Speak Jesus Over Yourself

I speak Jesus

Most of us have heard the song “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle. We love it, we belt it out, we vibe with the lyrics, the beat, and the Spirit every single time. If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen!

The song brings the idea to us that Jesus’s name is so powerful all we need to do is use it. He covers us all with His love, power, and mercy. He’s a good God.

The song points out that areas of our life need that coverage. We’ve got dark spots, don’t we? Estranged family, broken relationships, deep desires, unanswered prayers (keep waiting), you name it. We’ve got homeless and hungry people out there. We’ve got loved ones to care for. Things we wish Jesus would just sweep in and fix. Sometimes we’ve prayed all the prayers, we feel like our words to God are drying up, our tears feel way too frequent and overwhelming, and we’re on the edge of losing hope.

Some of you have lost that hope. My heart is with yours and I lift your prayers to God beside you. It is heavy. Here is a list of my favorite Christian books that always help me during my hard times that I hope will help you in your walk with Jesus, but I also encourage you to read on to hear my story for you today. Let me give you encouragement through my recent experience that God has called me to share with you.

Relocate Your Hope

The last year has been regrettably one of my hardest years I’ve walked. When I was feeling this way and fighting the enemy who was lying that God wasn’t going to show up, I had already gone through my contact list and asked my Christian prayer warriors to be in prayer over me, this went beyond my closest 10 or 12 friends praying for me. This was an SOS. I bashfully reached out to the elders in my life, opening my heart in vulnerability to those who care for me. These are people I don’t typically share my struggles with but I was desperate for prayer. My loving Aunt stuck out in her response. This is an Aunt of mine who is a faithful woman of God, on her knees, absolutely covering her entire (HUGE) extended family in prayer on the daily. When I say her prayers are powerful, I mean that my husband and I could both feel the presence of God when we opened her wedding card prayer she wrote for us. Every time I read that prayer to this day I can feel God coursing all around me. She got the prayers. Her response to my request for prayer was simply this:

“Close your eyes and listen to Jesus Name (God of Possible) by Katy Nichole.”

I did. I stopped what I was doing and tuned into a song, full of hope that it would give me some peace.

One of the first somberly lines says, “I speak the name 'cause it's all that I can do.” And right there I felt so understood and transformed. I sat there with tears flowing and I chose to let the song declare over me that Jesus was enough to fix it all. That I wasn’t waiting on Him to move. I was waiting on myself to love His name again. I was waiting on myself to find His comfort and peace again. All I needed was to hear that Jesus’s name had power. I needed to believe it again. I had let my desperation for answers overshadow the fact that His name is enough.

Somewhere along the way I had rectified idols in my life of things that I thought would make me happy. If I just had this relationship fixed I would be able to be content! Right? Easy to think there is something standing in our way! Easy to think our circumstances define our happiness!

But no, that day, finally, Jesus had been enough for me. No matter what everything else looked like I knew again in my heart that His name holds the power I was longing for.

My problem didn’t fix that day. It didn’t even fix that week! But from that day on I had my fire ignited. Hallelujah I could sing! I was able to praise again. I saw God for His majesty again. My focus was realigned and I woke back up to my first love: Jesus Christ.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things will be added to you.” - Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Now that I was back on track pursuing my Holy Savior I was full of light again! I was giving my energy to others again. I was reading His Word and longing every second to talk to Him. I was filling my mind with Jesus all throughout the day. Sermons, podcasts, conversations, prayer. My every chat with anyone led to God. I was on fire. I had spoken Jesus over myself and oh Lord, did Jesus come to my life.

Not only did I have my love for Jesus back, He answered my prayer.

Once I pivoted, removed the idol, needed Jesus more than I needed my prayer answered, sought the Kingdom above ALL else… that was when God answered my original prayer that I had been desperate to have answered.

I had been praying for exactly one year. A year of wilderness. A year of drought. A year of “God, why aren’t you moving?” A dangerous question I implore you never to ask. He is moving! Do not lose hope!

Instead of losing your hope, put it in something else. Instead of hoping your problem will be fixed, hope that Jesus will draw near to you. Hope instead that your life would be so illuminated by Him that your problem would fade and be replaced with His presence.

Hope that He would matter more to you than He has ever mattered to you in the past. Remember the day you gave your life to Him? Remember how it felt to be awakened to His Kingdom? What do you need to do to get back to that place?

Whether it’s going to a coffee shop for an hour with a Bible and a journal to do nothing but sit with Him, developing a new fast, or devoting an entire car ride to praying out loud to Him, or putting sticky notes around your house to remind you of His love. Do what you need to do to move from your place of desperation to your place of awe.

If you don’t know where to start, or you feel like you’ve done it all…. Start by speaking Jesus.