
The scriptures state:
Proverbs 26:22
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts."
Proverbs 11:13 "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."
Proverbs 16:28"A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends."
I have been bothered a lot lately by gossip. It is non scriptural and destructive not only to the one that it is being told about but also of the one that is listening and telling. If it isn't your story then it should not be retold unless you have been given permission by the person that the story is about. Gossip does nothing for the building of the Kingdom of God.
I guess that I have a personal reason for expressing my distaste in gossip because, I have in the past been the one that the juicy gossip was about. It can cause deep emotional trauma and takes a long time to heal the wounds.
There are times when gossip will be disguised as simply a prayer request, other times it can be a down right lie just to emphasize ones personal agenda. As the Body of Christ we are to help build the Kingdom of God not tear it down, gossip does nothing but cause destruction.
I have to confess that at times I do get caught up in listening to gossip but I am trying not to be a part of this destructive behavior, so I am talking to my self as much as to anyone reading this. So from today forward I will be working on building the Kingdom and putting the destructive ways aside, I give you permission to tell this to whomever you choose. ===Skid===
Katie's teacher last year taught the class an acronym for whether words should be spoken or not, THINK. If it passes the test below it is okay to talk about. Not a bad tool, huh?
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