Gossip//Slander
Gossip: Idle talk or rumor, especially about the private affairs of othersSlander: rumors, malicious, false and defamatory statement or report
We have all been guilty of this and we have all been hurt by it. Yet it still is one of those "white lies" that we tell ourselves is ok. I mean it's not technically wrong to exaggerate things right?? Or the commonly used line... "I want to share this personal fact to get the person help".
I'll be the first to admit... I'm guilty. I used to love finding out those juicy details of peoples lives. The ones that make you think WHAT? I thrived on being the first person to find something out. My sisters used to joke about me being the go to person when they had a question. [Shame on me!] It makes me sick to think that used to be me. I still am far from perfect and catch myself slipping up sometimes... hello construction zone!
I feel as if there is no way that I could be living and honest Christian life. Sure I claimed to be a Christian, went to church regularly and studied the Word. But doing things is not enough. My heart was very hard. Jealous of girls I thought were prettier than me, wanting what others had, doing things to make myself feel better or one step ahead. It was like an addiction. The more you gossip the more you have to keep doing it to keep yourself feeling better. It's a never ending vicious cycle.
Little did I realize... I didn't need any of that. I needed to realize how much He loves me! After all I am a princess of the King! I have been doing a lot of work on my heart in the past few years. It has not been easy. I think that we never actually mean to be "those people".
Friends, putting other people down in any way will set you back not place you ahead. Stretching the truth and assuming is never ok in ANY situation.
Lies from the devil
- Putting someone down makes your mistakes look better.
- It's ok if they never found out you were the one to tell.
- They said hurtful things about you in the past.
- Those who speak truth from their heart
- Those whose tongue utters no slander
- Those who keep a promise even when it hurts
In James 3:6 James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire- the tongue's wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, and no one can stop the results once they are spoken. We dare not be careless with what we say, thinking we can apologize later, because even if we do, the scars remain. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, remember that words are like fire- you can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.
*source: Life Application Study Bible notes.
Your words are powerful! They reflect your relationship with Christ!
Let's Speak Life; Speak Hope; Speak Love <3
3 comments:
Great words of wisdom Jess! I think us females also have a tendency to be more gossip-y and slanderous with our words. There's an awesome book on it actually called "A Way with Words" by Christine Ditchfield (I think that's who authored it... don't know for sure). Really liked how you put those lies into convicting words that we tend to believe too.
Ouch, my toes hurt too! Thanks for the challenge and reminder to speak blessings and life into people rather than curses. Great to hear your thoughts again! :)
Yes! I love it, girl! You bless me.
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