First Steps To Healing

There are three simple practical as well as scriptural steps to dealing with the problem of the tongue.

The first step involves honesty. During his terrestrial reign, Jesus called a spade a spade. That is, he called actions by their lawful name. When someone committed an unjust act, he called it sin. Individuals who followed the way of the Lord were called righteous.

In matters dealing with the tongue, we are instructed to do the same. It is extremely important that we not use fancy or flowery words when speaking of the excess use of the tongue, and call it by its rightful name, SIN. Also, when our tongue is out of control, our only means of getting it under control is to admit that we have a problem and ask for God’s assistance.

Believers and unbelievers alike must be aware of the powerful nature of the tongue. In the book of Matthew 12:3-7, the writer warns " By your words you are justified, by your words you are condemned."

The second step of receiving healing involving the tongue is Confession and Seeking Forgiveness. First John 1:7-9 states, "But if we are living and walking in the Light as He is in the Light, we have (true, unbroken) fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt (keeps us cleansed from sin in all forms and manifestations). Amplified Bible

To receive the healing we need, it is imperative, and we must confess our sins. God can provide all the cleansing in the world, but it cannot be achieved without first confessing. By confessing, we acknowledge our inabilities and failures. By doing so, we allow the doors of God’s forgiveness and cleansing to be opened widely. This forgiveness was made available by the shed blood of God’s own Son. Therefore, "if we confess our sins, he is not only faithful but just to forgive us of our sins and not only that, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The third and final step to healing involving the tongue that will be discussed is The Refusal of Sin and Yielding To God. In the book of Romans 6:12-14, the apostle Paul declares, "Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions. Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members (and faculties) to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to life……….Amplified Bible

The challenge for us is to yield our lives over to God. We cannot in and of ourselves control our tongue. According to the writer of James 3:7-8, "Every kind of beast, bird, reptile and sea animal can be tamed and has been tamed by human genius (nature). But no man can tame the human tongue. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison. With it, James declares that we can bless someone and then curse someone else. He goes on to instruct/ warn us that these things ought not to be.

In order to receive true healing, we must acknowledge that we have sinned, ask the Father who is just and capable of forgiveness, and to refuse the temptation to sin which can only be accomplished by soliciting the help of the Father.

By Naomi J. Brown