Positive confessions can sometimes go South

The power of positive confessions

It's popular today for people to say, "Think happy thoughts." Make a positive confession." Send out good vibrations, project positive energy, and speak life. There is nothing wrong with that.

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:19 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it (the tongue) shall eat the fruit thereof. Many people misquote this verse to suggest that we can speak positively and our dreams will come true with no problems.

In reality, we cannot control every outcome 100% with our mouths. A lesson I learned at age 12. In 1970, long before speaking positive confession became so prevalent, I had a boyfriend.

He and my brothers had become close, so he began coming by our house more often. One day, as we passed in the hallway, our eyes locked, and my heart melted. The gleam in his eyes told me he was feeling the same way,

We basically just grinned at each other whenever we were in proximity, but we also sat together on my front porch and at church a few times. One Saturday, there was a wedding at our church. We walked out together, and when we saw the sanctuary was full, we went up the steps to the old balcony.

We held hands and smiled at each other, and as I watched the ceremony, I thought to myself, "That will be us in a few years." We are going to get married in that same spot, and the whole community will come out to support us".

Thinking happy thoughts

So there I sat at 12, young and in love. I was thinking happy thoughts and sending out positive vibes. Three days later, I found out that it was not to be. I had walked to the Post Office and the store next door at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Still, at 1:30 p.m. I felt strongly that I needed to return to the store.

As I rounded the corner about a block from my house, I saw my sweetie walking from the store with my two cousins, who were sisters. He had a full bag of groceries in each hand, but their hands were empty. All three gave me startled looks as I approached.

I spoke and kept walking, but I was furious. Everyone in the community knew he was my boyfriend, but he had never carried groceries for me. My happy thoughts of a future wedding vanished, and the relationship ended.

I have spoken many things that came to pass many times, but some situations are out of our control, which is why we trust our Creator. In April 2004, a friend of my oldest son was shot and killed a few blocks from where we lived at the time.

God's will overrides our confessions

By 2009, I had developed an afternoon routine of walking through the area, praying for the young people. One day, as I approached the spot where the young man had died, I prayed, "Lord, don't let this happen again."

As I continued walking, the Lord responded with "It will happen again." It did a few months later. This time, a friend of my youngest son was shot and killed in the same location.

I was a member of a church where the Intercessor prayed daily for the pastor, his wife, children, and parents to have good health, long life, and prosperity. We even confessed specific scriptures related to health, wealth, and longevity.

In the midst of all the prayers, the pastor's mother, who was in her 60s, passed away, and one year later, our 40-year-old pastor died. Church leaders went to the hospital praying dilligently but he did not come back to life.

This article is not to discourage anyone from making their positive confessions. It's a reminder that as humans, we don't have the final say. Lamentations 3:37 and 38 tell us that we cannot speak things and have them happen unless it's the Lord's will.

There may be situations where the Lord has decided that death will come no matter what we speak. That's why we walk by faith, not by sight, and continue trusting the Lord, and not leaning to our own understanding.