A few mornings ago a friend was awakened with this:
Compound national stronghold: GOSSIP.
As I've thought about this The Holy Spirit has been showing me things, how He's worked on me in the past and where this is going.
PROVERBS 18:21 Death and Life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it eat it's fruit. When I realized that this meant I needed to watch my mouth (about 10 years or so ago) God started showing me how often I spoke "death". Not only did I not say loving things to people when I was upset but I gossiped and that is a form of death speaking. There was a time in my life that gossip helped me feel better about myself. If I pointed a finger at someone else then maybe I was better than they were and also maybe someone wouldn't look too closely at me. Root: needed to know God's LOVE for me and others. When I finally got a beginning revelation of that it was easier to have compassion for others. While writing this I heard, "I resist the proud but give grace to the humble". When pointing fingers at someone else pride was there, not humility.
Lately I've been having to be very careful about what I'm saying regarding some people That frustration springs from not liking the way people at my husband's work treat him. For years he and I both spoke "words of death" over them. By that I mean that we talked badly about them, not that we spoke things like I wish they'd die......... BUT GOD has shown us that He's in control, that we need to speak blessings and we don't have a clue what they are rally dealing with in their lives. Most of what I suspect God is showing me right now is my own heart's motives. He's even asking me why I watch so much news and other programs. I'm turning the news off when gossip starts. I always loved reading mysteries and from that came an interesting in the forensic shows, yet there's lot of gossip in them.
In this time of purifying His Body I suspect the core of our thought-life will be challenged and this will have to be implemented: Phil 4: 8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Because out of the abundance of our heart our mouths speak so we have to have His heart in ours.
This is just the beginning of understanding this. There is gossip every where I turn. God says in Romans 1 it is one of the sins worthy of death.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Compound National Stronghold: Gossip
Posted by LIFESPEAKER at 10:57 AM
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2 comments:
Powerful and very thought provoking! I receive the instruction and correction (I know you were not correcting me, but the Holy Spirit was). I have also been trying to watch my attitude toward things and consider murmuring a part of gossip. They are all part of the judgement and control issues... like, "if I were doing this then I would do it differently"... when it is really not my business.
I think of when Peter and Jesus were talking and Jesus told Peter that when you are old "this and this" will happen. Peter turned and asked - what about John? Jesus told him that it was not any of his business about John, he should only be concerned with his own life. (of course, that's my translation)
So, I'm trying not only not to gossip, but not to judge, critize or murmur... I've found it easier to just sleep all day and not say or think! (jk) This is VERY hard, but the Holy Spirit gives us power to do it if we ask.
Amen & Amen!!!
Great teaching.. & A GREAT REMINDER!!!
Years ago, I started learning about gossip when some neighbors were gossiping about me. What they were saying was so far from the truth that it wasn't even funny. My husband was out of town on business. They had decided I was suddenly divorced & dating the man who came over in a white car. I did nicely informed them that my husband was out of town on business & the man in the white car was my brother coming over to make sure my children & I were okay. The incident made me realize how quick people are to jump to assumptions & conclusions without knowing the truth. I also realized that I had done the same thing about others too.
God used the incident to teach me many lessons - gossip just being one. You are right, often we don't have a clue what others are dealing with in their private lives & we judge in error because they are acting weird or different than 'we' would expect them to or different than we would.
I did a teaching on 'words' once. God would only let me use scriptures in the teaching - none of my own opinions. I knew God said a lot, but it was so amazing how much more he said. He gives us an abundance of warnings to watch our words & to bless & not curse.
I learned to ask God to help people when they are acting strange or blasting me for no apparent good reason. Very often, they have hidden problems that I don't know about, but God does. Being human, I do need reminders & this was a good one. Thanks!
The Holy Spirit uses you to speak great wisdom.
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