"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).

What keeps our words from being spirit and life like the words Jesus spoke? Would you like to know the answer to that?

One hindrance is familiarity. We have memorized scripture, but it has not become revelation knowledge to us yet. We must take the time to let the scripture sink in and become rhema to us.

Another major hindrance is a lack of patience. We jump fast, we pray, we meditate and then suddenly we grow weary when we don't see anything happen, so we say, "Where was God? What happened? Why didn't this work?"

When somebody says, "If I speak the Word, but it is not rhema in my heart, then I'm just speaking empty words. Is that correct?" No and yes. They are not empty words, but they don't have the full power. Then why should we speak the words anyway if they don't have the full power? Here's why - because you cannot wait until the time you receive the power to start speaking the words.

Here's an illustration. You are driving in a car. What do you do before you get to the intersection? You turn on the signal. Consider that signal your confession. Let's say your problem is a financial problem and you start speaking the Word. "My God shall supply all my needs." You get your confession right. You are saying it. It is in your head, but it is not in your heart. But you are saying it, so you turn the blinker on. The blinker is saying, "The Lord shall supply all my needs. The Lord shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. The Lord shall supply all my needs" (Philippians 4:19).

You don't see it yet. You don't even really believe it in your heart yet. But you are saying it. You've got your mouth in line. You are still going down this path when suddenly you reach the intersection and it comes alive. "I get it! It's coming alive! God supplies all my needs!"

So you turn. Your confession is your signal of what you are headed toward, where you are going. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). You've got to continue to hear it. You've got to continue to speak it, and meditate on it. Believe it and then as you act on it, faith will come alive in you, and then you will see the problem dissolve.