Fire, Freedom, Breakthrough, No Limits!

 
Steve and Wendy Backlund 
 
In this session, Steve and Wendy Backlund share the importance of valuing joy and laughter in your 
life. Laugh at the lies you have believed and you will see breakthroughs happen in your life and the 
lives of people around you. 
 
Where Are Your Hope Levels? 
Hope Is Attached to a Belief System 
● People don’t want to follow hopeless people. 
● Hope is attached to a belief system. If you want to have hope, you have to change what you 
believe. 
● You’re only able to receive what you think you’re worth. 
● John 8:35-36 
Hope for Your Future 
● Stop identifying yourself as a brain but as a spirit that is training your brain. 
● Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises 
of God. 
● Hebrews 10:23 
● “Hope people” think they have a lot of options. 
● Make God bigger than your mistakes. 
● A bad decision made in faith is better than a good decision made in doubt. 
 
Valuing Joy 
Embrace All Joy 
● If you embrace hope you have to embrace all joy. 
● Romans 15:13 
● You don’t need joy at the end of the battle, you need joy in the middle of the battle. 
● If you really want strength and health, then you have to value joy. 
● You know what you value by what you make time for. 
● Psalm 16:11 
● A chronic lack of joy is a representation of an incomplete God encounter. 
● Romans 14:17 
● Under a religious mindset it’s impossible to be joyful. 
Joyful Progress 
● Family celebrates and becomes joyful with progress. 
● When children are learning to walk, you don’t use the falls to prove they can’t walk. You use 
the one step to prove they ​can​ walk. 
● Any word in your head that makes you want to quit and makes you tired isn’t from God. 
● Children laugh 400 times a day. Adults only laugh fifteen times a day. 
● There’s no progress unless someone is trying something new. 
 
Lies to Laugh At 
Laugh at These Lies! 
● God is not going to provide for your needs in the future. 
● God’s ability to provide for your needs depends on how the economy is doing. 
● God’s ability to provide for your needs is dependent on how you are doing. 
 ● You are an unimportant person in the body of Christ. 
● Your region is an impossible region for revival to breakout in. 
● Because of your region’s sinful history, God does not like your region. 
● You’ll never change. 
● Your spouse will never change. 
● Your finances will never change. 
● Your roommate will never change. 
● Laughter in the church is from the devil. 
 
Moving Forward 
Good Beliefs 
● The kingdom of God is not moved forward by good conduct, it’s moved forward by good 
beliefs. 
● Romans 10:17 
● The strongest prophetic words have identity statements in them. 
● The devil can do nothing when you think right. 
● Romans 12:2 
Authentic Self 
● Pride isn’t thinking you’re great. Pride is thinking you’re greater than other people. 
● The only people who are afraid of stealing God’s glory are the ones who don’t know how 
great He is. 
● You have to say something higher than you are experiencing. 
● Who do you want to be authentic to? Your dead self or your resurrected self? 
 
 
Steve’s 25 Declarations 

1. Adaptability – I will thrive no matter what happens. (Philippians 4:11-13) 

2. Hope – I believe the future will be better than the present and I have the power to help make 
it so. (Romans 15:13; Jeremiah 29:4-11) 
3. Faith – I am thankful that God’s promises and my past prayers are working in my life, my 
family’s lives, my circumstances, and my nation. (Hebrews 11:1) 
4. Forgiveness – My intentional forgiveness creates well-being for others and for me. (Luke 
23:24; Acts 7:60-8:1) 
5. Long-Term Thinking – My beliefs and choices are leaving a positive legacy for generations to 
come. (Hebrews 11:20) 
6. Joy and Laughter – I have strength and longevity because I consistently activate joy and 
laughter in my life. (Nehemiah 8:20; Proverbs 17:22) 
7. Solutions – In every situation I face, I have many options, solutions, and divine ideas. There is 
always a solution. (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:5) 
8. Beliefs About Others – I see people according to their potential, not according to their past. 
(2 Corinthians 5:16; Judges 6:12) 
9. Soul Prosperity – My response to something is almost always more important than the 
something. (3 John 2) 
10. “Bottom-Lining” – Even if the worst happens, I will be okay. (Daniel 3:16-18) 
11. Training Focus – My current challenges and frustrations are my training ground for the 
greater influence I will have in the future. (James 1:2-5; Romans 5:3-4; Psalm 119:71) 
 12. Peace – Peace is one of my strongest weapons in prayer. (Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 16:20) 
13. Follow Through and Integrity – I make commitments with forethought, and I follow through 
on what I say I will do. (Matthew 5:37; Psalm 15:4b) 
14. Imagination – I use my imagination to activate my faith. (2 Corinthians 4:18) 
15. Identity – I am not who my past says I am; I am who God says I am. (2 Corinthians 5:17; 
Hebrews 10:14) 
16. Staying Relational – I will not withdraw my heart from people who disappoint me or that I 
hear negative information about. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 1 Timothy 5:19) (This does not mean 
that at times we won’t have boundaries in relationships.) 
17. Forward Movement – My forward movement in life causes Red Seas to part. (Exodus 
14:15-21; Philippians 3:13) 
18. Courage – I am brave and run at my Goliaths. (1 Samuel 17:48) 
19. Authenticity – My authenticity connects my heart to people and gives hope to them. 
(Philippians 3:12; 1 Peter 5:5-6) 
20. Unique Purpose – I understand my assignment and giftings, and I know what God’s called 
me to do and not to do. (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11) 
21. Decision Making – I am a great decision maker and attach faith to every decision I make. 
(Romans 14:5; James 1:5) 
22. Being Loved by God – I am unconditionally loved by God and worthy to receive love and 
blessings today. (1 John 4:19; Luke 15:20) 
23. Valuing Process – I don’t wait for perfection to celebrate myself and be joyful. (Philippians 
3:12-14) 
24. Encouraging Others – I radically encourage others daily. (Hebrews 10:24-25; Hebrews 3:13) 
25. Spiritual Laws – I honor God’s spiritual laws therefore I increase in favor, finance, health, and 
happiness. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2-3) 

Try this experiment with me: say the declarations listed above morning and night for 30 days and 
then let us know what happens. I believe you won't be sorry you did. For more on this, please listen 
to Igniting Hope’s podcast at https://ignitinghope.com/podcasts/