From the Heart: Healing Communication from the Inside Out

It is impossible to navigate this life without communication with other humans. Connection and the need for it are what bring people together.

The lack of it, unfortunately, is often what can drive a wedge, forcing apart the closest of relationships. Our connection is enhanced by communication, that is the release and receipt of messages, both verbal and non-verbal. We employ sounds, gestures, and facial expressions to convey our meaning and gather messages in our communication with others.

Somewhere in our contact with others, we will encounter conflict. As much as we might try to circumvent it, it can seem impossible. Billions of people populate the world, though one God created and formed each of us in His image. Yet as consistent as He is, He created us with such diversity. Within the realm of differences, we sometimes butt up against each other.

Instead of our difference being a place where we celebrate the Father’s various facets of His person into humanity, we long for sameness. We enter a conflict ourselves, wanting to fit in and be like others.

Yet, when we interact with others who are not like us, we persecute them as being inherently wrong. Essentially, pride and fear are at work, persuading us to make others over in our image instead of celebrating God’s image in each of us. This prompts us to spar with each other, leading to contention instead of cultivating connection, and gaining the traction to release more of the knowledge of God’s glory into the earth.

Communication to solve people problems.

While it seems that this clamoring would be a “world” problem, far too often, those of us who are members of the worldwide church war and fight one another unnecessarily. This isn’t new; it’s an age-old people problem.

Several of the apostles specifically addressed discord with the early church in various epistles. This kind of in-fighting continues in our times, leaving little room to wonder why the world around us doesn’t always want what we have to offer. We haven’t been portraying the fullest picture of who Jesus called us to be and what He called us to do.

Jesus Christ is always the Head of the Body and our eternal King of Kings. However, we who are the members sometimes don’t realize that we don’t have tovie or perform for position to live abundantly in the place He’s designed us to occupy.

There is more than enough of the Father’s love to sustain us for our relationship, as well as for our unique roles and giftings. The culprit behind division is often our sense of unworthiness and insecurity that persuades us that we have to lord over one another. Here, our soul fractures lead us into misusing communication and connection to harm where we could heal.

Communication for healing hearts.

If we want to heal our communication, then we need to begin by healing our hearts. The Bible is clear about the relationship between our ability to form worlds and realities with our words. It also underscores the nature of our hearts, and how they inform what comes out of our mouths.

Jesus made this clear in His discourse with the religious leaders of His era. It isn’t about what goes into a man, but rather what comes out that defiles Him (Matthew 15:19-20). It’s the wicked nature of the heart that needs to find its redemption in repenting and turning to the Lord.

Healing our hearts begins with presenting our entire selves back to the Lord. Our hearts will lead us on a reckless path, as they are prone to wander and to do what they want, at will and whim.

When we offer ourselves to the Lord, as an ongoing sacrifice, we make room for the Holy Spirit to do work that overhauls our internal landscape. In Christ, we can trade the burden of insecurity for a godly identity, inadequacy for God-confidence, and insufficiency for fulfillment.

Power in words.

The Word of God in us doesn’t just have power, it is power. It is more than a string of Scriptures and spiritual jargon, but rather the eternal authority that brings life to dead areas needing resurrection.

Where that concerns our communication, meditating and rehearsing Scripture transform us from the inside out. It acquaints us with our identity, builds our esteem, and undergirds confidence based on who God is for us, in us, and through us.

Instead of warring against ourselves or others with words, we learn to partner with the Lord to activate the power of His Word to reshape our mindsets.

Pause and pay attention.

He helps us to monitor the thoughts that we entertain, bringing them captive to obey Christ. Furthermore, He helps us to take pause and pay attention, vetting the words that populate our internal scripts and emerge in our external speech.

This doesn’t happen immediately, but rather is a process that we walk through with the Lord. Sometimes, we need to enlist the help of a counselor to support us in changing how we think and therefore how we speak.

Professional support.

Once we have been exposed to a better way of being with the Lord or even professional therapists, we can’t reverse what we’ve seen and experienced. As we grow, the Holy Spirit reveals a new and living way to us and in us.

While it may seem simplistic, Jesus meant for our transformation to be one marked by ease and grace. Life will still have challenges, and naturally, we will still encounter conflict within and conflict with others. However, as we surrender the oppressive weight that negative words have pressed upon us, we can find ways to use words to heal, uplift, and encourage.

Possess the promises.

That is an inside job, however, occurring in our minds where the enemy launches his most intense assault. As we learn to disengage and break agreements with the spiritual influences that have tethered us to fear, doubt, and the pain associated with traumatic experiences, we can also declare the positive elements of God’s promises to drive out the enemy and his agents.

While we may have done nothing to incur some of our negative life experiences, we have the authority to subdue the spirit at work behind it. It is our responsibility to partner with God to uproot and eject anything that subverts the work of God or sabotages the purpose of God for our lives.

Power for overcoming.

We don’t have to wait until we come face to face with our Heavenly Father on the other side of eternity. We can receive the Word’s power to comfort us in this life, embracing its power to change our words, too.

Our commitment is to continue to study and read the Word, apply and obey it. The Holy Spirit is the One who does the intense work within. The Word of God familiarizes us with the language of Heaven, introducing and upgrading us into promises of peace and joy that characterize the abundant kingdom of life.

Communication for personalized affirmations.

When we read the Word aloud and create personalized affirmations based on relevant passages of Scripture, we activate the authority to shift minds, bodies, and atmospheres. In essence, all of creation, including the seen and unseen forces, must bow to the creative might of God’s Word, working through our mouths to speak life and light.

The words we speak don’t remain imprisoned in our own lives, however. As our lives reflect the proof of God’s good, acceptable, and perfect Will, they can’t help but overflow, releasing His love and kindness to others who encounter us. The same words that transform our view of self are breathed by the Holy Spirit to heal and raise those around us.

Next steps for healing communication.

Making any sort of positive change begins first inside. As you present yourself continually to the Lord, embrace the transformation that He brings.

While you may need support with working through some of the internal words that have governed your soul to this point, search our site to locate and schedule with a counselor. You have the Word and the words within to bring about the change you want in your communication, all from the heart side out.