What if declaring God’s promises in scripture could revive your hope, invigorate your faith, and release God’s power to cause breakthrough in your life? This video reveals how declaring God’s word over your life turns your struggles into strength, and your greatest trials into opportunities for God to show up for you in miraculous ways.

You could be in a dark place right now, caused by a painful failure, economic hardship, a devastating loss, a broken relationship, a debilitating illness or injury, or a situation that is entirely beyond your control.

Regardless of the circumstances, these times of darkness and desolation can leave you feeling drained, hopeless, and uncertain of the path forward. Ezekiel reveals God’s provision for you to overcome.

Link to “Igniting Hope in 40 Days” as promised: https://amzn.to/3XFSPjs . (This is an affiliate link)

00:00 Introduction

2:18 Dry Bones, hear the Word of the Lord

2:46 The Word and the Spirit

3:41 Speak to the Dead Areas of Your Life

4:21 Jesus Spoke Life to People and Situations

5:26 Speak God’s Promises to Your Problems

6:54 Why do we need to declare God’s promises?

7:50 Speak to the mountains (problems) in your life

9:32 Activation

Ezekiel 37: Dry Bones, Hear the Word of the Lord

Holy Spirit led Ezekiel to this valley filled with human bones, thousands and thousands of bones – old and dried out. As they walked among the bones,

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

How did the old, dead bones come together and human bodies be formed around them? Holy Spirit told Ezekiel to prophesy to the old, dry bones scattered throughout the valley: “Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.”

An army of people was formed, but they were not yet alive.

What brought them to life? The “ruach” – the Hebrew word used in scripture to mean breath, wind, and the Holy Spirit of God.

Ezekiel prophesied to the wind and the Holy Spirit brought the army (the Hebrew people) back to life by breathing God’s life into them.

This is a also prophetic picture of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit bringing Christians to life and bringing to life the dead areas of our lives.

As we speak the Word of God over our lives, Holy Spirit brings life to the dead areas of our lives.

“You and I also must continually speak to dead areas in our lives and circumstances. A main method of God bringing change to a situation is for one of His children to speak His promises over people and circumstances. "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17).” Steve Backlund, Igniting Faith in 40 Days.

As a man, Jesus frequently spoke to problems, commanding them to submit to God’s word. John 6:63 NIV, 2 Timothy 3:16

You, too Have the Power to “Speak Life “ as You Speak God’s Promises Over Your Circumstances Proverbs 18:21, 1 Peter 1:23, Romans 10:10 NLT, Romans 10:17,

We live in a fallen world. John 16:33, 1 John 5:4

Jesus Told Us To Speak to The Mountains (our problems) Mark 11:23

What can Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem teach you about how to rebuild the brokenness in your life? Nehemiah is an Old Testament story with a powerful New Testament application!

00:00 Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes

3:36 Types and Shadows

– Nehemiah (Holy Spirit)

5:06 - Rebuilding the Temple (Salvation – born again)

5:50 -Broken Walls and Burned Gates (damages of sin)

walls – Biblical principles and truths that protect and create safe boundaries

Gates – decision making (self government)

7:18 Rebuilding is hard

8:58 Satan Resists Us. We must fight back.

12:01 4 Key Take Aways from this Video

14:07 Activation

How Nehemiah enabled the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the destroyed walls and gates of the city in 52 days. The People had been trying to do that for almost 70 years!!! How did he do it?

Types and Shadows

Nehemiah’s name means “comforter or consoler.” Nehemiah is a type (a prophetic symbol) of the Holy Spirit, who was given to all men upon Jesus’ death and resurrection. Holy Spirit is the comforter Jesus promised to send to us in John 14:26.

Restoring the Human Spirit and Soul

The rebuilding of Jerusalem is a type (a model) of the restoration of a person.

The Temple Represents the Spirit of a Man

The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem is a type of the spirit of a man being regenerated - born again.

The Broken Walls and Burned Gates Represent the Damage Done to Our Souls (minds, wills, and emotions) by Sin

The walls – are the boundaries (the principles and truths established by God) to protect us and keep us within God’s will. They keep us in a place of blessing and safety.

Gates in scripture represent government (it’s where the important decisions in a city were made). Gates are our ability to govern ourselves – our decision-making ability. Our gates must be rebuilt – our ability to make good, godly decisions about what to let in and what to keep out must be restored.

Nehemiah Empowered the People to Do in 52 Days what they Could Not Do in 66 Years

Nehemiah 6:15-16

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Key Points:

1. You can’t fix your brokenness. Only Holy Spirit can.

2. Holy Spirit directs the work. He initiates, He provides the materials to build (the Word of God, the power of God, and relationship with God and God’s people). Your role is to take the materials He provides and use them to rebuild the brokenness in your life as He directs..

3. If you don’t co-labor with Holy Spirit, you will not rebuild your personality. You will be saved, but living in the rubble of your past. Your gates will be down. You will be a broken Christian, saved but broken, open to ungodly influence, and unable to fulfill God’s purposes and plans for your life.

4. Nehemiah’s work required the King’s authority to get the job done. Satan will oppose every step you take to become who God created you to become. Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

1 John 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Faith isn’t faith unless you act on it. Our actions solidify and strengthen our faith.

James 2:17 NLT

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

ACTIVATION: Please see the video and do the activation!!

For years I was taught God was strict, harsh and just waiting to punish me if I sinned. Many years later, I came to know Him. And he is just the opposite – powerful, yet humble, loving, kind, understanding and wanting more than anything to have relationship with me.

Instead of doing a traditional teaching, I felt God saying to let His Word speak directly to you.

Let these words wash over you, renewing your mind, strengthening your faith, and drawing you into a revelation of the heart, power and purpose of God for you.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

7 Cornerstone Beliefs of a Biblical Worldview (1 of 7)

Cornerstone Belief #1 God is the creator of all things. He is all-powerful, knows everything, and is present in all places at the same time. He is loving, righteous, merciful, and he wants relationship with everyone.

00:00 Introduction

56 Scriptures:

0:50 1. God is the Creator of All Things:

Isaiah 45:12, Colossians 1:16, Psalm 33:6, Revelation 4:11, Hebrews 11:3, Jeremiah 10:12-13

2:46 2. God is All-Powerful (Omnipotent):

Jeremiah 32:17, Isaiah 40:28, Matthew 19:26, 2 Peter 1:3,Job 42:2 , Luke 1:37,

Colossians 2:15 , 1 John 4:4, 1 John 3:8

4:32 3. God Knows Everything (Omniscient):

Proverbs 15:3, Hebrews 4:13, Isaiah 46:9-10, Isaiah 42:9, Psalm 139:1-4

5:56 4. God is Present in All Places at the Same Time (Omnipresent):

Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 139:7-10, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 6:6, Job 34:21

7:29 5. God is Loving:

Exodus 34:5-7, Psalm 136:26, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:4-5 , Romans 8:37-39,

1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:19

9:21 6. God is Righteous:

Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 5:16, Romans 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Timothy 4:8, Psalm 71:19

11:07 7. God is Merciful:

Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 103:8, Ephesians 2:4-5, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 23:6

12: 35 8. God Wants Relationship with Everyone

Jeremiah 29:13, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16, John 17:3, James 4:8, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 1:12-13

1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

I pray that this video strengthened your faith to know the power, the love, and the purpose that God has for you.

“We get saved by believing in Jesus,

but we get free by believing like Jesus.”

Steve Backlund

00:00 Our worldview – hundreds of decisions each day

0:52 Biblical Worldview

1:51 American Adults Have Rejected a Biblical Worldview

3:01 Keep Yourself in the Love of God

6:56 7 Cornerstone Beliefs of an Unshakeable Christian Worldview

10:53 Activation

Introduction : Our Worldview determines the hundreds of decisions we make each day. It determines the direction of our lives. Without a core set of beliefs, a worldview, we would stumble over every decision.

Worldview is a lens through which we see the world. Through our experiences and influences of others around us (family, school, work, culture, media, social media, etc) we create a framework of core beliefs which become a mental, spiritual, and emotional filter through which we make choices. This filter determines what we believe is true, important, and appropriate.

Every decision we make goes through that filter. What we believe determines what we will do.

A Biblical Worldview.

A Biblical worldview is simply to think like Jesus. Thinking like Jesus will set you free to live like Jesus. Hebrews 4:2 AMP

Problem: Dr, George Barna ,The American Worldview Inventory 2024 reveals that American adults, including many in the church, have rejected a Biblical Worldview and have created their own ideas of what is true, important, and appropriate.

66% of American adults self-identified as Christians. But only 6% had a Biblical Worldview.

Psalm 11:3 AMP

“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

What can we do to make sure we don’t fall victim to false beliefs that look and sound good? What can we do to believe like Jesus and live a godly life when we’re bombarded by so many conflicting ideas? When we’re pressured to go along?

Keep Yourself in the Love of God

Jude 1:20-21

by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love ...

We stay under the love, the protection and care of God by staying within the walls of protections he has created for us. The principles of the Word of God are the walls of protection that protect us, that give us life and defeat the schemes and destroy the works of the devil.

We " keep ourselves in the love of God" by

*Pray as led and empowered by the Holy Spirit and

*We build ourselves up in "our most holy faith." We believe what God says, and nothing else. His Word is truth. Everything in conflict with it is NOT TRUE. It doesn't matter what we think. It doesn't matter what we want or how we feel.

Dr. Barna’s 2024 Research

He found 7 cornerstone beliefs that were accurate indicators of a Biblical worldview. 83% (4/5) people who had a Biblical Worldview believed all 7 of these beliefs. Only 2% of people who rejected 1 or more of these 7 cornerstone beliefs had a Biblical Worldview. (American Worldview Inventory 2024)

The 7 foundational beliefs below are a starting place for us. They are a simple, yet powerful way to build your life on the solid foundation of God’s Word. They and 7 simple beliefs to teach our children and new believers. To give them a foundation that can’t be shaken. You know your children are going to be exposed to many conflicting ideas in school and throughout their lives. What if you could establish these as their worldview – their mental filters which would help them sort through and reject all the clever deceptions they will be tempted to believe? Wouldn’t that be powerful? And not just for your kids, but for you and I. And new believers!

See the podcast for the 7 Cornerstone Beliefs and the Activation

Have you every been embarrassed, even ashamed because your personality or your behavior doesn’t measure up to your faith as a Christian? Be encouraged, the God who saved you will restore you. That process is in this podcast.

You are born again. You really do love God. And you know He loves you. But you may struggle with anger that erupts. Or lust that runs wild in your mind. You might struggle with insecurity, anxiety and fears, despair or depression or something else. After you’ve experienced failure in your weaknesses again and again you begin to feel helpless to change them.

You don’t want to be this way. You wonder, “Why am I so broken?” “Why can’t I be who the Bible says I am? You may blame yourself. You may start having doubts about God.

The God who saved you WILL restore you. Redemption includes salvation of your spirit and restoration of your soul (your mind, will, and emotions.) God regenerated your spirit and he will restore your soul. But it is a process and you need to get involved.

God’s plan is to restore us to the high destiny and purpose Adam and Eve had before the fall. To do that, he needs

1st to restore our relationship with Him as our Lord, our Father, and friend.

2nd God needs to restore our ability to rule the earth. This begins with the ability to rule ourselves.

1st Restoring Relationship. When we were born again, our spirits were regenerated. We became new creatures.

Our spirits were sanctified by God. Sanctified means “to make holy” and “set apart for God’s special purposes.”

2nd Restoring rulership.

Before we can effectively co-labor with God to establish His Kingdom here on earth, we need to rule ourselves.

The soul (the mind, will, and emotions) is the command center of man. Unless our souls are restored by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, our behavior will driven by what we think, feel, or want. We will live soulish lives, driven by our basest desires. We do whatever we want. See Galatians 5:17 NLT

We sometimes don’t do the right thing, the thing we want to do. We give in to our desires and emotions.

Unless we are healed and restored, the wounds and pain of our past will cause us to limp through life, born again but broken and causing ourselves and others great pain.

Only God Can Restore Our Souls.

Restoration is Called Sanctification in the Bible

See 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Sanctification is God’s process to restore us to be whole and complete – who God initially created us to be. Sanctification means “to be holy” and “to set apart for God’s special purposes.”

Our spirits are made holy and set apart for God’s special purposes when we are born again. Our spirits are regenerated. They are sanctified by God.

Our souls (our thoughts, beliefs, desires, impulses, drives, and feelings) are NOT sanctified when we are born again. They are sanctified over time, as we submit to Holy Spirit and renew our minds with the Word of God

Our bodies are not sanctified on this earth. But we can discipline them and develop good habits. We will receive new, sanctified bodies in heaven.

Activation: Do this and be changed. See the video. (Not included because of space limitations)

As you do the process above, Holy Spirit will rebuild that part of your personality, healing old wounds and restoring you to become the person God created you to be – a new creation who thinks, looks, and acts like Jesus because you have the heart of Christ.

You will live life with joy and peace, purpose and power. Others will look at you and want what you have. That is God’s plan for your life.

“What the Holy Spirit is up to is bringing the whole life of Jesus Christ into the whole of our personalities so that the whole love of God can be relayed to the whole world.”

Jack Hayford

Do you believe your present failures mean that God won't be able to complete his purpose in your life? Learn how to grasp God’s power to heal and restore you. The God who saved you WILL restore you!

00:00 Introduction

1: 17 Is that You? Are You Saved, but Feeling Inadequate to Be Used By God?

2:56 Only You Can Stop God’s Plan For Your Life

4:56 The Intent of Your Heart is Greater Than Your Failures

5:49 Activation: Take Daily Steps in the Right Direction

6:44 How to Pray

Pastor Jack Hayford, who pastored a church that grew to 10,000 people over 30 years, writes:

“I have spoken with thousands of people who view their present failures as guarantees that God will never be able to complete His purpose in their lives. For these people—indeed for most of us—a call to obedience seems a virtual seal against victory, because, they feel, perfect obedience eludes them.”

“Rebuilding the Real You, p 51”

Is that You? Are You Saved, but Feeling Inadequate to Be Used By God?

I had been an alcoholic for 10 years when I was born again. That’s exactly how I felt. I was ashamed of my outbursts of anger, the lust I struggled with, and I was discovering just how shellfish I had become. How could God ever use me?

John 10:10 AMP Jesus said:

The thief [Satan] comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

1 John 3:8 NASB

Pastor Hayford writes:

The Lord who saved you has a long - term purpose for you . You will be moved from being marginalized in life to finding the central purpose of your life .

you will come to know what “ holy ” really means — “ wholly whole , ” completely restored .

You are learning how God’s restoration program is included in His gift of redemption in Christ . He regenerated you; He will restore you . Redemption includes a reborn spirit and a restored soul — a certain recovery of all that’s been stolen in the past

Rebuilding the Real You, p 46

Only We Can Stop God’s Plan For Our Lives

If we get discouraged and quit, Satan wins.

Your heart’s desire is the only thing that will limit you. Are you willing to do whatever God wants you to? Is your heart set to please God in the time you have left on the earth?

Paul wasted 30 years of his life. He chased, imprisoned, and killed Christians. Paul became perhaps the greatest Christian to ever live. He wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. Despite his horrible beginning, Paul was able to say at the end of his life: “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

How could God do so much through Paul? Paul’s heart desire was to complete everything God had planned for him. If that’s your heart, God will use you greatly too!

Your Heart For God is Greater than Your Failures

Your sins and failures have been forgiven and forgotten by God when you were born again. Isaiah 43:25 NKJV, Romans 8:1 NASB, 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

Pastor Hayford concludes:

‘…. The intent of your heart to obey the Lord counts far more than what kind of a personality or performance record you possess. First Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Clearly, God is not as concerned with our perfection as He is with our direction. The praying heart that is intent on obedience may not immediately perfect those intentions, but God is set to respond to us according to our “heartset.” ‘Ibid p 51.

Activation: The Way Forward – Take Daily Steps in the Right Direction (see the video)

What is more devastating than having your dreams, your hopes or expectations crushed? How can you recover from that? Declaring God’s Word will release His power into your situation and lift you out of the disappointment, doubt, fear, and discouragement you are experiencing.

00:00 *Know who we’re fighting.

02:34 *Take Heart, Jesus Defeated Satan!

3:02 *Our Faith in Jesus applies His victory over Satan to Our Lives

3:42 Jesus Spoke God’s Word to Defeat Satan – You Can Too!

5:10 The tongue has the power of life. How can that be?

7:18 Speak to the Mountain

7:56 DECLARATIONS

*Know Your Enemy

We have an enemy who hates us and is actively trying to destroy us. We need to fight back. He won’t leave us alone until we force him to.

Satan means “adversary.” Satan is God’s adversary. He opposes God, the things of God, and anyone God loves. He can’t touch God, so he comes after you and I – those whom God loves.

His common name is Devil which means “false accuser” or “slanderer.” He sows seeds of doubt, deception, confusion, discouragement, depression, temptation, and offense.

Somehow, he is able to place these seeds as thoughts in our minds.

Disappointment is one of his weapons to hurt us. He uses disappointment to create great pain in our lives. Pain that can drag us down and hurt us over a long time. Pain that causes us to give up on dreams and live defeated lives. It’s time to fight back .

Human beings are no match for Satan.

*But We Are Not Alone. We Have God – God is infinitely more powerful than Satan. When we unite our lives with God, through Christ, God makes His power available to us. Joshua 1:9, 1 John 4:4

*Take Heart, Jesus Defeated Satan!

Satan is a Defeated Foe. Jesus completely defeated him for us. But we have to enforce Jesus’ victory.

Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

*Our Faith in Jesus and the Work of the Cross applies His victory over Satan to Our Lives

1 John 5:4-5 NIV

for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

God speaks things into existence. We do too!

Genesis begins with God creating things by speaking them into existence. God’s Words have creative Power.

Jesus Spoke God’s Word to Defeat Satan – You Can Too!

Satan came into the desert to tempt Jesus who was weak from 40 days of fasting.

Satan twisted scripture into lies to deceive and tempt Jesus. Jesus had the same answer to every temptation: “It is written” and a Bible verse. Speaking Bible truth defeated Satan every time. (John 4:1-11)

Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63 NIV

This means The Holy Spirit is at work producing life through Christ’s words. All scripture is God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3:16 Speaking God’s word creates life.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The tongue has the power of life. How can that be?

Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Speaking God’s Word plants powerful seeds of life in us. John 8:31-32

Speak to The Mountains, The Problems in Your Life. Mark 11:23

God has a very powerful way of dealing with difficult, even impossible people. It defies logic. Yet, the results are astonishing. Let’s explore God’s answer to the difficult people in our lives.

00:00 Frank’s Story

03:57 What is Agape?

05:31 4 Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape

David Wilkerson

06:26 Stephen,

06:43 Corrie ten Boom,

07:40 Elizabeth Elliot

9:10 Activation

Human love is transactional. If you love me, I’ll probably love you back. But if you are rude or do something I don’t like not only will I withdraw my love, but I’ll respond in kind.

God’s love – agape is God loving us because of who He is, not who we are or what we do. God commands us to give love to people.

Mark 12:30-31

Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape

Agape is David Wilkerson, a small town minister whose heart was broken by the lives of gang members in New York City. In 1958, Wilkerson met Nicky Cruz, leader of the most violent gang in New York. Wilkerson told Nicky: “God has the power to change your life.” Nicky cursed, hit Wilkerson, spit in his face, and told him, “I don’t believe in what you say and you get out of here.” Wilkerson replied, “You could cut me up into a 1000 pieces and lay them in the street. Every piece will still love you.” Nicky couldn’t stop thinking about Wilkerson’s words of love. Nicky Cruz’ life was radically transformed by God’s love flowing through David Wilkerson. Nicky not only gave his life to Christ, but he became an evangelist.

Agape is Stephen, as the mob stoned him to death. Acts 7:60: Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Then he died. He loved and forgave his murderers with his dying breath.

Agape is Corrie Ten Boom forgiving Jan Vogels, the paid informer, who sent her family to concentration camps for helping Jews escape the Nazi’s in Holland. Her sister, father, and brother all died as a result. Vogels was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death.

God told Corrie to forgive him. She couldn’t. God gave her Romans 5:5 so she could forgive him.

“ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

She prayed and Holy Spirit poured God’s love into her heart. She forgave Jan Vogels with the love God gave her. She wrote a letter to him saying she forgave him. He wrote back. If you could forgive me by God’s love, there is hope for me. He gave his life to Jesus.

Agape is Elizabeth Elliot returning to the Waorani Indians in the jungles of Ecuador who killed her husband and 4 other missionaries with spears. She and others brought many of the isolated Waorani to Jesus.

Agape is selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love. It is love that only comes from God. This the love God commanded us to have for others.

Agape is love that flows from who you are in Christ, not who the other person is or what they do. So their response to you is irrelevant. God’s love never fades, never fails, and is never withdrawn. David Wilkerson, Corrie ten Boom, and Elizabeth Elliot all learned to move and live in that bottomless, unconditional love of God. You can too!

God wants us to come alongside people and show them the possibilities of life. He wants us to show them what it looks like to be loved by Jesus and to be changed by Jesus' love. We are His message, written on human hearts.

John 13:35

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Activation – Go love a difficult person