved loved ones, realize that you are sowing words that can deliver them from their current destructions.
However, also realize that you have a responsibility to be diligent to stand guard over those words, because the ground that they are being sown into does not yet have the capability of providing that Word to freely bring forth a harvest.
Don’t allow your words to be stolen anymore!
Pastor David Shipman is one of the founding pastors of Fellowship of Hope and presently serves as the Senior Pastor. He employs a very aggressive and responsive attitude toward the Word of God. Believing whole heartedly Jesus’ Words found in Mark 9:23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Through a positive focus on the Word to edify and build up believers, Pastor David’s ministry focuses on the power of God in an individual’s life through a personal relationship grounded in faith and obedience with Him.
Pastor David has been raised in church since the age of four. During his life he has been active in many aspects of ministry within the church. Although knowing he was called to a public ministry by the age of 12, the realization of his calling was not manifested until the birth of Valley Worship Center. Until the age of 35 Pastor David was very successful in the financial sector while serving in another church. In 1996, the Lord started moving him towards the fulfillment of his calling.
Pastor David’s public ministry was given birth with the formation of Fellowship of Hope in August 1997. Since that time God has opened many doors extending his ministry beyond the local church. Pastor David has been part of the Board of Directors of Love INC (In the Name of Christ) of Tulare County since January 1999 and on the Western District Board of Directors of the I.M.A. (International Ministerial Association) since 1999 and presently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer.