The ER Doctor Who Checked My Faith

A few years ago I went to dinner with a close friend of mine who works as an emergency room doctor.

During dinner I mentioned that my stomach had been bothering me and I said, “I wonder why I’m sick.”

She immediately stopped eating and looked at me across the table and said,

“ROHO, you are not sick. Just because you don't feel well does not mean you are sick. And if you keep telling yourself that you are sick, your body will begin to believe you.”

That conversation stayed with me the entire night.

As we were leaving the restaurant she said one more thing that struck me deeply:

“Remember — life and death are in the power of the tongue.”

Sometimes the battle we are facing is not just around us — it is also in the words we speak about ourselves.

Many of you woke up this morning facing real pressure. Challenges in your health. Struggles in your finances. Tension in your family or workplace.

And when life becomes difficult, it is easy to start speaking defeat before God has finished working.

But there are moments when you must remind yourself of what God says about you.

When doubt creeps in, speak the promise.

When fear shows up, speak faith.

When the enemy whispers defeat, remind yourself of the calling that God has already placed on your life.

This weekend, take just five minutes and declare out loud:

Because the words you speak today will shape the faith you walk in tomorrow.

7 BIBLICAL Affirmations TO EMPOWER YOUR LIFE. SPEAK THESE OVER YOUR LIFE TODAY

• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

Scripture for Meditation

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) — "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Beloved, your words are the overflow of your thoughts, and your thoughts shape your reality. When you speak defeat over your life, you are programming your heart to accept limitation. But when you declare God's promises, you are aligning your inner man with His truth.

Mark 11:23-24 (NKJV) — "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." Jesus is teaching you that faith is not passive—it is an active declaration. You must speak your healing, your provision, your victory into existence by faith, not by feeling.

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) — "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Family, your tongue is a weapon more powerful than you realize. Every word you speak over yourself is either building you up or tearing you down. Choose life. Speak life.

Walking It Out

1. Write down three affirmations based on God's Word about your health, your calling, or your future. Post them where you will see them first thing in the morning—your bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, your phone lock screen. Read them aloud before you speak anything else to yourself that day.

2. Monitor your self-talk for the next 24 hours. When you catch yourself saying "I'm so sick" or "I can't do this" or "This will never work," pause. Stop mid-sentence. Replace that word with what God says about you instead. This requires intention, but it rewires your faith.

3. Speak a blessing over yourself before bed tonight. Out loud. Not whispered. Not in your head. Let your ears hear what your mouth declares. Your body needs to hear that you believe God for your healing, your peace, and your wholeness.

A Prayer for You

Father, I come before You in the mighty name of Jesus, asking You to guard my mouth and my heart today. Forgive me for speaking defeat when You have already declared victory over my life. Give me the courage to declare Your promises out loud, even when my circumstances tell a different story. Let my words be seeds of faith that produce a harvest of healing, wholeness, and blessing. I choose today to speak life, to speak faith, and to speak what You say about me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

About the Author

Rev. Nicholas S. Richards is an ordained minister, author of Destiny DNA, and founder of ROHO. For over 11 years, he has written more than 6,000 daily devotionals reaching believers worldwide. Learn more about Rev. Richards.