How Your Words Shape Your World

When Poverty Called Them Poor—and the Word Became Her Lifeline

Lara grew up in Nigeria in very humble beginnings.

In her words, “Even poor people called us poor.”

When she was ten, her mom left for the United States to work as a nurse and prepare a way for the family. What was supposed to be one year stretched into seven long years without their mother. Lara and her five siblings stayed behind with their dad in a very difficult situation.

In that gap, when a young girl should be guided, nurtured, and reassured, Lara found something else:

Her Bible became her best friend.

She read it from cover to cover.
She fell in love especially with Proverbs.
She read it so much she basically memorized it.

She didn’t know then that those words she was hiding in her heart would literally move her across continents.

The Embassy, a Denial, and a Bathroom Prayer

When her mom finally came back to bring her children to the U.S., the family went to the embassy full of hope.

The lady at the counter looked through their documents and basically said:
“There’s no way. I can’t give you this visa. You cannot take these children out of this country.”

Just like that, their dream crashed.

Her mom gathered all six children and took them into the restroom. She looked at Lara—child number two of six—and said, “You pray.”

Out of all the verses buried in her heart, one bubbled up from Proverbs about the heart of the king being in God’s hands and how He can turn it wherever He pleases.

Through tears, Lara prayed something like:

“Father, Your Word says the heart of the king is before You and You can turn it. This woman has rejected our documents. Please turn her heart and let her give us this visa. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

They went back to wait.

After lunch, the same woman called their number, took their passports… and stamped every single one.

They got the visas.

That was the day a teenage girl realized:

“The Word of God in my mouth is not a suggestion. It is power.”

Your Mouth Is a Steering Wheel, Not Decoration

One of the things Lara said that I loved is:

“Your mouth is your steering wheel.”

Think about that.

A steering wheel doesn’t magically teleport the car.
But give it time and the direction you keep turning becomes the direction you travel.

She talked about how the Bible says we are saved by confession and how that word “salvation” (sozo) includes healing, deliverance, wholeness, thriving—not just “I’m going to heaven one day.”

Your mouth is the vehicle that carries you from where you are now to where you intend to go.

God didn’t give us a mouth just to complain, gossip, or narrate the obvious.
He gave it to us to create.

She Spoke Death Over Herself—and Her Life Followed

Lara also shared how growing up, her father often called her “dumb” and “stupid.” And like many of us, she started repeating it:

“I’m so dumb.”
“I’m so stupid.”

She said she noticed something painful:
Her life began to line up with those words. Decisions felt dumb. Outcomes looked stupid. Her own mouth had become a weapon against her.

So in 2019, she decided something had to change.

She was homeschooling her kids and had been reading about experiments where people spoke to plants. She said, “Okay, Lord, if words are truly this powerful, I want to see it clearly.”

So she did her own experiment—with rice.

The Rice Experiment: Speak Life, Speak Death, Speak Nothing

Here’s what she did:

She cooked rice and put equal amounts into three jars.
Poured water into each one.
Labeled them:
- “Speak Life”
- “Speak Death”
- “Speak Nothing”

For 21 days:

She took the “Speak Life” jar into another room every day and spoke blessings over it:
“You are blessed. You are beautiful. You are loved. You are favored.”
She took the “Speak Death” jar into a different room and spoke curses over it:
Every awful thing she could think of—she said it to that jar.
The “Speak Nothing” jar… she ignored. No words. No interaction.

By 21 days, her kids were begging her to throw them out because the smell in the house was terrible.

But the results?

The “Speak Life” jar: the water had evaporated and there was a thin white film on the rice.
The “Speak Death” jar: thick black mold covered the top.
The “Speak Nothing” jar: a strip of mold had formed along one side.

Let that preach.

She said two things:

Words are seeds. You may not see the effect immediately, but they are doing something.
Silence is not neutral. A “shut mouth” doesn’t protect you; it often keeps you stuck.

Casual Phrases That Are Quietly Dangerous

We often think we’re just “being real” when we say things like:

“Nothing ever works out for me.”
“This always happens to me.”
“I’m always tired.”
“Story of my life.”
“I love you to death.”

Lara said she had to retrain her mouth.

Now she says:

“I love you to life.”

Because why would we keep partnering love with death?

We cannot call ourselves kingdom people and then casually use the world’s defeated language. Our vocabulary needs to match our identity.

Not Denial—But a Different Final Voice

I love that Lara is very clear: this is not about pretending.

When a tree crashed through the roof of one of her rental properties during a storm—caving in the kitchen, breaking the ceiling, water pouring in—it was real, and it was bad.

She didn’t say, “There’s no tree in Jesus’ name.” The tree was right there.

But she also didn’t stay in panic.
Right there, she began to declare:

“For the Lord God will help me… I will not be ashamed.”
“God, send me helpers.”

By the time she and her husband got to the property and made some calls, people started showing up to help. Within three weeks, the house was restored like nothing had happened.

The situation was real.
But God’s Word was final.

That’s the balance:

We don’t deny the facts.
But we refuse to let the facts outrank the truth of God’s Word.

So Where Do You Even Start?

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay, I need to change my words—but how?”
Here’s where Lara suggests starting (and I completely agree):

1. Start With Repentance

Ask God’s forgiveness for the careless, harsh, fearful, and defeating words you’ve spoken—especially over yourself. She literally asks God to kill the bad seeds of past declarations.

2. Become Aware

Listen to yourself for a day or two. Notice what “just slips out.” That’s where your heart has been camping.

3. Fill Yourself With the Word

Under pressure, whatever is inside will come out.

Lara said she’s read the Bible cover to cover many times. So when a crisis hits, she doesn’t have to go Google a verse. It rises up and comes out.

That’s why God told Joshua to meditate on the Word day and night—not for God’s sake, but for ours.

4. Upgrade Your Words

Replace:

“Nothing ever works for me” with
→ “The favor of God surrounds me as a shield.”
“I’m always tired” with
→ “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
“I’m so stupid” with
→ “I have the mind of Christ.”

Lara often says:

“I am a testimony magnet. The favor of God is on my life all day.”

And if you hang around her, honestly, you can feel that on her.

Before the Declarations… the Relationship

One thing we both emphasized on the live (and I want to repeat here):

This is not about chanting pretty phrases.

It starts with a relationship with Jesus.

“If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.”

That’s the first and most powerful confession you will ever make.

From that moment on, you’re not just throwing words in the air—you are standing on covenant. You’re using the Word of a Father who loves you, saved you, and backs you.

Final Question for You

If everything you said over the last year came to pass…

Would you be thrilled with your life right now—or terrified?

If the answer stings a little, that’s not condemnation. That’s an invitation.

An invitation to:

Repent
Reset
Upgrade your words
And align your mouth with what God has already said about you.

As Lara’s life shows over and over again—
Your words really do shape your world.