Do Tell ...
The sound is sweeter than honey. Once you hear it, you can’t break loose unless you immediately escape and if you don’t break loose, you will be its victim. The irony of it all is that you feel that you are being held captive but yet you want to stay. It is very pleasant and enticing at first, then you become entrapped to its claws of darkness and despair. Only coming to the realization of what you have been a partaker of: gossip!
Oh, how sweet the sound: gossip! Gossip is defined as a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts; rumor or report of an intimate nature; reports about other people typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. How often does this happen to the body of Christ? It is very easy to be enticed to gossip or to be its recipient. Normally, the person(s) who brings gossip have had plenty of practice. It is almost a game to them. A gossiper purpose is set out to ruin the people lives that they are spreading false truths about. They will fabricate the truth or not tell the truth at all, and make up their own perverted, demented versions to taint an individual(s). Gossiping can be devastating to individuals, causing isolation and a sense of abandonment because of the loss of friends and associates due to the damage of the false truths and tales spread about the person(s). Gossip is from the adversary. It is set up to separate you from your social life so that you will be odd and reclusive; alone. This is where the adversary wants us. Isolated so he can attack our minds. God, our heavenly Father, created us never to be alone. He said it is not good for man to be alone. We are a people made to associate and fellowship with one another.
Many people’s lives have been destroyed because of false rumors and untruths. A gossiper has to come to the realization about what the consequences are with their own behavior in these instances. Gossipers normally do not have a clue, nor do they care, but what goes around comes around. God in heaven says, “whatever a man soweth that shall he reap;” This is a faithful and true saying from heaven. Gossipers will reap what they have sown. Then, and only then, will they have a sobering awakening of the bitter fruits they have sown into other lives.
Gossipers are also notorious for revealing secrets. Secrets are precious and should be hidden and concealed, kept from general knowledge. All men (mankind) have secrets. Many times a concealed matter that is personal and private is revealed to a close family member, friend, or loved one. Storing up secrets can be overwhelming, especially when it’s about you. If you have a personal issue that you feel compelled to talk to someone about, this is normal. As humans, we can only contain so much knowledge and secrets, especially if it’s something that’s hurting you and causing conflict in your life. If you do not share it with someone you will then be left alone to wallow in self-pity, guilt, and even shame where in many cases you shouldn’t feel these things at all. Talking to a loved one or even counseling can take a great weight of frustrations and anxieties off of your heart, spirit, and mind. To communicate to someone about a loss or a personal matter can be a blessing, but to hear your confidential conversation spread all over social media, texts, emails, or hear-tale can be devastating. This will be the menace of a tale- bearer, which we, as Christians, are not to be. Tale bearers can cause tremendous damage to your social and personal life.
If you are a Christian gossiper, and you are saying, “I can’t help myself,” and take delight in doing so, you need to examine your salvation. Have a talk with Jesus. He is waiting for you. God loves you, still, no matter what. Don’t be afraid to go to your heavenly Father about this issue. No one is perfect. We all have fallen into the prey of gossip, and we all must repent (turn around and change your mind), about what you said about the person(s) and tell your heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, that you are truly sorry for gossiping. And your sins will be forgiven. It’s just that simple.
Those who are the recipient of gossiping, do not think you have escaped because you are not the tale-bearer, saying to yourself, “I do not gossip.” If you are listening to gossip, and a Christian, you are to repent for being privy to such falsehood. Again, all God’s people, Christian and non-Christian, have either gossiped or been a recipient of gossip. We, as the body of Christ, must give a def ear to this vulgarity. Gossip goes through the ears but it aims straight to the lower belly, like an arrow. And it strikes your spirit and soul where you are left with a wound that often times feels incurable. This is why many times, we as Christians, do not feel the best after we have encountered the presence of a gossiper. Christ lives in us and the hope of glory. It can literally make us feel ill and it can also cause illness. It wounds our souls and our spirits. It is the word of God.
It is not easy, but you must be strong in Jesus Christ, when someone wants to gossip to your ears. This is when you are to say, “not today.” Remember, there will always be vicious people in the world who will never regret, or be sorrowful, for ruining other people’s lives with this mishandled rhetoric. Keep yourselves away from these people. Their only goal is to sabotage your lives. These are gossipers that set out to destroy everyone they can. Then there are those, from time to time, not purposely seeking to hurt anyone, but just get caught up in a moment, and are truly sorry for gossiping and repenting because of the words of this letter, from God to you. You are who the Lord Jesus Christ is trying to reach!
The next time someone says to you, “Oh, I have something to tell you about…”, say to them, “I do not want to hear gossip today, but do tell the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Amen.
“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly” (PROVERBS 18:8) KJV.
“A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (PROVERBS 11:13) KJV.
“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker:” (II TIMOTHY 2:16-17) KJV.
May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Rev. Helen Trower
