January 7
How often have you had issues with
someone talking mess on social media or among themselves about you and feeling
extremely angry to the point that you are fuming? People blasting your business
after you told someone in confidentiality what you were going through is humiliating. You were betrayed and it is a tough place to be in. Another example I can use is how about a person (s) knowing what kind of life you led before you rededicated
your life back to Christ and now that you are doing God’s business, they don’t
let you forget where it is that you came from? These people who do this I call
them “spiritual vampires.” Whether
these people know it or not, they suck the very life-force out of you. So if you are going through something like this, I
want you to not give up on God!!!
The Bible states that “we all have
sinned and fall short for of the
glory of God” and gossiping is a sin. My confession to you is that I
have been on both sides of the spectrum and let me assure you, that when I was
talking about others, it was out of what I thought was “love,
compassion and sisterly love” but that was far from the truth. I used “Christianity”
to talk about others and to “pray” for them when all the while I was hurting
them. I am ashamed that I have done that in the past. Don't know why I did it because being talked about broke
my heart and at times I was a mess, especially when the ones talking about me were also doing
the same…“Christian love.” It was not fun being at the receiving end of malicious
gossip.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:16 “keeping a clear conscience, so that those
who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of
their slander” and often I was ashamed of my slander (gossip) because it
came back to haunt me. In fact, my grandmother would often say, “if the foundation in your relationships is
built on gossip, then your relationship will inevitably end up in gossip.”
As I have mentioned before, hurting people hurt people and gossip
is a vicious cycle. By the way, where do you think gossip first sprang up?
Probably if you are a man reading this question, you may be thinking that gossiping
started with a bunch of women. Well...you are wrong. So, please allow me to define what
gossip means to me. Gossip is talking about someone and their business without their
knowledge and with malicious intent. This intent is to cause damage or pain. Gossip can be unintentional or
intentional but the end result is still the same pain.
So, here is a story. There was once a
perfect being and he began to get a bit jealous of his Master. In time, he
began to talk about his Master to the rest of other perfect beings and then one day
he had a third of these perfect being believe in a lie. Does this story sound
familiar? Well, the other hint is that gossip did not begin on earth but rather it began in
Heaven. Yes, you read correctly. Heaven was the place and Lucifer now (Satan)
was the instigator. He wanted Jesus’s position in heaven.
The Bible states that
Christ knew what his creation was thinking “How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut
down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High.” Isaiah 14:12-14 but Jesus gave Lucifer what he has given us humans...free choice.
Lucifer’s
hate and jealousy started in his heart and then because of these rogue feelings Lucifer began to talk about Christ
to the other angels. This is how he was able to take a third of the angels with
him at his dreaded fall from grace. This story really impacted me because gossiping first began in Heaven as a result from hatred and jealousy. This led me to do something outside of my comfort zone. In the Spring of 2015, I began to go back to people whom I have hurt through gossip many years
ago. Some our relationship started in gossip and they wanted to remain in
gossip while others were accepting and moved on at peace.
My
conscious is clear and I have been clean and sober from gossiping and closer to
God. I had to come to God and confess my sins and he cleansed me. If you have
had issues with gossiping, it is never too late to come to the Lord. You can be
anew again but first confess your sins to Christ. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 “but
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and
cleansing us from all unrighteousness.”
So,
stop talking mess of others and spring into a new you through Christ and see
what possibilities await you.
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