Affirmation · “The Subconscious Says Yes”
Releasing the Force of Faith by Words
To speak the desired outcome aloud in faith, refusing contrary words, on the principle of ‘calling those things which be not as though they were’ (Romans 4:17).
The force of faith in words, in 4 lines: Speak the outcome you want as if done — “call your body well, your finances whole” — not the problem. Guard your mouth against fear- and lack-talk. Say it aloud, daily, and stand until it changes. But keep facing reality honestly: this complements, never replaces, medical and financial help.
What it is
Copeland teaches that faith is a spiritual force released by the spoken word. The believer is to speak the desired outcome as if already real, and to refuse “contrary” words that confess the problem.
His anchor verse is Romans 4:17 — God “calleth those things which be not as though they were” — which he applies as a method: “Don’t call things like they are and expect change. Learn how to call your body well, your finances whole, and stand until they are.” This is positive confession in its strongest Word-of-Faith form: the tongue is treated as a creative instrument, and guarding one’s words is a discipline.
The Atlas presents this faithfully while drawing the line clearly: deliberate, hopeful speech has a real effect on the speaker; the claim that words are a force that directly alters matter, illness, or bank balances is the unproven part.
The Method
Faithfully synthesised from The Force of Faith and Copeland’s confession teaching:
- Find the promise. Locate a scriptural promise covering your need (health, provision) so your words rest on something you accept as already true.
- Speak the outcome, not the problem. Declare the desired end as accomplished — “call your body well, your finances whole” — rather than restating the symptoms.
- Refuse contrary words. Guard your mouth: don’t keep confessing fear, lack, or sickness, which Copeland regards as releasing faith in the wrong direction.
- Say it aloud and repeatedly. Confession is spoken, not merely thought, and repeated daily so it sinks in (The Inner Creates the Outer).
- Stand until it changes. Hold the confession with conviction over time — “stand until they are” — without reverting to doubt-talk. (Sourcing note: the phrases “call those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17) and “call your body well. stand until they are” are Copeland’s/scriptural, attributed. The numbered protocol is a faithful synthesis, not a reproduction of his text.)
Source & Lineage
Kenneth Copeland (b. 1936) systematized positive confession for a mass broadcast audience; the teaching descends directly from Kenneth E.
Hagin and E. W. Kenyon, who originated much of the “confession of the Word” doctrine. It runs parallel to the New Thought “spoken word” tradition — Frances Larson’s constructive speech, Florence Scovel Shinn’s spoken-word decree, and the affirmative-prayer family — though Copeland frames it in explicitly Charismatic-Christian terms.
Common refinements
Denial dressed as faith. Refusing to acknowledge a real problem (to a doctor, to yourself) is dangerous — see Safety. You can speak hope without lying about the facts.
- Magical literalism. Treating words as spells that must work guarantees disappointment and self-blame.
- Blaming the outcome on “wrong words.” A relapse or loss is not proof you confessed badly — this is the victim-blaming the Atlas rejects.
- Confession without action. Speaking the outcome is a primer, not a replacement for treatment, work, and prudent steps.