Do you ever catch yourself saying something negative and wonder, "Where on earth did that come from?" You could be actively building faith in an area—like healing, favour at work or peace in your relationships—when all of a sudden, words come out of your mouth that go against everything you've been praying for.

The thing is, your heart is listening to the words you speak. What you consistently say... you begin to believe. So mixing words of unbelief, doubt and pessimism with words of faith is like trying to construct a house, but yanking out half the nails you hammered in. It's taking two steps forward, one step back.

But this isn't something to beat yourself up over. We all have old misbeliefs that rise to the surface from time to time. And no matter how long you've been a believer, we're all exposed to negativity as we go about life—the same way your shoes pick up dirt and gravel as you walk around outside. So watching our words is something all of us need to do every day.

How do you do that?

‍Whenever you catch yourself saying words of unbelief, pause and replace them with God's Word. Pick verses about who you are in Christ and what He's promised you—and declare them with gusto! It may feel strange at first, but the more you do it, the more your heart will sit up and listen.

When you're going through something difficult and it's hard to see how your situation could turn around, take Philippians 1:20 and say, "No matter what, I continue to hold onto Jesus. I know His love and goodness will be revealed to others through my situation."

When the future is uncertain, declare Psalm 62:5-6 and say, "God is my safe place and defender. His presence wraps around me like a shield. There's no risk of failure with Him—so even in times of trouble, I don't let worry paralyze me. My God will not fail me!"

As you train your tongue, you'll grow better at nipping any negative words in the bud. Instead of undoing the "heart work" you've already done, you'll be reinforcing your faith.

‍To give you a starting point, we created a special resource for you called Walk in the Word. Every month, we offer a PDF with eight declarations based on Scripture. You can download it, print it and hang it on your fridge or bathroom mirror. This way, you'll be reminded daily to declare the Word.

Click here to download this month's Walk in the Word about building faith.

Lining up your words with God's Word will cause your peace will multiply... and you'll look forward to a bright, hopeful future as you see through the eyes of faith!

P.S. If you'd like to get more of these collections in the future, you can sign up for our emails. At the beginning of each month, we'll send you some great resources to build your faith, including Walk in the Word. Click here to sign up today!

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