I AM USING MY TONGUE FOR GOOD
Dom wrote a powerful post on gossip and slander the other day. And in light of I Am So Many Things being all about the power of our words, I thought it was a vital and insightful bit of teaching to share with you all.
Check out what the Bible says about gossip in this encouraging list of 32 scriptures about gossip!
I remember once I was at a Christian singles weekend and this sister started talking about this great looking guy who had arrived recently at church. Another sister piped up about how flakey and unreliable he was. Soon there was a chorus of agreement amongst these girls and this man’s name was being destroyed. I actively confronted the whole group with scripture about the deathly power of our tongues, when left unbridled (Prov 18:21).
I was the only guy amongst about six girls in that part of the house at the time. My heart was beating with nerves but my spirit was filled with unction, godly jealousy and my voice and gaze carried a holy authority. The conversation was shut down and there was a sense of sobriety and contrition. Years later the ring leader of that conversation took me aside and told me how that incident had marked her walk with God. She thanked me earnestly. I thanked God.
We live on a trading floor of words and agreements, filled with spirits, demons and angels, each kingdom looking to work with what we bring to the table. What the leviathan spirit does: it twists words, brings confusion, distortion and makes people hear something that wasn’t said. That spirit, working with the flesh of a hurt individual particularly, will then cause the lying message to be sown as far and wide as possible. This can be a great victory for darkness and evil.
We must shut it down, in Jesus’ name! Guard your tongue, don’t entertain gossip and ideally actively rebuke it (in love), and delight in the fear of the Lord.
Each person is viewing life through a very bespoke lens. They are hearing words through a life of blessings and hurt in varied measure. Each person has an Adamic flesh which lusts unless it is mortified. Gossip is a tasty morsel to the flesh. So is offense. As such, it’s often helpful to reflect back in conversation and even to ask someone what they have heard to keep that lying spirit at bay. Remember, people often remember how they were made to feel more than the actual content, so love covers well in this raging battle field.