“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [standing firm and unchangeable]” Psalm 119:89 AMP.
 
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” Genesis 1:1-3.
 
From the above verses in Genesis, we see that the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters before God spoke, but nothing happened until God said. When God released His words of faith, creation happened. Everything in this material world is the result of the Word of God.
 
And Jesus holds the universe together by the word of His power. “He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature,upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power” (Hebrews 1:3 AMPC) . 
 
God’s Word is eternal, unchangeable, forever settled in heaven. The material universe, what we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell is temporal. It can change and it does change. When you apply the unchangeable to the changeable, it is obvious which one will yield – the changeable.
           
When we take the unchangeable Word of God and apply it in faith to the temporal world, the temporal world must conform to the Word of God. Jesus demonstrated this principle while He lived on earth. When he spoke, demons fled, diseases were healed, the dead were brought to life (“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth...” John 11:43 KJV), food multiplied, and winds and storms ceased.
 
Jesus said He did what His Father told Him to do.
 
“I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,  but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:30-31 NIV).
 
By the power of God’s Word, Jesus lived and ministered on this death filled planet totally free from all its bondages. Jesus desires us, as born-again believers, to speak His Word in faith, and expect it to change the negative circumstances around us through the power of His unchangeable Word.
 
Our words have power and we need to be careful how we use them. The following ten Scripture verses speak about our words:
 

1. “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut” (Proverbs 10:19 NLT)
2. “Wise words bring many benefits” (Proverbs 12:14 NLT)
3. “A gentle tone is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 ESV-bolding mine).
4. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21 NIV).
5. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36 NASB).
6. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).
7. “The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you” (Matthew 12:37 NLT).
8. “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (James 1:26 NLT).
9. “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:10 NLT).
10. “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies” (1 Peter 3:10 NLT).

 
And lastly, Satan can steal from us with our words.
 
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7 ESV).
 
From the above verse, we see we have the choice to waiver or to receive. We can’t do both at the same time. One of Satan’s tactics is to get us to doubt and waiver. We can either give in to the doubting thoughts and give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27) or we can stand on the veracity of God’s Word. We are the ones who decide if we will allow Satan to steal God’s promises from us. Remember, Satan’s only has one plan – to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).
 
We need to be like God, Who calls the things that are not, as though they were. “As it is written: I have appointed you to be the father of many nations. So Abraham is our father in the eyes of God in whom he had faith, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence” (Romans 4:17 CEB).
 
Be assured, born-again friend, God’s unchangeable Word, spoken and acted on in faith, will release the power of God and change the circumstances you face.

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        In our Sunday evening Bible studies, we are continuing to examine the Book of Joshua. Last night, we looked at the cities of refuge. I’d never thought much about them before, but as I prepared for the study, the Lord spoke to my heart.

         What were the cities of refuge? We find the answer in Joshua 20.

"Then the Lord said to Joshua:  “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.  When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them...” (Joshua 20:1-4, NIV).
 
        During the time of Joshua, Israel lived under the law of ‘an eye for an eye’ and ‘a tooth for a tooth’. If you murdered someone, you were put to death. Killing an innocent person polluted the land because humans are made in the image of God. “If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image” (Genesis 9:6 NLT).

          Numbers 35:33 NLT says, “This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.”

       However, even if you accidentally killed someone, the slayer was to be killed to cleanse the land from the pollution of innocent blood. The closest relative of the person killed could come after you for your life. That person was called ‘the avenger of blood’.

         When someone accidentally killed someone, they could flee to one of the cities of refuge. God designated six cities – Kedesh, Golan, Ramoth, Shechem, Bezer, and Hebron as cities of refuge. Some of the cities were in the north, some in the south. Three cities were situated on each side of the Jordan River.

        In a city of refuge, the slayer would find welcome and safety until his trial and could work and make a living. The cities were administered by the Levites, from the tribe of Levi. Some of the Levites were priests, who performed the daily rites in the Tabernacle. Others cared for the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, as well as being responsible for the administrative work. Later, they were involved in interpreting the law and were teachers.

         We see from the passage in Joshua 20 that God initiated the cities of refuge. He also made the way clear for someone to reach one of them. The roads to each one were to be kept free of all obstructions and in good repair. Bridges were built where needed so the slayer didn’t have to go down into a ravine but could go straight across.

          In addition, at every crossroad, there were signs which read, “Refuge! Refuge!” and pointed in the direction of the city. The signs had to be large enough so that the slayer could read them as he fled.

            Joshua 20:9 (NLT) says, “These cities were set apart for all the Israelites as well as the foreigners living among them...” They were available to all, young, old, free, slave, male, female, Jew, Gentile.

          I’m sure you’re already thinking about the similarities between the cities of refuge and the great salvation God has provided for us. As stated previously, God initiated the cities of refuge. From the time of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden, God was the One to institute the way to refuge and salvation through His Son, Jesus.

        The cities were available to everyone. John 3:16 (VOICE) is a whoever verse. “For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life” (italics mine).

         It wasn’t difficult to find the cities. God gave instructions that the path to each one be clear. And likewise, God is not far from any of us. “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:26-27 NIV).

       Joshua 20:6 (NIV) says, “They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

        I read that the Talmud, which contains the teachings and commentaries on the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), argues that the death of the high priest formed an atonement for the slayer’s mistake so they could go free.

           Jesus is our great High Priest. 

       “We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:18-29 MSG).
 
       Praise God that in the Old Testament, over and over, He gave us glimpses of what was to come in the New. Praise Him for the great salvation He provided for us in Jesus. The only thing that can stop us from receiving refuge and salvation in Him is our will. Come to Him today, whatever your need. His arms are outstretched and He’s waiting for YOU.