Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.”

There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and he had no kids. He was probably ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality. When you see the world with spiritual eyes, you see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be.

Romans 4:17 says God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith—you announce it in order to experience it.

Yet you may hear some people say, “I just tell it like it is.” They criticize this and put that down. They can be fairly negative—because there are a lot of reasons in the world to be negative.

That’s one way to do it. But there’s a better way. Instead of telling it like it is, you can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive.

For example, you could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when you label someone, you reinforce it.

Instead, you could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change!

Remember—you don’t have to tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works.