“I Am, I Have, and I Can” Bible References
“I Am, I Have, and I Can” Bible References
Introduction:
Several years ago, our church in Edna, KS would begin each Sunday morning worship service by all of us reciting the declaration about the Bible and what it says about us as believers. Gil and I decided to do a study of the phrases in the declaration. This turned into a 6-week teaching which we presented to the church. It is our desire that the information and scriptures will increase your understanding of who you are, what you have, and what you can do as a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Making declarations based on God’s word had been a part of the way I have lived for many years. I was taught about the value of praying and declaring promises from the Bible in the early 1980’s.
“This is my Bible. It is the word of God for me. I am what it says I am, I have what it says I have, and I can do what it says I can do. After I hear this word today, I will never be the same.”
“This is my Bible”
When I considered the book that I read frequently, I realized that I did not know very much about how it came into being. Some research through the internet brought me to a treasure trove of information on the GREATSITE.com website. Here I found information stretching back through thousands of years to Moses on Mt. Sinai receiving the first written messages on tablets of stone from God himself. From then until now, the historical events that occurred in the journey of our Bible are awe inspiring. Only a God ordained document could have withstood the severe attacks of persecution, murder, and deception that are found through the years of its development and preservation.
The history and oral traditions of the Jewish people were passed from one generation to another by word-of-mouth with great care taken to accuracy and maintenance of reliable memories. Their written history was in an early form of Hebrew. Experts believe Moses wrote the first five books from a perspective of looking back at history. One pastor believes that when God’s glory passed by Moses and he saw “his back parts” as recorded in Exodus 33:23, God revealed to him the events of the Jewish people that Moses wrote as the first five books of our Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Bible states truths about people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. No matter what you have been told about yourself by family members, teachers, friends, or acquaintances, what God has said in His Word about you is the truth. To change your thinking about yourself, read the scriptures in this teaching along with others that may be important to you , meditate on them, and speak them aloud to God, confirming to Him that you believe what he has said about you rather than what others may have told you.
Science Agrees with the Bible
In 2017, I started trying to understand the concepts presented in Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book, Who Switched off My Brain? After much neurological explanation of how the brain works, she makes a statement about the importance of detoxing your brain and how to do this. She states it is important to pour good and correct information into your mind and body through the amygdala and hippocampus in your brain.
On page 35, she writes, “But what exactly is that correct information? At a basic level it is positive affirmation that replaces bad memories with supportive ones. You literally build a new network of new memories over the old. Such positive affirmation is the beginning of changing your thought processes to detox your brain.”
When I comprehended what this neuroscientist was trying to teach me, I realized science was confirming many scriptures from the Bible. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”, Proverbs 18:21. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 The importance of thinking the way God thinks is taught in II Corinthians 10:5, “bring every thought captive to the knowledge of God.” Finally, Philippians 4:8 gives us a list of “approved” thoughts, things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report.
Dr. Leaf states unless you feel something is true emotionally, it is not a reality to you. “A fascinating aspect of all this interaction, and something you really need to be aware of, is that even though you can be presented with evidence that something is true, you won’t really believe it, unless you feel that it is true. It may be reasonable, logical, scientifically proven or just plain common sense, but you won’t believe it unless your brain’s limbic system (the seat of your emotions) allows you to feel that it is true.”
Just saying a scripture may not immediately make it true in your emotions. Dr. Leaf teaches that we all think differently based on our memories, learning, and thinking style. The Bible states that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. It may take several repetitions of confessing what God has said about you to replace old memories and beliefs you have about yourself. The bottom line is that God is right. He is not a man that he can lie.
God knew we would need a “mind change” in order to understand being a citizen of His kingdom. “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
As you read these and other scriptures, expect Holy Spirit to bless you with revelation that will bring you peace and joy. Daily declaring the truth of God’s Word will cause your faith to grow. Understanding who you are “in Christ” will cause your self-image and your actions to change to be in agreement with God. Your focus will change from your “fleshly desires” to pleasing God with your thoughts, words, and actions.
The Finished Work of Jesus: His Mission
To understand who we are “in Christ”, it is necessary to understand the mission of Jesus as the Son of God who left heaven to live as a man on the earth. If we understand what He accomplished for us, we can believe who we are as a believer, what we have, and what we can do. Years before the birth of Jesus as a human being, the prophet Isaiah foretold what his mission was to be.
Isaiah 53:4-6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
But [in fact] He has borne our griefs, And He has carried our sorrows and pains; Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken, Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him].
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, We have turned, each one, to his own way; But the LORD has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] To fall on Him [instead of us].
When Jesus started his teaching to the Jewish people in their synagogue, his message is recorded in Luke 4:18-19
Luke 4:18-19 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME (the Messiah), BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO ANNOUNCE RELEASE (pardon, forgiveness) TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].”
Some believe that “the poor” in this and other scriptures refers to those who are “poor in spirit” not necessarily poor in worldly goods or money. The Strong’s Concordance gives the reference for “poor” in this scripture as being #4434 in the Greek language and meaning “a beggar (as cringing), pauper (strictly denoting absolute or public mendicancy, a beggar, poor.” A mendicant is one who lives by alms, a beggar.
To Destroy the Devil’s Works
Another stated purpose of Jesus was to destroy the works of the devil. The conditions mentioned in Isaiah 53 are definitely not works of God but are the results of the devil’s work in people’s lives.
1 John 3:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
To Call Sinners to Repentance
In Matthew 9:13 Jesus stated that he came to call sinners to repentance. When this is accomplished, a person experiences the new birth and his spirit man becomes new in the sight of God.
To Create a New Spirit in Us. To Make Us Righteous before God
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].
To Rescue Us from Darkness by Forgiving Our Sins
Colossians 1:12-14 Amplified Bible (AMP)
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the Light.
For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].
Colossians 1:14 King James Version (KJV)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
To Give Us Eternal Life, Salvation
Probably the most familiar of all scriptures that tell of the mission of Jesus is John 3:16-17. It is important to read 17 as it is a very important part of His mission.
John 3:16-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He[even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.
Mission Accomplished!
Jesus’ final words as he hung on the cross tell us He had accomplished all aspects of His mission on earth.
John 19:30 Amplified Bible (AMP)
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] [a]gave up His spirit.
Therefore, all that is written about believers, how God sees them, their rights and privileges, and the things that belong to them can be believed. Jesus completed every prophecy, every desire of Father God to reconcile all mankind to Himself, and made it possible for His followers to experience every blessing that God wants for His children on earth. Plus, we are promised a home with Father God when we physically die.
What this Means to Us
The Apostle John summarized our position and what we are to do because of the successful completion of every assignment given to Jesus by His Father.
John 6:29 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”
Also, considering the scientific evidence of the function of our spoken words on what we actually believe, it is vitally important that we not only bring our thoughts captive to the knowledge of the Word of God, but also, that we only speak what the Bible says about us and about the circumstances of our lives.
In Psalms 45:1b we are told, “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” King David also wrote about the importance of his words and that God’s words protect him from evil.
Psalm 17:3-4 Amplified Bible (AMP)
You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tested me and You find nothing [evil in me]; I intend that my mouth will not transgress. Concerning the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept away from the paths of the violent.
I have to confess that I had many negative thoughts about myself and life in general before I was taught the significance of believing what God said in the Bible. I would think to myself, “If I don’t expect good things to happen, then I won’t be disappointed when they don’t happen.” How self-condemning and faithless! Thankfully, I was taught the importance of speaking God’s words and bringing my thoughts in line with the Word of God.
Bringing Heaven to Earth
Jesus instructed us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our declarations of God’s heavenly life-giving words of truth will cause changes to take place in the earthly, physical realm. Remember, God spoke the world into existence. You are created in His image and His words never return void but always accomplish what they were sent to do.
Isaiah 55:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)
So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
As you read the scriptures and the declarations aloud, you will be establishing your new identity that agrees with how God sees you. Expect to be changed and for your world to change.
What does God say about me?
The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. When you read the scriptures aloud, your faith can be increased. Also, when you make verbal declarations based on God’s Word, you are agreeing with God’s thoughts about yourself or a circumstance in your life. God’s thoughts are true. King David prayed a great prayer to God about his thoughts and his words. He realized how important it is to think and speak in an acceptable way to God.
Psalm 19:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my [a]strength and my Redeemer.
To increase your understanding of the scriptures, the writer suggests reading them aloud and then, also, reading the declarations aloud.
GE 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Declare: “I am created in God’s image. He wants me to think, talk, and act like Him.”
JER 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Declare: “God knew me before I was conceived in my mother’s womb. He has a purpose for my life.” (This was spoken by God to Jeremiah who was to be a prophet to the nation of Israel. We are not all to be prophets, but God knew all of us before we were born.)
PS 139:14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
Declare: “God made me in a wonderful way. I thank God for designing my body in such a marvelous way. His works prove His existence and power.”
PS 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written. The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
Declare: “God saw me and wrote His plans for my life in His book before I was even conceived. God has a purpose and plan for my life.”
As I read these scriptures, I developed a sense of worth and knew God had a purpose for my life. I came to be thankful for the way God had made me and for the talents and abilities he put within me.
My New Identity as a Christian
When you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and you repent of your rebellion against God, He forgives you of all your sins and restores you to full fellowship with Him. Believers in Jesus as the Son of God live by faith in Him and in the finished work He accomplished while on earth.
It is vitally important to understand and to confess what the Bible writers have said about us as believers. By hearing these inspired words from Holy Spirit, our faith grows and we come to realize and believe our true identity
as forgiven people who have purposes to complete while we live on earth.
Romans 10:17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.
Romans 1:17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “THE JUST and UPRIGHT SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
The Bible writers give us understanding as to who we are, what we have, and what we can expect to do as Kingdom citizens.
Romans 10:9-10 Amplified Bible (AMP)
because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
Because of the truths expressed in this and other scriptures, we as believers can confidently make declarations about ourselves.
Declare: “Because I have acknowledged and confessed that Jesus is Lord, and because I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I am saved. I am made righteous because I have faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I am free from the guilt of sin and I am acceptable to God. I freely speak about my faith. My confession confirms my salvation!”
When we follow this pattern of believing and confessing our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we experience what Jesus called “the new birth” and we can confidently make our declaration based on John 3:3.
JN 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Declare: “Because of my faith in Christ Jesus as the Son of God, and because I have surrendered my life to his lordship, I have been born into His kingdom.”
The people who heard the Apostle Peter tell them about Jesus on the day of Pentecost were convicted about the sin they had committed. They had not believed Jesus was the Son of God, their Messiah, for whom they had waited for hundreds of years. They asked if there was anything they could do to correct their mistake.
Acts 2:38-39 Amplified Bible (AMP)
And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
Although we were not in the crowd that day, we all have sinned and have need of repenting for our rebellion against God. We are all to be baptized into Christ, and we all then receive the promise of the Holy Spirit coming to live within us. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, all of us have the
opportunity to become the children of God, reconciled to Him and forgiven of all our sins.
RO 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
RO 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Declare: “The Holy Spirit tells me that I am one of God’s children. I am an heir of God’s goodness just like Jesus is.”
2CO 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Declare: “My faith in Christ Jesus has united me with Him. My old sinful nature has been replaced with the Spirit of God which lives in me now. I am a new creature in Christ. My old nature is gone.”
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Declare: “Jesus paid the price that was due to God for my sins, removed them, and now I am the righteousness of God. I am in right standing with God.”
1CO 12:27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
Declare: “I am a member of Christ’s body on the earth.”
COL 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Declare: “I no longer live in darkness but am a part of God’s kingdom. I am redeemed, bought back, from the kingdom of darkness, Satan’s kingdom, and I am redeemed. My sins are forgiven.”
1CO 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1CO 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.
Declare: “My body is the place where the Holy Spirit lives. God put the Holy Spirit in me. I was bought by the sacrifice Jesus made when He shed his blood on the cross. I will honor God by the things I do with my body.”
1JN 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.
Declare: “I am a child of God. He will change me in ways that will allow me to fulfill His purpose for my life. I don’t know all that He will do.”
Romans 8:29 Amplified Bible (AMP)
For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.
Declare: “God knew me before I was born and He planned to change me into the image of His Son, Jesus. I am to be like Him, completely set apart for God’s KIngdom as are all the others who believe in Jesus as Savior.”
RO 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Declare: “ I have been made right with God because of the blood of Jesus. I am saved from God’s anger because of my trust in Jesus”
RO 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
Declare: “I will be able to conquer all of life’s problems because of Jesus who loves me.”
Ephesians 1:6 King James Version (KJV)
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Declare: “Because of God’s grace which he freely gave me, I am accepted and loved.”
When Holy Spirit revealed the truth in this scripture to me, all of my feelings of rejection left in an instant. This is what can happen when you read God’s word and submit yourself to its study. One scripture can change your life forever.
EPH 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Declare: “I am redeemed, bought back, because of the blood of Jesus. My sins/trespasses are forgiven because of His blood and God’s grace, His unmerited favor.
EPH 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
Declare: “Along with other saints (believers), I am not a stranger to God, but I am a citizen of God’s household.”
Written by Gil and Jane Burnett