Books For Christian - Does Your Tongue Need Healing

Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 0883682397
Pages: 112
Book Type: Paperback
Size: 0.33 x 6.85 x 4.22 inches
Released Date: April 1995

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Table Of Contents

Description:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Every Christian knows it is imperative to keep the tongue under control but finds that he cannot do so himself. Derek Prince provides clear, biblical steps to discipline the tongue so that your words will be spoken for God's glory and your blessing!

1. Death or Life? --- 5
2. The Heart Overflows through the Mouth --- 13
3. The Biblical Picture of the Tongue --- 23
4. Words Determine Destiny --- 33
5. Diseases of the Tongue --- 43
6. The Root of the Problem --- 61
7. First Steps to Healing --- 69
8. The Reason You Have a Tongue --- 79
9. The Importance of Your Confession --- 91

The title for this study is a question: Does Your Tongue Need Healing? As we follow this theme, you may be in for some surprises!

Let me begin by pointing out something very significant about the way in which the Creator designed the human head. Every one of us has seven openings in our head, the number in Scripture which often denotes completeness. We have three pairs of openings: two eyes, two ears, and two nostrils. But the Creator restricted the seventh opening to one, the mouth. I have often asked people, "How many of you wish you had more than one mouth?" But I have never met anyone who did. Most of us have all we can do to use one mouth properly. This one opening causes us more problems than all the other six together!

If you take a Bible concordance and look up all the words related to that one opening such as "mouth," "tongue," "lips," "speech," "words," and so on, you will be amazed how much the Bible has to say about this subject, and it is with good reason. There is no area in our personality more directly related to our total well-being than the mouth and tongue.

In the first section of this study I wish to share a number of passages of Scripture which all emphasize the vital importance of the mouth and the tongue. Then, in subsequent sections, I will deal with principles that arise out of these Scriptures. First, we will consider Psalm 34:11-13:"Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. (NIV)

The inspired Word of God offers to teach us, as God's children, the fear of the Lord. I have a series of audio cassettes which point out that there is nothing in all Scripture to which there is attached greater blessing, fruitfulness and assurance than the fear of the Lord. So when the Scripture offers to teach us the fear of the Lord, it is offering something of infinite value and worth. By implication, the psalmist says here that 'life" and "many good days" go with the fear of the Lord. In Scripture, life in its fullness and the fear of the Lord are always associated together. The measure in which we have the fear of the Lord. is the measure in which we enjoy true life.

Practically speaking, where does the fear of the Lord begin? It is very clear. The psalmist says, 'Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." In other words, the first area of our life in which the fear of the Lord will be practically manifested is our tongue and our lips. If we can keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies, then we can move on into the fullness of the fear of the Lord.

Then, out of the fear of the Lord comes life and many good days. The fear of the Lord, life, good days, and the proper use and control of our tongues and our lips are all bound together. We cannot really have good lives if we do not control our tongues and our lips. Proverbs 13:3 states: "He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. (NIV)

Your soul is your whole personality. It is the real you. This is the area where weakness will be manifested first and where the enemy will gain access first. If you want to guard your soul, you must guard your lips. But if you speak rashly, you will come to ruin. The alternatives are very clear. If you control the tongue, then you have protection; but if your tongue gets out of control and you are not master of your words, then the end is ruin. It is so clear, there are no blurred edges. The whole book of Proverbs is full of these principles. Consider Proverbs 21:23: "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. (NIV)

Again, the vital area that you must protect is your mouth and your tongue. Once again, the alternatives are black and white. There is no gray. If you guard your mouth and tongue, then you guard your soul and your life. You are safe. But if you fail to do that, the alternative is calamity. "Calamity" is a very strong word and I believe the Bible uses it deliberately. The failure to guard our lips and our tongues will ultimately bring us to calamity.

There are two other passages in the book of Proverbs concerning the use of the tongue which are particularly significant. "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. But perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4 KJV)

Where the King James Version says, 'a wholesome tongue," the literal Hebrew says, "the healing of the tongue." This clearly indicates that our tongue can need healing. I believe the tongue of every sinner needs healing. The tongue is one area where sin is always manifested in every life. There are some areas in which a sinner may not offend. But the tongue is one area in which every sinner offends, and it must be healed.

'The healing of the tongue is a tree of life." Notice again the close connection between life and the correct use of the tongue. The alternative is, "perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." Perverseness means "the wrong use.," The misuse of the tongue is a breach, or a leak, in the spirit.

I remember once being in a service where a visiting preacher prayed for a certain person and said, "Lord, fill her with the Holy Spirit."
But the pastor who knew her said, "Don't, Lord; she leaks."

Many get filled and blessed, but it runs out through their tongues. You must keep a tight reign on your tongue if you are going to contain the blessing of the Lord. It is one thing to be blessed; it is another thing to contain the blessing. The healing of the tongue is a tree of life that brings life to us and to others. It works inwardly and outwardly. 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18.21 NAS)

The alternatives are always so clear. It is either death or life. They are both in the power of the tongue. If we use our tongues properly, they will be a tree of life. But if we use our tongues improperly, then the result is death; and whichever way we use our tongues, we can be sure we will eat the fruit. Each one of us eats the fruit of our own tongue. If the fruit is sweet, we will eat sweet fruit. If the fruit is bitter, we will feed on bitter fruit. God has ordained it that way.

The tongue is the decisive member. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.