The Impossibility of “Tongue Taming”
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).
The Power of Words from the Heart
When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus did not respond with His own thoughts; instead, He quoted Scripture from the belief system of His heart. In doing this, He affirmed the vital importance of God’s Word, “. . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
As soon as Jesus said these words, Satan’s temptation was defeated.
A Guide For A Belief System
This resource starts by explaining the importance of building a belief system in the heart, and then, it shows exactly how to build one, along with the Scripture passages to support that belief system. It is built on the concept that since there are “doors” to our hearts, we must have a “gatekeeper” at each door with a ready response for any temptation that presents itself.
Guard Your Heart with "Gatekeepers"
Each time we are tempted, we should have a Scripture ready to quote, such as the following:
Anger:
“. . . Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).
Guilt:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins . . .” (I John 1:9).
Lust:
“Lust not after her beauty in thine heart" (Proverbs 6:25).
Bitterness:
“. . . if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).
Greed:
“. . . Having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (I Timothy 6:8).
Fear:
“. . . God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
Envy:
“Thou shalt not covet . . . any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17).
Build A Belief System In Your Heart
Identify the Need
Have you ever tried to control your tongue, and then, once you have tried, have words come out of your mouth that you wish you had never said? Have you ever promised yourself that you would not get angry or do things that you know are wrong, and then, go immediately and do them?
There is a very clear reason for this kind of failure: our thoughts, words, and actions are not controlled by our intellect, emotions, or even will power. They are all determined by our heart's belief system.
- Whatever is in our heart will come out of our mouth. As Scripture states, “. . . out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). Therefore, no man can tame his tongue without first, changing the belief system of his heart.
- Our thoughts and actions are also controlled by the imaginations of our heart, “. . . out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man . . .” (Matthew 15:20-21).
The Power of a Belief System
Since our thoughts, words, and actions are controlled by the thoughts of our heart, imagine the joy and freedom of doing what is right because we have a belief system in our heart that is all based on the commands of Christ. This was David’s goal:
- “Thy word have I hid in mine heart (not his mind), that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11),
- “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. [because] The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” (Psalm 37:30,31),
- and, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
The number one priority of our life must be to build a belief sytem in our heart that is based on the powerful words of Scripture: “For the word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The Need to Guard Our Heart
Because our heart controls our thoughts, words, and actions, it is no wonder that God warns us to guard, “. . . thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The issues of life are those matters that are vital to our goals, decisions, and health. What we believe in our heart and speak with our mouth will determine life or death because, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue . . .” (Proverbs 18:21).
The Potential of Healing
The belief system of our hearts and the words of our mouths have the potential of bringing about supernatural results. Jesus explained this when He said to his disciples, “. . . Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:22-24).
The ultimate gift of health is eternal life. This is also obtained by the words of our mouths and beliefs of our hearts. “. . . The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:8-10, 13).
The Gates of our Heart
In its natural state, our heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. However, when we are born again, God’s Holy Spirit comes into our spirits. Also, with the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit, we are able to transform our heart so that it is a source of power and victory. (See Romans 8:16.)