Manifest

One of the dominant responses you receive when you dare to proclaim a bold word of faith comes from the "name it and claim it" person - the one who believes you "manifest" things in your life by speaking them out loud, fixating on them, and believing them. 

I made a bold claim about something I believe in my bones that God is doing right now in my life, and one of the first responses I received was, "I believe you are going to manifest that in your life. Believe it, girl!" 

Uhm, no. 

See, that's the entire point about making a bold claim of faith - I don't believe I'm going to manifest it. I believe God is already doing it. I am not the actor in this situation; God is. 

"Manifest" has become a fad concept in our society. It's a buzzword now. So many folks seem to subscribe to this idea that you just go out and make the life you want for yourself. That with vision boards and clear focus and self-mantras, you can make anything happen in your life. 

Christians are even using this. Some are even saying that it's a biblical idea because we are creatures created in the image of the Creator to be creators ourselves, and our Creator simply spoke a word and it came to be, so we have been given the same power to speak a word and make things happen. 

Friends, if that were true, there would be unicorns. 

I cannot think of anyone who more sincerely, more earnestly speaks a word into existence than a little girl who asserts she is going to have a unicorn. A little girl created in the image of God to be a creator in the world. 

And yet... 

Do you see what I'm saying? Right now, you already have an idea in your head of why my example is silly. Of why of course we can't speak things like unicorns into existence. Maybe because it's not "God's will" or because it's frivolous or because it's not substantive. Who are you to decide? Who are we?

We confess plainly there are certain parameters under which we should be able to speak something into existence and under which we shouldn't, according to God being, well, God. And yet, so many of us have this default where we tell others to go ahead and speak big things into their lives because hey, that's how it works. 

We are actors, but we are not the actors. In faith, God is the one acting. Every time. 

I made a bold statement about something God is doing in my life, and my friend's response was to affirm that yes, I am doing that. I can make it happen. My friend took my faith and tried to turn it into a work, which is exactly what this mentality advocates. Name it and claim it. Make it happen. Force God's hand. Become your own god. Take control of your life. 

In faith, I don't have to make that happen. I don't have to take control of my life. In faith, I have given my life to God and I am doing nothing; I Am is doing everything. I am simply accepting the goodness of His gift and letting it shape the way I live moving forward.

*I am not really doing nothing. I am living by faith. But you get what I mean.