HAVE you ever wondered why you keep struggling with the same things despite your determination to move forward?
You make plans, take steps of faith, pursue opportunities and attempt to build something meaningful. Yet, somehow, you keep finding yourself trapped in familiar patterns. It feels as though something is constantly tripping you up everytime you try to move ahead.
Could it be that some of the words spoken over your life years ago are still following you, influencing how you see yourself and respond to life?
In Part 1 of our Monthly Teaching by Pst Dr Nellie Shani, Your Words Are Building Blocks, we explored the power of words and how they shape our environment, relationships and experiences.
In this second part,Words Create Your World, we are going deeper. We are dealing with words that nobody has ever challenged, rejected or consciously renounced. These are words that have become deeply embedded in our thinking and may continue to influence our decisions long after the people who spoke them have moved on.
Unfortunately, some of these words came from people whose authority we respected, trusted or feared.
Parents. Teachers. Pastors. Church leaders. Employers. Husbands. Wives. Mentors. People whose opinions mattered to us.
And because they occupied positions of authority, their words carried considerable emotional and spiritual weight.The words we speak or have spoken over ourselves have the greateset indluence on us!
No word spoken over your life has greater authority than the Word of God.
When Words from Authority Figures Become Invisible Barriers
Words spoken by people in authority can have a profound impact on our lives.
A parent who repeatedly tells a child, "You will never amount to anything," may unknowingly plant seeds of inadequacy that follow that child into adulthood.
A teacher who declares, "You are not intelligent enough," may cause a student to abandon academic ambitions.
A pastor or spiritual leader who speaks a prophecy of limitation may leave someone believing that certain opportunities are permanently beyond their reach.
A husband who repeatedly tells his wife, "Nobody else would ever want you," may gradually destroy her confidence.
An employer who constantly describes an employee as incompetent may cause that person to doubt their abilities even when they are perfectly qualified for better opportunities.
The problem is not simply that these statements were unpleasant. It is that we may have accepted them as truth.
Consider these statements:
- "You will never succeed."
- "You are just like your father; you will never change."
- "You are cursed."
- "You will always struggle financially."
- "You are not marriage material."
- "You will never have children."
- "You are a failure."
- "Nothing good ever comes from your family."
- "You will die young."
- "You are not good enough to lead."
Some of these statements may have been spoken in moments of anger, frustration, disappointment or even under the guise of correction.
Others may have been presented as spiritual pronouncements.
Whatever their origin, we must recognise that a statement does not become God's truth simply because it came from someone we respect.
Authority does not make every spoken word righteous, accurate or prophetic.
The Danger of Accepting Words That God Never Spoke
One of the greatest dangers of negative words is that we can internalise them.
When a statement is repeated often enough, we may begin to believe it, identify with it and eventually organise our lives around it.
Someone who was repeatedly told that they would fail may begin avoiding opportunities because failure has become part of their identity.
Someone labelled as rejected may struggle to receive love, even when genuine love is offered.
Someone who grew up hearing that poverty runs in their family may develop a mindset that expects financial struggle and resists opportunities for advancement.
This is how words can become invisible barriers.
Proverbs 18:21 reminds us:"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Words have consequences. They can build confidence or destroy it, encourage growth or reinforce fear.
However, we must be careful not to assume that every difficulty we experience is the result of a spoken curse or a demonic spirit.
Sometimes the effects of harmful words are reinforced through painful memories, learned behaviours, trauma and deeply established beliefs.
That is why deliverance must be accompanied by the renewing of our minds.
Romans 12:2 calls believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
We cannot continue agreeing with what God has rejected about us.
The Blood of Jesus Is Greater Than Every Word Spoken Against You
Here is where our confidence must rest.
The words of parents, teachers, pastors, employers and other authority figures may have influenced our lives, but they do not possess the final authority over our identity or destiny.
The blood of Jesus speaks a better word.
Hebrews 12:24 speaks of Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel.
The blood of Jesus speaks forgiveness where there was condemnation, acceptance where there was rejection, redemption where there was bondage, and reconciliation where there was separation.
Galatians 3:13 declares that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Our confidence is therefore not in the strength of our emotions or the authority of the person who spoke against us.
Our confidence is in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
You do not have to spend your life trying to prove that the negative things people said about you were wrong.
You must learn to agree with what God says about you.
When someone called you a failure, God did not withdraw His purpose for your life.
When someone rejected you, God did not withdraw His love.
When someone declared that you would never succeed, God did not surrender His plans for you.
Your identity is established in Christ, not in the opinions of people.
It Is Time to Challenge and Renounce Those Words
Some believers have prayed against spiritual opposition without ever addressing the words they have continued to believe.
You cannot consistently confess that you are accepted in Christ while secretly agreeing with the voice that calls you worthless.
You cannot declare that God has given you a future and a hope while continually repeating that you are destined to fail.
Deliverance from curses spoken by authority figures involves identifying the lie, rejecting agreement with it and replacing it with God's truth.
This may also involve forgiving those who spoke harmful words over you.
Forgiveness does not mean pretending that the words were harmless. Neither does it mean allowing abusive people to continue hurting you.
It means refusing to remain emotionally imprisoned by what they did.
It is time to challenge those words.
It is time to renounce them.
It is time to close the doors of agreement with everything that contradicts God's Word.
Deliverance Prayer: Breaking the Power of Negative Words
This prayer is intended to be prayed aloud. Find a quiet place, stand confidently in your identity in Christ and speak these declarations with conviction.
Do not pray from a position of fear. Pray from the assurance that Jesus Christ has redeemed you.
A Prayer of Renunciation and Deliverance
PRAY ALOUD WITH FAITH AND CONVICTION
Heavenly Father,
I come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
I thank You for the finished work of the cross and for the precious blood of Jesus that was shed for my redemption.
Today, I acknowledge that some words spoken over my life have influenced how I see myself, how I relate to others and how I approach my future.
I repent of every agreement I have made, knowingly or unknowingly, with words that contradict Your Word.
I RENOUNCE AND REJECT:
Every insult, every negative label, every declaration of limitation and every false prophecy spoken over my life.
Every word of sickness, premature death, divorce, poverty, rejection, failure, shame and inadequacy that has been spoken over me.
Every statement declaring that I will never succeed, never progress, never marry, never lead, never prosper or never fulfil God's purpose for my life.
Whether these words came from my parents, teachers, pastors, spiritual leaders, employers, spouses, relatives or any other authority figure, I refuse to accept them as the final word over my life.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, I DECLARE THEM NULL AND VOID AS AUTHORITIES OVER MY IDENTITY AND FUTURE.
I cancel my agreement with every lie that contradicts God's Word.
I forgive those who spoke harmful words over me. I release them from the burden of resentment, and I refuse to carry their words into my future.
By the authority of Jesus Christ, I renounce every spiritual bondage associated with these words.
I command every spirit of shame, inferiority, rejection, failure, poverty and infirmity that has gained influence through these words to leave my life.
You have no right to define me, control my decisions or dictate my future.
I CLOSE EVERY DOOR OF AGREEMENT WITH THESE WORDS.
I declare that my life belongs to Jesus Christ. I belong to Him, and my identity is established in Him.
I seal this declaration in the victory of the cross and the power of the blood of Jesus.
From this day forward, I will agree with God's Word concerning my life.
I am accepted in Christ. I am redeemed. I am loved. I am a child of God. I am being transformed into the image of Christ.
My future is not determined by the negative words of people. My future is in God's hands.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray.
AMEN!
What Should You Expect After This Prayer?
Deliverance is not merely about what you renounce; it is also about what you embrace going forward.
You must establish a new pattern of thinking, speaking and living.
Here are some changes you should expect and deliberately pursue:
1. Freedom from negative labels
You begin to separate your identity from the things people said about you. You no longer introduce yourself through the language of rejection, failure or inadequacy.
2. Renewed confidence
You begin to approach opportunities with faith rather than automatically expecting disappointment. You learn to recognise your abilities and develop them.
3. Freedom from the fear of people's opinions
You stop allowing the disapproval of others to determine your value. You learn to receive correction without accepting condemnation.
4. A renewed mindset
As you meditate on Scripture, the lies you once believed are gradually replaced by God's truth. Your thinking begins to align with your identity in Christ.
5. Healthier relationships
You learn to establish boundaries, forgive without tolerating continued abuse and speak words that build rather than destroy.
6. Greater freedom to pursue God's purpose
You begin taking steps towards opportunities you previously avoided because of fear, shame or feelings of inadequacy.
Remember, transformation is a process. Some deeply established beliefs may require continued prayer, biblical counselling and pastoral support.
Do not interpret every difficult emotion or setback as evidence that deliverance has failed. Keep walking in the truth.
From Now On, Let God's Word Have the Final Say
The enemy would love to keep you imprisoned by words that were spoken years ago.
But you do not have to keep rehearsing what someone said when you were a child, a young believer or a vulnerable adult.
You are not what your teacher called you.
You are not what your parents declared you would become.
You are not the rejection of a former spouse.
You are not the negative prophecy of a spiritual leader.
You are not the disappointment of an employer.
You are who God says you are in Christ.
Isaiah 54:17 declares:
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn..."
Notice that the Scripture speaks about condemning every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
You must learn to challenge words that contradict God's truth.
Do not give yesterday's words permission to determine tomorrow's decisions.
Speak life. Think God's thoughts. Embrace your identity in Christ.
Your past may explain some of your struggles, but it does not have to determine your future.
The words that once followed you do not have to lead you anymore.
Breaking Barriers International (BBI). Equipping believers to live victoriously and fulfil their God-given purpose.
