Recently, my pastor spoke an incredible message on the power of declarations.  A declaration is statement, not of what is, but of what will be.  The Bible is full of declarations made over individuals; David, Gideon, Peter to name a few.  Declarations are powerful because our words are powerful.  Proverbs 18:21 says, “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit — you choose.”  The words we choose to speak over our lives determine our destiny.

I have been using personal declarations as part of my daily disciplines for the past two years.  I have personally witnessed the transformation that happens through declaring what will be in the midst of what is.  I am confident that anyone can create and experience the power of making persona declarations in their life by following these five steps.

STEP 1: CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT TO CHANGE, GROW, LEVERAGE OR IMPROVE.

Where are the places in your life where you want more, desire more significant impact, or you feel stuck? These are places to focus and build declaration statements around. Where do you want to see change in your life, relationships, finances? Are there negative thoughts or past failures that wear at your confidence and self-esteem keeping you feeling defeated? What hopes and dreams do you have for the future? Are you the person you want to be?

These are the types of questions to ask yourself as you begin the process of creating your declarations. I have found that using the framework of my life domains when creating or editing my declarations is helpful. I like the six F’s; “Faith, Family, Fitness, Fun, Faculty (Work) and Finances.” that Rory Vaden shares in Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time. Each one of my daily declarations, declares the person I am becoming in one of these areas.

Right now, as an action item, take out a piece of paper, take a few minutes and write out some areas in each of the domains of your life where you want to change, grow, or improve. These could include the way you are as a spouse, a parent, a provider. They could be things that point to your health. Whatever they are, these will be the building blocks for your declarations.

STEP 2: CRAFT YOUR DECLARATIONS

This will take the most time as you want to make sure that your declarations are structured in a way to transform your thinking. Here are a few things to consider when structuring your declarations.

Make your declarations personal:

Remember these statements are for you. They are not for anyone else.  You are going to declare these over your life. Start each statement with the singular first-person personal pronoun “I.”

Make your declarations in the present tense:

The second word in your declarations should be “am.” There may be occasions where”have” or “will” work better as the second word.  Remember, you are declaring who you will be or where you will be, not who you are now or your current situation. Declarations are faith statements.  You are declaring what will be as what is.  Remember“…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Make your declarations positive:

Use big, positive, empowering adjectives to declare who you are becoming. I use words like great, blessed, and highly successful. Remember these are your declarations. This is not the time to be meek and humble. This is the time to be bold and call out the person you want to be or the outcome you want to achieve. As a note, you may want to stay away from superlatives. There is a big difference between saying you are great or you are the greatest at something.

Make your declarations descriptive:

Don’t stop at merely stating who you want to be or what you want to achieve. Add phrases that describe what the declared reality looks like. These statements will begin to shape the way you act, which will, in turn, move you toward your desired destination.

One of my daily declarations is “I am a great husband.” That statement by itself does not say much. However, I describe the actions that define what being a great husband to Lisa looks like… “I intentionally look for ways to cherish Lisa by taking advantage of opportunities to serve her (her love language), surprising her with unexpected gifts and planning special experiences. Finally, I describe the desired response from Lisa, “Lisa esteems me as her loving and faithful soulmate.”

Make your declarations meaningful:

Your declarations should stir your emotions. They should cause you to well up with a sense of resolve, confidence, and excitement of who you are becoming. If a declaration does not inspire you to be your best self, I would encourage you to scrap it.

STEP 3: STORE YOUR DECLARATIONS IN AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE PLACE

It seems like common sense, but as we all know, common sense is not common practice. So, if don’t have a plan for where you will store your declarations, you will probably have to regularly look for them.   If they are not easily accessible, the chances of you leveraging them are slim to none.  As the old adage goes, “out of sight out of mind.”

There are several smartphone applications that are specifically geared for writing and accessing affirmations. You can experiment with them to see if one works for you. Search your smartphone app store for “affirmations”, and you will find a substantial list.

I keep it pretty simple by keeping mine in a note in Evernote.  I keep that note as a favorite in Evernote. So every morning, wherever I am, I can open my phone and quickly get to my declarations. You could even go old-school, analog and write them or print them out on paper and tape them to the inside of a journal or Bible. The point is to keep them very accessible so that you can quickly get to them on a daily basis.

STEP 4: READ YOUR DECLARATIONS DAILY

There is power in repetition. The act of consistently reading (out loud) your declarations will begin to shape your mindset and align your actions toward the person you are becoming. I prefer to read my declarations at the start of my day as part of my morning quite time routine. However, don’t limit this exercise to one time a day. You may want to  state your declarations at times when you are feeling vulnerable. They will be valuable at times when you need a boost in your confidence. They can be used to pick you up at times when you may have failed to lived up to your best self, and need to be reminded of the person you are becoming.  You can never leverage your declarations too often.

STEP 5: BE ON THE LOOK OUT!

I have been amazed as things happen in my life that relate directly to the declarations I have made.  You may have heard of The Law of Attraction.  It says that we attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. We have all experienced it at some time in our life.  Have you ever been looking to purchase something like a specific car? Maybe you are thinking about buying a red Subaru, and it everywhere you look, you see red Subarus. Probably nothing mystical about it. You have probably passed red Subarus every day of your life. But now, you see them everywhere due to your mind being focused on and sensitive to spotting them.  It is no different for the outcomes that we experience in our lives. As you begin making your declarations, you will be focused and sensitive to seeing them fulfilled.  Be on the lookout!  What you declare with your mouth will become a reality in your life.

Declarations have changed my life for the good. As a result of speaking declarations, on a daily basis, over my life I am a stronger Christ follower and  a better husband, father, leader, and friend.  I want to challenge you to take the time to go through the steps outlined and experience the power of declarations for yourself.
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