Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

       As someone who operates in the prophetic, the value of the power of words and faith cannot be underestimated. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” and Romans 12:6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith” (KJV). In other words, our words contain power. Lots of power. And when it comes to the prophetic, my ability to operate effectively to deliver messages from God’s heart is directly connected to the level of faith I
possess to do so. No pressure. Thankfully, my faith in God is rooted in His character, promises, and ability…not mine.

          But is this principle, the power inherent in words and a belief system, something we find outside of the spiritual realm? Yes, the research seems to support it. If you recall, I had previously posted about strategies to improve in self-control, and the first one I laid out related to our self-talk and our personal belief about our ability to maintain self-control. In other words, if we believe we are able to maintain self-control, we are more likely to do so. But is there more? And are there influences, no matter how subtle, on our self-talk and the things we
believe about ourselves?

          As it turns out, there is. The field of psychology has been studying a principle called self-fulfilling prophecy from different angles for quite some time. I remember sitting in a 100 level psychology class in undergrad and being introduced to the idea for the first time. It caught my attention and piqued my interest, the thought that someone’s belief system about another person could actually influence behavior and achievements of this other person and wind up impacting him or her in a very real way. Amazing! I recently decided to take another look at some research and discovered some fascinating results.

          A group of researchers did a study on the impact of the self-fulfilling prophecy in romantic relationships. Specifically, they looked at the influence of relationship expectations—whether
or not a couple believed their relationship would be successful. Interestingly enough, they found evidence that their expectations directly influenced what happened in their relationships, and those who expected their relationship to NOT be successful behaved in ways to elicit rejection from their partners. This factor was found to be more prevalent for the women versus the men. These relationships were, ultimately, unsuccessful.

          Another study looked at introversion/extraversion. In this study, people were interviewed, and the interview was specifically manipulated to direct people to believe they were either introverted or extraverted. These people were then observed in a totally new and different situation and, lo and behold, the evidence showed that they had internalized the belief system! Their behavior was consistent with the interviewer’s manipulation! That’s more than a little scary if you ask me!

          What can we take away from this? Our beliefs about ourselves are super important as they directly influence our behavior, choices, and ultimately can impact our achievements and
relationships. It’s also important to be aware that others can have a direct influence on what you believe about yourself. We need to be surrounding ourselves with people, as much as feasibly possible, who believe in our ability to accomplish and achieve and show us this belief by the way they talk to us and treat us. We also need to be tuning in to our self-talk and attuning it to
God’s truth about us, which is found in His Word.

His Word is FULL of promises for our lives, and after looking at these pieces of research, no wonder! God’s heart is full of love, and He wants nothing but the best for each one of us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (KJV). Other versions say words like
“future” and “hope” instead of “expected end.” Romans 13:15 says, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (KJV) and 1 Corinthians 1:20a says, “For all the promises of God in him are yea” (KJV). In other words, God keeps His promises, and His promises give us hope, joy, peace, and a full future. Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy worth keeping.

Pray along with me. Thank You, Lord, that for Your plans for my life. Thank You that Your plans and thoughts are higher and better than mine. Thank You for Your promises, and I pray that You would give me a revelation of Your truth and show me how to attune my thoughts to Your Word and promises for my life. Amen.

Baumeister, R. and Tierney, J. Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength: Willpower,  The Penguin Press, 2011.

Downey, G., et al. “The Self-fulfilling Prophecy in Close Relationships: Rejection Sensitivity and Rejection by Romantic Partners.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 545-560.  

Fazio, R., et al. “Social Perception Following Interaction.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1981,

            vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 232-242 DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.41.2.232