Speaking as the Oracles of God

“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God ….” (KJV)
“If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God ….” (HNV)
– 1 Peter 4:11

It has been a few years now since the Lord first brought this short statement to my attention.  It was one of those phrases, buried among many others, that I had always read through without really giving much thought to.  But when God begins to speak to us personally, things that once seemed to hold little meaning become huge.

I suddenly understood that as a prophetic person, it is imperative that my words line up with His, not just when I am speaking prophetically, or teaching, or conversing specifically about something in His Word, but all the time.  Every word must be watched over.

Our words matter, even the thoughtless ones.  And, when we begin to understand who we are in Christ, thereby stepping into greater levels of authority, they matter even more.  As our ability to walk in His authority increases, our words carry a weight in the spirit realm that is beyond what we may be conscious of.  People around us also sense the mantle we carry, and our words often affect them greatly as well.  They may unwisely act upon, or cling with hope to, something we say, as if God Himself were speaking, and if we are not careful, we can cause much disillusionment — and that is just with the positive words.  Careless negative words can be even more devastating.

It is my goal (and it will no doubt be a lifetime project to get there) to “speak as the oracles of God,” to make certain that my words are in alignment with Scripture, that they are not spoken thoughtlessly or frivolously, that I do not “run off at the mouth” randomly, and especially that I do not hastily give judgment, counsel, or opinion on situations without first receiving the mind of the Lord about it.  Attaining to that goal is formidable, but it is what I am pressing toward.