In the New Testament the word ‘preach’ is rooted in the word for a ‘herald’; an envoy of the king that goes out and makes known the will and laws of the king. This means a herald goes out and proclaims the will and the laws of the king. To preach is to proclaim. To witness is to proclaim. To praise and worship God is to proclaim. Yet, proclamation is also to go beyond teaching and to ‘issue God’s decrees’.
There is tremendous power in obedience to the words of God. When we act on them, it changes the present situation. Moses acted on God’s word when God said to him to throw down his staff, and it became a snake. God said to him, “Stretch out your hands” and victory was gained over the Amalakites. Joshua stretched out his spear over the city of Ai and gained the victory. Moses acted on God’s words when he ‘proclaimed’ to the Pharaoh what would happen, and the ten plagues subsequently hit the Egyptians. In the same way the Red Sea opened, rocks split and water came forth.
Every Bible-believing Christian has a rod in his hand, the Word of God. With this rod you can do everything God has commanded you to do. When we act according to God’s Word (God’s will) and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit proclaim the truths of God, these proclamations become mighty ‘agents’ of change in the world.
God’s Word creates, re-creates – it brings order, peace and healing
What a proclamation is
1. To declare, to make known, to proclaim to the powers in the air the manifold wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10-11). It is to make known, to reveal the truth to the powers in the air and to humankind.
2. It is a confession of faith in God. It is to say: This is what I believe and I am going to build my life on these truths. I will think according to what God says in the Word.
3. It is a form of prayer – asking God to make His Word come true in my life and the situations over which I proclaim it. It is asking God to ‘perform’ His Word ( 1:12; 1 Kings 6:12; Isa. 55:11).
4. Through proclamations I submit myself (my mind, my way of thinking, my way of approaching life, my way of looking at the world and circumstances, and what I believe) to biblical truths that state who God is, what God promised that He would do and what He wants to do in the world. Proclamations are truths that will be true for all eternity. It is to say: I will build my life on these eternal truths, and circumstances will not determine my thinking. It is to say that I will live according to a different set of rules, principles and values than the world. I am going to live according to God’s revealed truths in the Word.
5. Our words create. When we proclaim the Word and the words of God in Scripture, it creates life, it re-creates, it brings order, healing and peace – it establishes the will and purposes of God in the world. Through proclamations God’s creative and transforming power is released.
6. Proclamations are both a privilege and a responsibility. We are God’s representatives on earth and through proclamations we use the Sword of the Spirit to exercise authority in the world.
7. It is to issue a decree, to establish in the spiritual realm the laws and the will and purposes of God, the truth and the principles that God wants us to live by. A proclamation is to say what God says about life and the world we live in – about what will happen, must happen and how it will be in the future.
What a proclamation is not
1. It is not the power of positive thinking. It is declaring the truth as we find it in the Word of God.
2. It is not having my will and my way. Many people pray according to their own desires of the flesh and God will not honour that. God is not there for us in the first place. We are there for God and His purposes. Yes, He cares for me, but God is not there to ‘serve’ me and be my ‘handyman’. It is not, in the first place, about my success and prosperity. It is about advancing the kingdom of God, living holy lives, living in the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses, bringing healing and peace in all circumstances and to all places, and living in the power of God to the glory of God.
Keep the following in mind
The words of God that come from God’s mouth (not words that we fabricate) will establish and create – otherwise they will have no effect. Take note that the Word says: Every word that comes from My mouth. (Isa. 55:11) It is not just every word coming from the flesh.
What is your attitude towards the Word of God? Read Isa. 66:1-2: Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Take note of the words, “He who trembles at My word, or respects My word”. Read Ps. 29 to gain some understanding of the power of God’s word and His voice. God created the entire universe by the words He spoke – what mighty words they were!
“I will perform My word.” – Jer. 1:12
God will perform His word
In Jer. 1:12 God says to Jeremiah: I am ready to perform My word (NKJV). I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled (NIV). What does it mean when God says, “I will perform My word”?
Let us put it like this. Carefully read 1 Kings 6:12 where God says: I will honour My word. It means: He will do His word; He will execute His Word; He will fulfil His Word; He will establish His Word (Ps. 119:38); He will let His Word accomplish what He pleases; He will let His Word prosper in the thing for which He sends it; the word that comes from His mouth will not return void; His Word will create and recreate; His Word will heal and bring hope; His Word will bring life and peace, and it will restore. He will remember His Word and it will come to pass; He will do what He promised.
