The Power of Words: Using Scriptures to Change Your Life

Meditating in the Word of God and speaking faith-filled words can dramatically change your life.  One of the most inspiring stories, I’ve ever read is Heal Me, O Lord, found in Guideposts Magazine, published in April, 1998. The author, Marilyn Ludolf, wrote about overcoming her 16 year battle with a painful, itchy, facial rash and terrible headaches that had doctors and specialists baffled.

She was watching television one Sunday and heard the testimony of Cheryl Prewitt (Miss America 1980) who had been supernaturally healed by God. Mrs Ludolf had a revelation- God still healed people today!

After hearing Cheryl’s testimony, Mrs. Ludolf was inspired to compile a list of healing, health and faith scriptures- 36 in all.

Every day, wherever she went, she took this list with her. She meditated on the scriptures, saying them over and over. She envisioned herself as being well. In her own words, “I began to visualize my complexion as pink and clear as a newborn baby’s and my sinus passages free and well. I imprinted it on my mind day and night.”

After doing this consistently for about 2 ½ months, her faith had grown immensely. During that time period, she gradually received total healing from the skin condition as well as from the headaches.

Ms. Ludolf had been a Christian for many years and often prayed and asked God to help her but in her own words, her faith had gotten “flabby.”  By reading and meditating on  scriptures, she got her faith built up until she believed enough to receive her healing.

In another instance, Dodie Osteen, wife of pastor John Osteen was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer when she was 48 years old. Doctors informed her that, even with treatment, she would be dead in a few weeks. Instead of giving in to the fear and darkness that tried to overtake her, she turned to God and His Word for answers.

One of the most important things she did, was to make a list of 40 healing scriptures and read through them 3 times every day. It took a long time for the symptoms of cancer to leave. At times Dodie was so weak, tired and sick that she was tempted to give up the fight and go be with Jesus, but she chose to persevere.

Dodie put photos of herself by her bed of when she was young and healthy.  One picture was of her in her wedding dress, the other was of her riding a horse while on vacation. It was a way to visualize what she was believing for.

She fought negative thoughts (and there were lots of them) by speaking the Word of God out of her mouth. Every time she had the thought that she was going to die or another new symptom showed up in her body, she chose to speak scriptures concerning her deliverance, “By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed, With long life does God satisfy me and show me my salvation” etc.

She did not talk about the cancer or complain about how terrible she felt to other people. When asked how she was doing, she kept it positive, “I am blessed, thank-you” or “By the stripes of Jesus I am healed.”

After persevering in the faith, day after day, month after month Dodie was totally healed. Two years after receiving her death sentence of cancer, tests showed that she was totally free from cancer.

In the book, Scripture Keys for Kingdom Living, June Davis records numerous testimonies of people who received deliverance and help for their problems by speaking scriptures that pertained to their situation. One lady had severed nerves as a result of surgery and could no longer control her bowels.   The doctor told her there was nothing they could do to alleviate this problem. After being prayed for and anointed with oil by Ms. Davis, the lady was given scriptures to speak out, 4 times a day, three times for each verse. Four days later, she reported “that there were no more signs of her condition.”

As a child of God, you have access to thousands of promises listed in the Word of God for your benefit. There are promises of healing and divine health, promises for provision, prosperity, protection and the list goes on and on.

However, you will not automatically experience these promises just because you want them or because you are born again, or because you are a good Christian.

Most Christians live and die, and never experience anything other than a small sliver of what’ s available to them. Usually it’s because of wrong teaching by people they respect, people such as their parents, or a relative they believe is spiritual or even their pastor.

Wrong teaching can have dire and even deadly consequences, if we choose to believe it rather than what God’s Word actually says. For example, if you are diagnosed with a terminal disease and the spiritual leaders you respect are telling you it’s God’s will for you to “bear” this disease, how can you have faith to overcome it?

Many wrongly believe that if God wants them to have something, He’ll just give it to them with no effort on their part. “We’ll trust God to give us what we need,” they say. By the same token, they believe that if anything bad happens to them, it’s God’s will.  John 10:10 lets us know that it’s the devil who comes to kill, steal and destroy but Jesus came to give us an abundant life. Click here for part two in this series, Using Scriptures to Change Your Life.

The Using Scriptures to Change Your Life Series has now been turned into a free e-book, download by clicking on the following link: Using Confessions to Change Your Life