The Power of Proclamation

"Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.  And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.'  And Gideon said to him, 'Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?   And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, "Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?"  But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of the Midian.'  And the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of the Midian; do I not send you?'"
                                                                                                                       (Judges 6:11-14)




When the angel appeared to Gideon, his faith was not strong because of the distresses that Israel was experiencing.  His knees were wobbly and he could not reconcile the assurances God was speaking to him.  Circumstances and past experiences clouded the vision of this man of God.

Gideon's wavering response did not deter the angel.  God proclaimed to Gideon that: He was with him, Gideon was a mighty man of valor, and that Gideon would deliver the Israelites from the hands of their enemy (the Midianites).  This proclamation began to set the wheels in motion...

As believers, God has given us tremendous power to proclaim His Word.  We carry both the privilege and the responsibility of doing so.  The book of Proverbs tells us that "life and death are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21).   As we proclaim God's Word, we are releasing God's creative and transforming power into the situations we are facing.

There are two related words in the New Testament that are used:  one is "to confess" and the other is "to proclaim".  Confession is stating words that line up with the Word of God, which then brings the full backing and authority of Jesus.  This is because God is always ready to back up His Word when we pray in accordance with God's will.

Proclamation is a confession made aggressive.  It means: "to announce, to declare, to decree, to pronounce, and to herald."  This is an area of spiritual development that changes the heart of man and releases a change in the spiritual realm.

This is a form of spiritual warfare.  Proclamation is the most effective way to release God's power into a situation.  When we echo prophetic promises and blessings we should stand with the expectation of supernatural intervention.  Unwavering faith, combined with proclamation from God's Word and the Holy Spirit will bring powerful results (in God's timing, of course).

Please note that this is not advocating a recent "name it and claim it" theology.  It is simply seeking God's guidance and wisdom relating to us and coming into agreement with what God shows us and then heralding those truths.  It is commanding light into dark places by the power and authority of God's Word.

Let's look at the example we find in David's life.  When Goliath began to taunt David, he said "'Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?'  And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  The Philistine said to David, 'Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field'" (1 Samuel 17:43-44).

David stood firm against Goliath's taunts and he made a proclamation over the curse that had been spoken.  David said, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear.  For the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hand" (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

David's proclamation set the stage for the victory that was to follow.  Like David, we are also to take hold of God's Word and exercise the authority He has given to us.  As we memorize and meditate and declare Scripture over our circumstances, it will build our faith, shatter our negative thinking, and prepare a path for victory.

Here are some practical declarations we can use:

Health and Strength

Psalm 29:11
"The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace."

Proverbs 4:20-23
"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

Protection and Guidance

Psalm 121:7-8
"The Lord will keep me from all harm, He will watch over my life; the Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore."

Nahum 1:7
"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him."

God's Assistance

2 Chronicles 20:6
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God wo is in heaven?  You rule over the kingdoms of the nations.  Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand you."

Family

Joshua 24:15
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Wisdom

Job 12:13
"With God are wisdom and might; He has counsel and understanding."

Testing and Trials

Jeremiah 17:7-8
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends its roots out by the stream, and does not fear when the heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

Spiritual Conflict

Psalm 35:1-3
"Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!  Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!  Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!  Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation!'"

Peace

Isaiah 26:3
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."



"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it  (Isaiah 55:10-11).