Be Smart ~ Don't Start

I don't want to hear it!

There is an old Spanish proverb that says, "Whoever gossips to you will also gossip about you." You're no exception! The gossip-monger goes after everybody. I want to develop a reputation for being the one the gossip-mongers know will not be interested in their tale bearing. Then they will move on to a more willing victim.

Gossip is an interesting subject, that's the attraction and why so many succumb to it's seduction. Gossip is easy communication. But its always malicious and damaging. It reveals to the world how shallow the gossip-monger is. They don't have any depth of conversation to speak of, so they wade in the shallow end of the pool continually.

I met this girl one time, we quickly became friends. We started meeting up under the guise of having Bible study together. The problem was we never cracked our Bibles open. I had to shut the door on these get-togethers. Jesus said, "One thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word (Luke 10:38-42)... not gossip.

Sometimes, because someone makes us angry, we will gossip to someone else about what they did. I did this with my former husband and all it did was make a bad situation worse. Truth be told... most people are not interested in your problems. If that is all you have to talk about, they will soon start to avoid you. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. (Prov. 18:21 Amplified Bible)

Proverbs 11:13(NLT - New Living Translation) A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

What I should've done concerning my ex-husband, was to keep quiet and pray! There's no telling how God could've turned it around if I had not been killing it with my tongue.

Prov. 16:27-29 NLT

Scoundrels create trouble;
   their words are a destructive blaze.
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
   gossip separates the best of friends.
Violent people mislead their companions,
   leading them down a harmful path.

Prov. 18:6-8 NLT
Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;
   they are asking for a beating.
The mouths of fools are their ruin;
   they trap themselves with their lips.
Rumors are dainty morsels
   that sink deep into one’s heart.

Prov 20:19 NLT

A gossip goes around telling secrets,
   so don’t hang around with chatterers.

Prov. 26:17-22 NLT

Interfering in someone else’s argument
   is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
Just as damaging
   as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
is someone who lies to a friend
   and then says, “I was only joking.”
Fire goes out without wood,
   and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
A quarrelsome person starts fights
   as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
Rumors are dainty morsels
   that sink deep into one’s heart.

The apostle Paul also warns against gossip in Rom. 1:29-30, 2 Cor. 12:20 and 1 Tim. 5:13. An idle mind is truly the devil's workshop.

The O'Jays sang a song called The Backstabbers - They're Smiling in Your Face. "They hold long blades clenched tight in their fist, aiming straight at your back and I don't think they'll miss."

The Temptations also sang a song called Smiling Faces... "Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend. Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within. Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth. Sometimes smiling faces tell lies. Beware of the handshake that hides a snake. Beware of the pat on the back, it just might hold you back. Jealousy, misery, envy... you can't see behind those smiling faces. Don't let the handshake and the smile fool you."

Choose your friends and associates wisely. Don't get caught up in the hype - the hype can leave you deflated. Gossip can separate the best of friends. What goes around comes back around. We reap a harvest of the seeds we sow. Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear (Ps. 66:18). When Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they hid themselves from the Lord because they were ashamed (Gen. 3:8). After we have acted the fool, then afterward we feel ashamed.

The untamed tongue is a small member and boasts of great things. Just a small bit of kindling can burn down an entire forest. The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity which can defile the whole body... and set on fire the course of nature (James 3:5-6). It can destroy an entire organization or church. But I know the One who can tame the tongue, if you want to be set free.

Sin does not have dominion over the believer (Rom 6:14). We are not without a way of escape. Jesus said, "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Therefore, we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:37-39).

Go in peace!