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

Warrior, hear the bad news and the good news. The
bad news is that there is a demonic host of raiders
who wants to destroy every good thing you are and steal
every good thing you have. These raiders have already robbed
you thousands of times of joy, love, peace and strength. In
place of these treasures, they left you with depression, worry,
discouragement, fear, lust, fatigue and hardness of heart. You
have struggled against developing a “victim mentality” where
you begin to expect these raiders to rob your joy in the Lord.
But, in your warrior’s heart there is a yearning to stand and
contend against these enemies of your soul. You know deep
down that you are not called to walk in just occasional victory
but in continual and complete conquest. Rom. 8:37.

The good news is that you have the ultimate weapon at your
disposal! This weapon can smash your enemies into oblivion.
Though they come out against you one way, they will flee
from you seven ways. This weapon not only destroys the en-
emy, but it also nourishes and strengthens your spirit man.
What is this weapon? Right now, put your hand on your jaw.
Now say “Jesus is Lord.” You have just wielded the most
powerful weapon in the universe. You are literally armed to
the teeth as your mouth brandishes the word of God against
your spiritual enemies. Your jawbone confessing God’s word
is your arsenal of absolute victory.

Lift it up, warrior!

Samson was the greatest warrior in the Old Testament. His
supernatural strength confounded the enemy time and time
again. No army could stop him. No ropes could bind him. No
lion could devour him. No gates could imprison him. The evil
Philistines referred to him as “the destroyer of our country.”
Jdg. 16:24. His exploits began the final deliverance of Israel
from Philistine oppression. Jdg. 13:5. Although Samson’s
failure with Delilah is well known, it cannot erase a life of
great victory which placed Samson in the hall of faith heroes
of Hebrews 11.

Samson’s greatest hand to hand battle occurred in Judges
15:9-20. Here, he picked up a fresh jawbone of an ass and
killed a thousand Philistines with it. A thousand men. A thou-
sand armed men. A thousand Philistines who hated Samson
with a passion. A thousand men demonically empowered
through their worship of false gods. Yet, this evil horde could
not withstand one jawbone wielded by a spirit-charged war-
rior.

Your spirit-charged jawbone can also massacre the hordes of
hell as they seek to destroy you. No matter the odds, your
jawbone of word confession is the great equalizer. This Old
Testament episode is a shadow of a brilliant New Testament
truth. Just as Samson lifted up the jawbone to win the battle,
Christians must lift up their jawbones to realize full victory in
life.

Your Jawbone Conquers Your Promised Land

After his great conquest, Samson renamed the battlefield
Ramath-lehi, which literally means “the elevation of the jaw-
bone” or “jawbone heights.” Your jawbone of word confes-
sion elevates all your battlefields to the highlands of victory.
In fact, the Greek word translated in the New Testament as
“conversation” literally means “to twist up.” Jas. 3:13.
This reinforces the idea of spirit-elevated word confession.
The Greek word translated in the New Testament as “confes-
sion” literally means “to speak out the same thing as.” The
clear meaning is to speak out the same thing as the word of
God. Jsh. 1:8. Word confession transforms your jawbone of
an ass into a jawbone of a champion well able to conquer the
promised land God has set before you.

In the Old Testament, the “promised land” was the land of Is-
rael which flowed with milk and honey. Ex. 3:17. God prom-
ised Israel they would possess “every place” they “tread
upon” if Israel strongly and courageously confessed, believed
and acted upon the word of God. Jsh. 1:3-8.

In the New Testament, the “promised land” is your inheri-
tance in the word of God which promises you all things for
life and godliness. 2 Pet. 1:3-4; Acts 20:32. You possess
every promise of God you will stand on by faith as you
strongly and courageously confess, believe and act upon the
spirit-revealed word of God. 2 Cor. 1:20; Jn. 15:7; Mk. 11:22-
24; Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:3; Lu. 10:19.

Just as the Philistines sought to deprive Israel of its birthright,
so do Satan’s devils seek to keep you from inheriting the
promises of God. Demonic Philistines of unbelief, failure,
fear, depression, sickness and poverty are waiting by the
thousands to maul you. They feed off your negative confes-
sions of doubt, worry and despair. But it’s not too late. Pick
up your jawbone and start smashing the enemies of your soul
with the promises of God!

Spiritual Diet and Exercise

Your jawbone of word confession does far more than just de-
feat your spiritual enemies. It also strengthens your spirit man
to Samson-like proportions. The same jawbone that served as
a weapon also supernaturally spouted water to replenish Sam-
son’s strength. Jdg. 15:19. Samson named this new spring the
“spring of the caller.” As you confess God’s word, you are
also a “caller” of the supernatural “spring” which flows out of
your innermost being. Jn. 7:37-39. Lifting up your jawbone of
word confession daily both wins your battles and revives your
spirit.

Samson-like strength must be developed by training in right-
eousness. Remember, the key to victory is not the will to
fight, but the will to prepare to fight. Exercise your heart and
tongue through daily confession workouts. An Olympic
champion doesn’t win a gold medal by just showing up for
the competition. The champion spends thousands of hours in
preparation strengthening his endurance, training his reflexes,
and building up his muscles by diet and exercise. The training
often takes place regardless of heat, cold, rain or privation.

Your word confession must also be developed by daily exer-
cise and diet. An incredible truth is revealed in John 7:37-39
and Proverbs 18:20-21. While your physical man is filled by
what goes into your mouth, your spiritual man is filled by
what comes out of your mouth (i.e. your confession). “A
man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and
with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.” Prov. 18:20.
Speaking the word of God adds protein to your spirit, energy
to your heart, and endurance to your soul. Bless the Lord,
“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Ps. 103:5.
Confess the word through rainy circumstances, cold appear-
ances and hot affliction. As you grow steadfast in your daily
confession, your spiritual reflexes are sharpened so that the
word of God comes out of your mouth instinctively in every
situation. At this point, you will be a champion of word con-
fession ready for any challenge. Your faith will be primed so
that your word confessions will come to pass quickly and
completely. In these spiritual Olympics, you will win many
gold medals which you will joyfully cast at the feet of your
Lord.

Your Jawbone of Faith

In the spirit realm, nothing goes without saying. Consider the
following verses which instruct you to lift up your jawbone.

“He that hath my word, let him speak my
word faithfully.” Jer. 23:28.

“And Jesus said unto them…if ye have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say…and nothing shall be impossible unto
you.” Matt. 17:20.

“For by thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be con-
demned.” Matt. 12:37.

“The righteousness which is of faith spea-
keth” Rom. 10:6.

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee,
even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach.”
Rom. 10:8.

“Having the same spirit of faith…I believed,
and therefore have I spoken”
2 Cor. 4:13.

“Whosoever shall…believe that those things
which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith.”
Mk. 11:23.

“Death and life are in the power of the
tongue”
Prov. 18:21.

“This book of the law shall not depart out
of thy mouth”
Jsh.1:8.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,
saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee,
and my words which I have put in thy
mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the
Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”
Is. 59:21.

“To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this word, it is be-
cause there is no light in them.”
Is. 8:20.

“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt
hearken (hear intelligently, be obedient to,
declare) diligently (wholly, completely, far,
fast, louder and louder) unto the voice of
the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all
his commandments…all these blessings
shall come on thee, and overtake thee”
Deut. 28:1-2 (Hebrew definitions added par-
enthetically).

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words
in your heart and in your soul…speaking of
them when thou sittest in thine house, and
when thou walkest by the way, when thou
liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Deut. 11:18-19.

“With my lips have I declared all the
judgments of thy mouth.”
Ps. 119:13.

“And my tongue shall speak of thy right-
eousness and of thy praise all the day long.”
Ps. 35:28.

These verses illuminate once and for all that the spirit of faith
will always confess the word of God.

As you move in confession, you will be enriched and abound
“in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in
all diligence, and in your love.” 2 Cor. 8:7. You are a king
upon the earth who is called to reign in righteousness. Rev.
1:5-6. Jesus is the King of Kings with whom you are to reign.
Rev. 19:16; Rom. 5:17. As a righteous king, you must rule
your life by your confession: “A divine sentence is in the lips
of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judg-
ment….Righteous lips are the delight of kings.” Prov. 16:10,
13. “Where the word of a king is, there is power” Eccl. 8:4. A
true warrior of God “dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm
with the crown of the head.” Deut. 33:20. The imagery here is
that a lion’s crown is his mouth. Your crown with which you
tear Satan’s arm is your mouth’s kingly confession. This is the
crown we will joyfully cast at the feet of Jesus.

The Happy Warrior

Let’s consider two of the most important aspects of Samson’s
character. First, Samson fought the battle with joy. Poet Wil-
liam Wordsworth once penned the question, “Who is the
Happy Warrior? Who is he that every man in arms should
wish to be?” Samson is a glowing example of “the Happy
Warrior.” Winston Churchill liked warriors who grinned as
they fought in battle. Smith Wigglesworth taught that soldiers
of faith should laugh at the impossible. Samson had this same
bold attitude.

He taunted the enemy with riddles. Jdg. 14:12. Samson also
devised a clever poetic pun right after killing a thousand man
army. In the Hebrew, Samson essentially quipped: “With the
jawbone of an ass I have assaulted a thousand men.” Jdg.
15:16. Since nobody else was around who was still alive, this
victory joke was between God and Samson. It takes a special
man to tell jokes to God. Since the joy of the Lord is our
strength, the mighty Samson had to be the happiest warrior in
the Old Testament. Neh. 8:10. Samson had joy in battle and so
should you. Samson displayed the master key of happiness, “A
man hath joy by the answer of his mouth.” Prov. 15:23. Your
word confessions will provide you a merry heart, a cheerful
countenance, and a continual feast, even in the presence of
your enemies. Prov. 15:13, 15; Ps. 23:5.

The second key trait of Samson was his manliness. He did not
allow himself to be helplessly victimized. He held the enemy
accountable for every wrong done to him. “As they did unto
me, so have I done unto them.” Jdg. 15:11. The Hebrew word
for this trait is “chazaq,” which means: to seize, be strong,
courageous, obstinate, to bind, conquer, force, play the man,
wax mighty, prevail, be urgent. Peter tells us to add “virtue” to
our faith. 2 Pet. 1:5. The Greek word for “virtue” literally
means “manliness.” This manliness refuses to play the victim
to the hardships of life.

Manliness is the champion spirit that drives us to conquer our
spiritual foes. It is the will to fight. Samson displayed this
spirit when he would “shake” himself to battle readiness. Jdg.
16:20. The Hebrew word for “shake” is “na`ar” and means: to
growl, through the idea of the rustling of the mane, which usu-
ally accompanies the lion’s roar. True warriors of God must
learn to shake themselves to fight. Though your heart and
tongue may sometimes feel heavy as lead, you must lift up
your jawbone and confess the word only. Rustle the mane of
the Lion of Judah by roaring word confessions to the heavens.

The New Testament Samson

Jesus is the Samson of the New Testament. Christ displayed
this supernatural strength when He “spoiled principalities and
powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over
them in it.” Col. 2:15. The Greek words here describe Jesus
stripping all the demonic powers of their armor and then hav-
ing a victory parade showing off the spoils. One can almost
see the jawbone in Jesus’ hand as He defeated the hordes of
hell. Samson carried off the gates of Gaza on his shoulders.
Jdg. 16:3. Jesus carried off the gates of hell on His shoulders.
Eph. 4:8-10; Matt. 16:18. Samson rent a lion. Jdg. 14:6. Jesus
rent Satan who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour.” 1 Pet. 5:8. Samson’s own people
sought to betray him. Jdg. 15:12. Jesus’ own people sought to
betray Him. Lu. 22:47-48. Samson willingly laid his head in
the lap of the enemy. Jdg. 15:11-16. Jesus willingly laid His
life in the lap of the enemy. Jn. 10:17-18. Samson was tor-
mented and ridiculed by the enemy as he prepared to die. Jdg.
16:25. Jesus was tormented and ridiculed by the enemy as He
prepared to die. Matt. 27:39; Ps. 22. Samson’s outstretched
arms formed his body in the shape of a cross as he collapsed
the Philistine temple. Jdg. 16:29-30. Jesus died with arms
outstretched on the cross as He collapsed Satan’s kingdom.
Heb. 2:14. Samson’s death destroyed more of the enemy than
he did during his life. Jdg. 16:30. Jesus’ death ravaged the
hordes of hell on a far greater scale than He did during His
life. Col. 2:15. Samson used a jawbone as a weapon of devas-
tation. Jesus used His jawbone as a weapon to smite the na-
tions of wickedness. Rev. 19:15. We must follow Jesus’ lead
by picking up our jawbones and wielding the name of Jesus to
complete victory. Jn. 14:12-14.

Jesus is our example for all things: “consider the Apostle and
High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” Heb. 3:1. Luke
reveals that Jesus’ first four statements of His ministry were
Old Testament word confessions. Lu. 4:4, 8, 12, 16-20.
These confessions rebuked Satan and declared Jesus’ power
and purpose on the earth. Luke 4:16 indicates that Jesus cus-
tomarily read scriptures out loud in the synagogue.
Jesus always confessed the word of God quickened to Him
by the Holy Spirit. Jn. 8:26-28, 38; 12:49-50. Most often,
this quickening came through scriptures Jesus had already
imbedded in His heart. Jesus confessed Old Testament scrip-
tures verbatim 59 times in the gospels. The substance of eve-
rything Jesus said in the gospels directly quoted, paraphrased
or amplified Old Testament scriptures. Matt. 5:17-19; Lu.
16:16-17; 24:27, 44-45; 1 Pet. 1:9-12.

Jesus’ confessions came to pass immediately during His min-
istry because He had built Himself up in the word over the
previous thirty years of His life. Lu. 2:40-52; 4:16. He was
highly developed in His faith, hope and love. When the Spirit
descended on Him in Luke 3:22, Jesus was already full of the
word of faith. The Spirit combined with the word and pro-
duced the anointing which propelled Him through His per-
fect ministry.

The greatest word confession is the name of Jesus. Every
time you confess the name of Jesus you are standing on John
15:7; 16:23-24 and Mark 16:17-18. Never use His name in
vain again. His name, which is above every name, has the
full force of heaven behind it. Phil. 2:9-10. Confess the name
of Jesus, which literally means “salvation,” in every situation
as you fight the good fight of faith. Prov. 18:10; Rom. 10:13.

Jesus said, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do
it.” Jn. 14:14. Jesus’ other name is “The Word of God.” Rev.
19:13. If you faithfully ask anything in The Word of God, Je-
sus will do it.

By Richard Murray

Courtesy of http://www.thegoodnessofgod.com