So how does speaking stuff actually work?

[dothackzero]

I'm just curious since it seems like nothing in my life is moving forward, and it seems like God is showing me that this is the way to move forward. Mostly I'm stuck with where I where I'm not moving anywhere job wise, and getting rid of social anxiety.



Though I got to admit it still sounds very weird to me. >_<

[Davidizer13]

You mean like speaking things into existence? Like getting God to do certain things because you say the right prayers or believe hard enough?

'Cause that's not how it works. Sorry. God's not beholden to the rituals you think you can do to control Him. He makes His own rules, and doesn't have to abide by the conditions someone's trying to put on Him just so they can get God to intervene. It's just one of the perks of being the all-powerful creator of the universe.

[dothackzero]

I'd think it would more like for modifying things. Like speaking to mountains to have them removed. Only it'd would be more like speaking to my mind and finances. I just want to make things move forward. Since I've basically stuck in the same place for months.

[Ante Bellum]

Nope. Not going to happen.

[Xeno]

The moving mountains thing was never intended to be literal. That was figurative language used implying that having small faith can give someone the strength to overcome large obstacles. "Speaking" to your mind and finances isn't going to do anything to them without you changing your state of mind/thinking and trying to budget your money better. Everything falls back on you to accomplish. The idea that you can "speak" to a situation and have it changed is pure prosperity gospel/evangelical/charismatic hogwash and is not actually supported in your bible.

[DaughterOfZion]

Pretty sure you've picked the wrong religion here bud. If you want some god to magically come down or wave their hand a couple times and help nudge your life in a certain direction you should go try Shintoism or something. Last I checked, christianity really isn't about sitting on your butt hoping and waiting for something good to happen to you.

[Azier the Swordsman]

To get to somewhere better, you have to take action to move towards somewhere better, and trust God to guide you and take care of the aspects you cannot. And even if you don't know which direction to go, you cannot find a direction worth going in unless you are actually moving and trying to get to somewhere better, whatever that might be to you. God moves within action, not by wishful ritual. God never accomplished anything in anyone in the Bible apart from them taking some sort of action. Even if you have faith, faith without works is dead.

[SierraLea]

there is some merit to actually saying stuff out loud, but the difference is about you, not God.

For example, if you breeze through the Our Father in your head, you might not notice the things you would have if you'd said it out loud. For example, when I say this prayer out loud I am struck by how many t's there are in the part about temptation. Look at a lowercase t. It's just like a little cross, like God wanted to lead us away from this so much he put these little reminders all through the word. Or listen to how many breathy sounds there are in the first part, which talks about Heaven and God directly. Breath used to be synonymous with the word for spirit, which links up to the Holy Spirit. These different sounds are something I wouldn't have picked up on as much if I'd just been running it through my head and not actually sounding out each individual sound and increasing its potency.

This is just me, though. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this.

[Xeno]

Temptation is the english translation of a latin word in the case of that prayer. The latin word could be: tentatione, sollicitatio, inlectamentum, illectamentum, inlectatio, illectatio, scandalum, inlecebra, illecebra, lenocinium, inlectus, illectus, or corruptela. The letter also looks completely different in other languages. For example in Arabic it is إغراء, or in Bulgarian it is изкушение. You get the point.

[DaughterOfZion]

there is some merit to actually saying stuff out loud, but the difference is about you, not God.

For example, if you breeze through the Our Father in your head, you might not notice the things you would have if you'd said it out loud. For example, when I say this prayer out loud I am struck by how many t's there are in the part about temptation. Look at a lowercase t. It's just like a little cross, like God wanted to lead us away from this so much he put these little reminders all through the word. Or listen to how many breathy sounds there are in the first part, which talks about Heaven and God directly. Breath used to be synonymous with the word for spirit, which links up to the Holy Spirit. These different sounds are something I wouldn't have picked up on as much if I'd just been running it through my head and not actually sounding out each individual sound and increasing its potency.

This is just me, though. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this.

Er, you do realize the bible wasn't originally written in english right? >_>;; Not to mention the fact that the world doesn't revolve around the english language and that anyone reading that part in another language would not find the same things you mention. Those things are just coincidences.

[USSRGirl]

http://www.amazon.com/Declare-Promises- ... oel+osteen Have you read this book? It's really good. Helped me through a lot of difficult times and I would highly recommend it.

[Nate]

Personally I would avoid any books by Joel Osteen...while I'm glad it helped you out, he's one of the biggest proponents of prosperity gospel, which is one of the biggest heresies that exists in the modern world.

[Okami]

Personally I would avoid any books by Joel Osteen...while I'm glad it helped you out, he's one of the biggest proponents of prosperity gospel, which is one of the biggest heresies that exists in the modern world.

QFT.

[Lynna]

I think prayer is a powerful thing, but that doesn't really mean God will give you everything you want, because if everythinv we wanted instantly came to us, we wouldn't grow and learn from our experiences, and I think that's the case here.

[ClaecElric4God]

Okay, I got really confused about what you were trying to ask, so gathering from what everyone else has said, I'm gonna try to summarize what you're saying to make sure I have it right.
You're frustrated because you feel stuck, and you feel like God wants you to speak certain aspects of your life into modification (i.e., you say "Self, be more thrifty", and because of your abounding faith, you're suddenly financially stable; or you say, "I will be more extroverted", and suddenly you have tons of friends and are engaged). And you feel like this is what God wants because nothing else is working for you and you don't have a job or friends. Am I right?
. . .
Of course it sounds weird to you! Because it's incredibly weird, and totally unrealistic. I'm sorry if I'm sounding mean, I really don't mean to. But seriously, you're reading way way way too much into this. Have you tried getting a job? Have you gone out and applied for a job? Have you talked to managers, asked for interviews, etc.? And I don't mean, "Have you gone out a couple times and not really found what you're looking for". Chances are God is not going to drop the perfect job in your lap. That's usually not how it works. I spent 15 months in a job I hated passionately. It was financially depressing, socially depressing, and all around awful. And I didn't quit because I didn't like it. I quit because it was time to move on with my life. My point - don't expect the perfect job, and don't complain about not having a job if you're not willing to put effort into getting and keeping one, regardless of whether it's your dream job or not. If you have a job opportunity that pays enough (not a huge salary; enough) and you can survive, then you can't complain about not having a job.
Social anxiety. From what you've said, you're more introverted and shy than most. But I'm willing to bet you're social enough to survive being around people. There you go! There are plenty of things you can do that will help you get used to people and become more comfortable around them. A job tends to do that, I've learned. I'm not an incredibly social person myself, but in working around and with people, I've gotten more comfortable with human interaction.

But I'm not here to give you a how-to process on getting past your problems. Everyone else has already pummeled that steed posthumously. My point is, you can't just speak your troubles away. They are something you need to deal with, and as far as I can tell, there's no obstacle keeping you from dealing with them other than your own procrastination. God isn't going to bless you for trying to find an easy process.

Simply put, this "speaking stuff" doesn't work, at all. There's prayer, faith, and action. If you really truly think you're stuck and there's nothing you can physically do, then pray about it, and put it in God's hands. Honestly, that's what you should be doing anyways, but you should also be willing to face these issues and do your best in spite of them. Don't go into this weird mystical speaking your desires into existence stuff.

Just do what you know to be right, keep praying, and trust God to handle the rest. And NO, that doesn't mean sit around and eat popcorn while you watch God do epic stuff. You need to participate, and keep working to strengthen your relationship with Him. While you're sitting around complaining about not having a girlfriend and how bad you are with social skills and all that, you have an amazing, loving, powerful, awesome God Who's waiting for you to notice Him. Maybe He'll bless your relationships with the people around you when you honor the most important one you have, don't you think? You're running in circles here, and every round, you're missing the big picture. God doesn't want you to speak stuff into working out for you. He wants you to trust Him, and wait for Him to reveal His perfect plan for you. Even if that means sitting around and feeling stuck. Maybe you're feeling stuck because God can't do anything with you while you're running around like a headless chicken crying "woe is me".

Just some food for thought. Take it or leave it. Either way, I hope things work out for you eventually. I really don't mean to be harsh and uncaring. It's just...I'm not sure you're listening to anyone. There's no reason to ask for help if you're not actually going to take into consideration anything anyone says.

[dothackzero]

You're frustrated because you feel stuck, and you feel like God wants you to speak certain aspects of your life into modification (i.e., you say "Self, be more thrifty", and because of your abounding faith, you're suddenly financially stable; or you say, "I will be more extroverted", and suddenly you have tons of friends and are engaged). And you feel like this is what God wants because nothing else is working for you and you don't have a job or friends. Am I right?

Simply put, this "speaking stuff" doesn't work, at all. There's prayer, faith, and action. If you really truly think you're stuck and there's nothing you can physically do, then pray about it, and put it in God's hands. Honestly, that's what you should be doing anyways, but you should also be willing to face these issues and do your best in spite of them. Don't go into this weird mystical speaking your desires into existence stuff.

Just do what you know to be right, keep praying, and trust God to handle the rest. And NO, that doesn't mean sit around and eat popcorn while you watch God do epic stuff. You need to participate, and keep working to strengthen your relationship with Him. While you're sitting around complaining about not having a girlfriend and how bad you are with social skills and all that, you have an amazing, loving, powerful, awesome God Who's waiting for you to notice Him. Maybe He'll bless your relationships with the people around you when you honor the most important one you have, don't you think? You're running in circles here, and every round, you're missing the big picture. God doesn't want you to speak stuff into working out for you. He wants you to trust Him, and wait for Him to reveal His perfect plan for you. Even if that means sitting around and feeling stuck. Maybe you're feeling stuck because God can't do anything with you while you're running around like a headless chicken crying "woe is me".

Totally forgot about this topic. Anyways I was asking it under the basis of this...

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26]

I still am feeling stuck and nothing moving forward. The hard part for me has always been the action part since that usually means going out of my comfort zone, well that and being afraid of change because it could mean that things could get worse even though it'll likely be for the better. Anyways, right now I'm trying to take more time to put in applications for a better job. I'm also thinking of seeing if I can get into the IT area at the grocery store I work at, I just hope that actually do it this time instead of thinking about it and then not doing because of it annoying to do and having to deal with the managers. As for the girls area, I got rejected last week, but she said that we could still be friend so I'm gonna take her up on that offer tomorrow assuming it won't be too awkward for her.

[ClaecElric4God]

Well, it looks to me like you've finally got the ball rolling. Keep up the good work! I'll be praying that you're able to get a good job.

But anyways, as far as the Scripture (I don't know anything about the NIV, but in my Bible it's Mark 11).
I'm gonna have to agree with Xeno here, and I'll quote what he said for reference.

The moving mountains thing was never intended to be literal. That was figurative language used implying that having small faith can give someone the strength to overcome large obstacles. "Speaking" to your mind and finances isn't going to do anything to them without you changing your state of mind/thinking and trying to budget your money better. Everything falls back on you to accomplish. The idea that you can "speak" to a situation and have it changed is pure prosperity gospel/evangelical/charismatic hogwash and is not actually supported in your bible.

First off, if you're trying to use the fig tree as an example, that was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who told that fig tree to wither up. So, yeah. You can't just expect to have the same level of power as Him. And the reason it seems obvious that the mountain thing was figurative is that He goes from referring to some vague third person in vs. 23, to in vs. 24 directly addressing his disciples. Then He talks about prayer, not speaking. He was setting up an example of the power of faith in vs. 23, then pairing that faith with prayer in vs. 24. And you can't just cut out the verses that are convenient for you and ignore the rest. Keep reading into verses 25-26. It's not a prosperity gospel, it's not "everything'll go just how you want it if you just believe hard enough". It takes a lot to be the kind of Christian that can move God with prayer. Prayer isn't a game, and it's not something that just works for anybody. Because if it was, when I'm short on cash and want to go have some fun, I could just say, "Money in the first national bank, be in my wallet". And I'm pretty sure if you could just speak whatever you want into being, you'd end up messing up God's plans an awful lot of the time. You don't know what He wants, and you don't know that your desires don't contradict his will.
Things are modified by good old fashioned elbow grease. On shelves in a hardware store near you. Seriously, it's what's already been said, and it seems like you're starting to take some action on. So keep applying for jobs, keep talking to people (and seriously, not just girls), and put yourself on a budget or something. Because the speaking stuff isn't going to work, and like I said, prayer isn't something to make light of. It takes dedication, a close walk with God, and some serious rethinking of your ideals. Because when you're not on the same page as God, you can't really expect your prayers to get through to Him. It's when you start listening to Him, instead of the other way around, that things really start to come together. By all means, pray. But don't just throw some words up into the sky and expect God to cater to you. Make sure your life's in order, and there's nothing between you and God. Because that's when your prayers won't get through to Him, and it doesn't matter how hard you "believe".

Anyways, once again, this is just my two cents, and you're perfectly free to ignore it. But you're gonna have to face the change area sooner or later. Because life is full of change. You do realize that marriage is one of the hugest changes, like, ever. And the whole process of getting married involves interacting with lots of people in lots of different areas and yeah you basically can't do it without going out of your comfort zone. Consider the fact that life is either going to change, or continue to be exactly the same as it is right now (I know, genius, right?). And if you're not happy with the way things are now (which it seems quite evident that you aren't), then change is a necessary evil. Life will change if you take action, and certain aspects undoubtedly will change for the worse. You might move and have worse neighbors, change jobs and have a worse road you have to drive on, or any number of things. But if you're really seeking God's will, you don't have to worry about things getting worse. The Christian life isn't a bed of roses, but God takes care of his children, I promise. But I'm gonna shut up now. Have some faith that God knows what He's doing, and work up the courage to face change. That's really all I know to tell you.