Some people of the holiness persuasion are suspicious when I tell them I believe in a positive confession. Some have even asked me if I have joined the "Blab It And Grab It Club". I am well aware of excesses in this area of teaching, even as there are in most other areas. However, I learned long ago not to throw the baby away because the bath water was dirty.

While being interviewed on a live radio broadcast one day, the announcer commented that I seemed to be a very positive person. My answer to him and all who would listen is that the only alternative to being positive is to be negative. The only alternative to a positive confession is a negative confession. Holiness people should be the most positive people in the world.

When I talk about positive confession, I am not referring to making empty and idle so-called confessions of faith. It would be ridiculous for you to confess that you will be president of your corporation by the time you are 25 years of age when you are already 40. There have been many foolish things taught in the positive confession movement, even as there have been in the holiness movement.

To put it simply, the sensible positive confession is to agree with God's Word and what it says about you, just as worshipping God is simply agreeing with God as to what His Word says about Himself.

The most profitable way of life for any of us is to find out what God wants for us, then get "in sync" with that plan. The same would apply to a religious service at a church. If you are the service leader, find out what God wants to do in that service and which way the Spirit of God is moving, then move with God to accomplish that objective.

All across America and in other countries I have proclaimed to people, "Christians have more fun accidentally than sinners do on purpose." It's true! Just being right with God and doing His will causes us to be extremely happy and full of joy.

Your marriage can be greatly helped by saying the right things, or greatly hurt by saying the wrong things. If you tell your wife every morning that you love her, give her a passionate kiss, tell her she's pretty, she's a good cook, and you are glad God let you marry her, you will be sowing good seeds in your marriage. If you are the type of husband who tells your wife you don't love her, she's ugly, a rotten cook, and getting fat, chances are you'll receive a very negative response from her. Some husbands say all the wrong things about their mate, then wonder why their wife is not ready to make love at the drop of a hat.

If you constantly tell your children they are no-good and will probably be a failure in life, they probably will.

Some of us have learned long ago that a person cannot even get converted, or be born again, if he doesn't talk right.

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body... James 3:2, 6

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21

I used to pray this way, "Heavenly Father, I am nothing, in fact, I am worse than nothing." I felt this was a good show of humility, but later learned it was a show of my stupidity.

One day when I was praying and waxing eloquent about how no-good I was, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart and said, "I want you to quit praying like that. How dare you say you are nothing when I have saved you, filled you with My Holy Spirit, and blessed you with all spiritual blessings?" I learned that day that I was important to God, and when I realized that, my whole life changed. I could no longer live a haphazard lifestyle. I was important. I must pray more. After all, my life counts! I reasoned, if I am important, then I must study God's Word more, and live a holy life before the Lord.

Does realizing you are important cause you to be proud? Absolutely not! It is a very humbling occasion when God tells you He wants you, yes, even needs you in His work. Don't you believe it when people tell you that God doesn't need you. That's not true! He needs and wants everyone in His service. Sure, His work will go on if you drop out, but there will be a definite loss to the work of God.

You are important! Act like it! Too many religious leaders are afraid to tell people they are important. Sometimes it's because of a lack of confidence in their own ministry. Sometimes it's because the leaders are afraid the followers will stop following if they realize their own importance. Again, this thing called character comes into play. A charactered person will only serve more fervently if he realizes his value to God's work.

It is common for me to be absent from my church up to a total of twelve weeks each year. I can't remember ever losing a member while I was gone. (I have lost several when I was home!) My people know they are not only important to God, but they are important to me. How do they know? I tell them often how much I love them.

There are people who destroy their marriage, their profession, or even their life by always being negative. One man whom I knew well, when he wanted reassurance as to his worth, would say to his wife, "I don't know why you ever married me." It was devastating to his ego when she would answer, "I don't know either."

Words are powerful. Notice how many times the words, ...And God said... appear in the first chapter of the book of Genesis. Creation was spoken into existence.

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Proverbs 6:2

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11

While a positive confession is a necessary ingredient to successful Christian living, many make the mistake of idle, empty confessions.

A person is better off to confess he is sick and to ask for prayer than to confess he is well, and to die. One lady said she wanted to have inscribed on her tombstone these words, "I told you I was sick."

We would be better to confess we are unrighteous and to pray for forgiveness and sanctification rather than to confess we are righteous when we are not.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

Learn by reading your Bible what God has to say about you, then agree with it and live it.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8