'Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?' Proverbs 18:8
I read this early this morning, and it jumped out at me - I needed to share it!
As I've grown in the Lord He has shown me so much. He's begun a work in me, and He's not through yet! I think it's amazing how His word, so practical and simple, renews, reveals, explains, and changes our very hearts and minds. Something else His word does is protect.
On our own, we can make a real mess out of life! I remember being young - in my teens and early twenties- and participating in gossip. I read that word today and thought, "Oh, yes! I remember that AWFUL feeling in the pit of my stomach afterwards! Oh, I'm so glad God has changed that in me!" (Not that I've never gossiped since I was 24 years old, but it's definitely been more and more scarce over the years and has always been followed by true repentance.) So I read this scripture, and literally remembers the yucky feeling I would get if ever I had gossiped. But, THEN, I RE-read it! And saw that it said that even 'listening to gossip is like junk in our bellies!' I knew I needed to share this... a while back God showed me this very thing about listening to gossip, and I'm not even sure I had even paid attention to this scripture before now, but I just began to stir on the inside. People would say things to me about stuff in their lives, that I really didn't need to know. And I'd just kind of sit there...I'd try and give good advice or just laugh nervously or try and change the subject. I'd leave the conversation feeling extremely heavy in my heart. I went before the Lord, and He eventually revealed to me this very scripture in my spirit and basically said to me... 'listening to gossip is just as bad as participating.' Woah! That was TRUTH to my spirit. I felt the same yucky feeling I'd had when I was participating in it! So God started to deal with me. 'Walk away.' And I do now and it's brought me peace. I encourage you to do the same - Jesus has come to bring life and life more abundantly... Speak words that bring life; Life to you and life to others. His word protect us from feeling yucky!
One more thing-
Don't get caught up in this lie - 'It's my story, and it happened to me, so I can tell about it no matter who else is involved.' Does it bring life and life more abundantly? These are the words we should ask ourselves when we speak. If there answer is no, then do something I heard a kindergartener say the other day, 'Lock it and put it in your pocket.'
I want my readers to know - God uses me, but I'm not perfect. This is a good reminder for me, too. Be excited with me - that He is growing all of us to be more like Jesus!
