The Igniting Hope Blog

Declarations: The Science Behind It By Steve Backlund Declarations are one of the most practical ways we renew our minds and experience transformation (Romans 12:2). It is speaking life (Proverbs 18:21) and “calling those things that do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17). I have written books about it, taught it extensively, and experienced the benefits of it. What we believe greatly impacts what we feel and will experience. And what we say is a main contributor to

Fasting More or Feasting More? By Steve Backlund Fasting is biblical and important. Jesus fasted, and the early church fasted. Fasting helps us detach from unhealthy appetites and increase focus on the Lord. However, I believe many people lack victory not because they fast too little, but because they are not feasting enough. Too often we are: underfed on hope, underfed on testimonies, underfed on identity, underfed on the goodness of God, underfed on worship, underfed on Scr

Flipping the Script on What We Believe is Hard By Steve Backlund The belief that something is hard (or difficult) is almost always a bigger problem than what we believe is hard. Steve Backlund Hard means “difficult to bear or endure”. “Steve, this city is hard for the gospel.” This is what I was told in 2001 in the first week of my new pastorate. The person who told me this was sincere in expressing his experience, but I knew if I believed and renewed my mind with that bel

“See, I Told You So!” By Steve Backlund Those who say they can, and those who say they can’t, are both right. The story in Numbers 13 and 14 illustrates this. The ten spies said they were not able to overcome the giants in the Promised Land, while Joshua and Caleb said they were. Each group ultimately experienced what they believed and what they said. Both could have said, “See, I told you so. What I believed was the truth.” We are called to be thermostats, not thermometers.