GOSSIP

Psa 19:14 Rom 1:28-33 2 Tim 3:1-3

It is condemned in Exodus 20:16. When gives a false witness, the next person tells it alittle differently, and the next differently, etc., etc. Your false witness gets enlarged on and scattered all over! Proverbs 6:16-19 is very revealing and leaves no room to misunderstand…God hates these detestable things:

1. Haughty (arrogant) eyes
2. A lying tongue
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
4. A heart that devises wicked plans
5. Feet that run to evil
6. A false witness that pours out lies
7. One who stirs up strife among brothers

That’s a pretty condemning list! And extremely convicting…how many of us can plead innocent to most of that list?

We could well ask, why do people gossip? Here are a few reasons…

1. Pride, repeating negative things about another makes us feel better about ourselves, it is a psychological fact that many times tearing down another’s credibility (bringing them  down to our level) gives us a sense of higher worth.
2. It is a covert way of expressing anger and/or bitterness toward someone without confronting them…behind their back, which is cowardly and ungodly.
3. Jealousy, it can make us do very ugly things to another to hurt or destroy them and their integrity. Negative, critical attitudes foster jealousy and gossip.
4. A careless tongue
5. It influences other people, even if it is totally false

Someone who has a habit of gossip, needs help. Many times we aren’t honest with ourselves, “lying” to self about our talk…unwilling to admit to what our conversation is all about. It’s time to recognize and ask the Holy Spirit to “put a watch on our tongues”…Psa 141:3. We cannot hold animosity toward others and be in right fellowship with the Lord…if we think we can, we are lying to ourselves!!!

The Consequences of Gossip

Matthew 12:33 and Matthew 15:10-11 are pretty revealing verses. Listen:

“Make a good tree and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit…Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “listen and understand, what goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean…but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean.”

Even the following verse is pretty revealing…

”the disciples came to Him and asked, “do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard what you said?’…the religious people that were there got their feelings hurt by the truth…here are some observations about gossips…

1. Reveals the true nature of the heart
2. Reveals a lack of personal discipline
3. Reveals that sin is ruling the nature…can’t control the tongue
4. Drives godly people away
5. Tarnishes your reputation and wit ness
6. Destroys fellowship with God

THE CURE…

1. It begins with repentance
2. Don’t associate with gossips
3. Pray for the person gossiped about

GODLY COMMUNICATION SHOULD:

1. Be constructive and positive ...Listen, show interest that what they are saying has worth and value. Respect the other persons ideas.
2. Be appropriate…right words at the wrong time equate to inappropriate conversation.
3. Be gracious…Jesus spoke with grace and truth…someone listening! There is power in words…both positive and negative…Col 4:5-6

SHOULDN’T:

1. Reveal a dirty heart
2. Grieve the Holy Spirit and ?or interfere with our relationship with God.
3. Isolate and separate ourselves by our words.
4. Lose opportunity to share the Gospel.
5. Ruin out witness.

VERSES ABOUT “TALK”…

DID YOU KNOW????

The Bible says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”...since we have learned that our spirit is born again but our minds are not, we can see the importance of being in the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to renew the mind, that we may walk in a pleasing manner.