Taming the Tongue

 

I snapped this photo while making deliveries for my business. It looked so peaceful there!

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” —‭‭James‬ ‭3:9-12‬ ‭

This morning the reading assignment in my Life Journal reading plan was the book of James, only 5 short chapters, but full of so much wisdom! Wow! Each time I read this book it seems I get more revelation and more and more color highlights my Bible. The tongue is such a powerful thing… I used to use it to destroy others, including my husband… I couldn’t believe that I had just praised God, listening to and singing worship music, and then resorted to my old fleshly ways of letting anger (and the devil) take hold of me. I’m in my Bible each day, I’ve been through deliverance, so what gives?

It’s a renewing of the mind, a recognizing of old patterns rising up that need to be suppressed (uprooted rather) and countered with Truth.

You can get rid of the demon but without closing the door that was opened to them in the first place, you can’t expect different results. It comes down to recognizing trigger points for the anger, the addiction, the depression, the anxiety, the (fill in blank) and taking them captive, because each time we give in, we give the devil a foothold, and soon it will become a stronghold (Eph. 4:27).

As believers, we CAN find freedom from that which has bound us from childhood. It takes some work on our part though—meeting God halfway. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. That can be difficult after a lifetime of acting/reacting out of the flesh, but it’s possible. It has been over a year since I’ve had an angry outburst that left me feeling like a failure and hypocrite (this is what Satan wants).

Our first visit to the beach this year on Resurrection Sunday. FREEDOM!

Do I still get angry? Sure. Do I raise my voice at times? Yes. But I am now able to recognize it and repent of it before it goes any further to insults or throwing things… Repentance is key if you want to change. Don’t let pride get the best of you and go to bed angry holding on to bitterness. If you do, that stronghold will surely be formed, and it will be easier to keep repeating the same behavior.

I hope to some day not even get to the point of raising my voice, but rather be taken from glory to glory, becoming more and more like the Father. Humility is of utmost importance. It’s not easy, but it makes all the difference.

 
If you can relate to anything I have written, know that there is hope. Christ wants you free from the bondage of your flesh. No medication can help issues that are rooted in your childhood, your past. It may help by unplugging the “check engine” light, but you will likely find yourself fighting the same demons and wondering why you can’t have the freedom that God’s word speaks of.

We were meant for more. We don’t have to be our addiction, our disability, our depression, our disease, our anxiety. We don’t have to own it as our identity, our label. Jesus wants to take that from us and give us HIS identity. Oh beloved, we were made for so much MORE! Believe it. Receive it. Repent of ungodly thoughts, actions, and words spoken. Most importantly, forgive yourself. We are our own worst critic.

Here are some books I recommend for further reading:

–The Holy Bible (Duh! 😜)

–Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

–12 Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer

–Think like Heaven by Bob Hazlett

–Root Issues by Mayra Leon

Disclaimer: I have been set free from depression, anxiety, fear, and a host of other strongholds through deliverance, prayer, and seeking hard after the Lord. This is not to imply that demonic influence is at the root of every issue, but I know from experience that it is for many. I assist with deliverance ministry and have seen people set free from things that doctors said they would struggle with for a lifetime and take meds for. I am one of them. For more information on this ministry, check out Above & Beyond Counseling Ministries.