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| Ronnie Van Zant |
Though I'm not into the positive-negative confession movement, I do know that words can have power. And sometimes, they can have deadly consequences.
Take Ronnie Van Zant, for example. Who was Van Zant? He was the lead vocalist for the popular southern heavy metal rock band Lynryrd Skynyrd that produced several hits in the 1970s.
Those who follow rock music and are old enough to remember Lynyrd Skynyrd, know what happened to Van Zant. On October 20, 1977, he died in a tragic plane crash along with band members Steve and Cassie Gaines, and road manager Dean Kilpatrick. While the other band members survived the crash, they were badly hurt and required major surgery and extensive recovery time.
Van Zant and his band were on their way to a concert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when the Convair CV-300 plane they chartered ran out of fuel and plunged into a swamp five miles northeast of Gillsburg, Mississippi. A subsequent investigation determined that the plane took off from Greenville, South Carolina with mechanical problems that forced it to fly with one engine. That caused the plane to burn up all of its fuel before it reached its destination, and the rest as they say, is history.
What does Van Zant's death have to do with words and confessions? It seems that Van Zant frequently confided to his father Lacy that he would never see his 30th birthday. Former band member Artimus Pyle also recalls Van Zant telling him that he wasn't going to live a long life: "Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that he would never live to see thirty and that he would go out with his boots on, in other words, on the road. I said, 'Ronnie, don't talk like that,' but the man knew his destiny."
Van Zant was 29 years old when he died. Indeed, he died with his boots on during a road tour. Was his death a coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. When you listen to some of Skynyrd's songs, you can detect an underlying tone of personal fate in Van Zant's lyrics. He was convinced that he was going to die early. And he confessed that.
Then, there's a man I worked with who told me the story of a former friend of his who cursed his father during a heated argument. My co-worker related that his friend admitted he called his father a "stroke" during the argument and his father subsequently died later that day after he suffered a massive stroke. His friend was devastated and convinced that he had caused his father's death.
Again; was that merely a coincidence? Or, did the man indeed curse his father to death?
Obviously, not everything we proclaim happens. But sometimes it does. How can we explain this? It's easy. We live in a world that's controlled by a dark spiritual realm under the authority of Satan and his demons. (Ephesians 6) Those who've never been born again by faith in Jesus Christ belong to Satan (John 8:44). And when they pronounce curses upon themselves by predicting their own demise, or upon others, their words can have deadly consequences. Satan is all about death and destruction, and if he has a legal right to destroy your life, he'll never pass up the opportunity.
What about proclaiming the opposite? If we confess positively, will we reap blessings such as great health, wealth and long life? There are a lot of folks who believe that. A theologian named E.W. Kenyon believed that so strongly that he launched the Positive Confession Movement in the 19th century within the Christian church.
Kenyon believed that people got sick, suffered misfortune and died prematurely because they uttered negative confessions. For example, when people got sick, Kenyon encouraged them to proclaim that they felt great even when they were desperately ill. He believed that the positive confession would heal the person, while complaining about the illness would only make them worse.
Is there any evidence that positive confession works? Is there any biblical evidence for positive confession? None at all, although there are those who will claim that Kenyon's methods do work. Obviously, positive confession failed Kenyon because he became ill and died at the age of 81 in 1948.
Certainly, even Christians can say the wrong things and bring serious trouble upon themselves and upon others. That's why it's imperative for Christians to be careful with their words and language.
What does the Bible say about cursing? It says this: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (Romans 12:14-16)
Indeed, bless and don't curse. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart, soul and mind, and avoid sin like the plague. And when you get sick? Should you confess your healing? Rather, "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16)
Then, there's a man I worked with who told me the story of a former friend of his who cursed his father during a heated argument. My co-worker related that his friend admitted he called his father a "stroke" during the argument and his father subsequently died later that day after he suffered a massive stroke. His friend was devastated and convinced that he had caused his father's death.
Again; was that merely a coincidence? Or, did the man indeed curse his father to death?
Obviously, not everything we proclaim happens. But sometimes it does. How can we explain this? It's easy. We live in a world that's controlled by a dark spiritual realm under the authority of Satan and his demons. (Ephesians 6) Those who've never been born again by faith in Jesus Christ belong to Satan (John 8:44). And when they pronounce curses upon themselves by predicting their own demise, or upon others, their words can have deadly consequences. Satan is all about death and destruction, and if he has a legal right to destroy your life, he'll never pass up the opportunity.
What about proclaiming the opposite? If we confess positively, will we reap blessings such as great health, wealth and long life? There are a lot of folks who believe that. A theologian named E.W. Kenyon believed that so strongly that he launched the Positive Confession Movement in the 19th century within the Christian church.
Kenyon believed that people got sick, suffered misfortune and died prematurely because they uttered negative confessions. For example, when people got sick, Kenyon encouraged them to proclaim that they felt great even when they were desperately ill. He believed that the positive confession would heal the person, while complaining about the illness would only make them worse.
Is there any evidence that positive confession works? Is there any biblical evidence for positive confession? None at all, although there are those who will claim that Kenyon's methods do work. Obviously, positive confession failed Kenyon because he became ill and died at the age of 81 in 1948.
Certainly, even Christians can say the wrong things and bring serious trouble upon themselves and upon others. That's why it's imperative for Christians to be careful with their words and language.
What does the Bible say about cursing? It says this: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (Romans 12:14-16)
Indeed, bless and don't curse. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart, soul and mind, and avoid sin like the plague. And when you get sick? Should you confess your healing? Rather, "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16)
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