A Gossip Betrays a Confidence

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. ~Proverbs 20:19

I Can See Clearly Now

We Can Be Bold!

We can be bold because Jesus was bold. Sometimes we need to remove something so we can add something better. That's my take away from our church service today on John 2:12-24.

Fueling Mean Girls Who Gossip

This week I have been focused on my word study.

The word is: Gossip.

I have asked myself a question: Am I fueling gossip by sharing with someone who doesn’t have my best interests in mind?

There have been times in my life I have struggled with various circumstances. I will tell a person what is going on, ask them to pray, and then I walk away from the conversation feeling like I should have never even shared with them in the first place.

Why? Because I get the impression through their actions/inaction that they only care to know about the juicy details so they can talk about us behind our backs.

I can tell who truly genuinely cares about some of our struggles. I can also tell who is looking at our struggles and scoffing. Live and learn I guess.

I ought to stop being vulnerable with the wrong people. I need to stop giving people who act poorly the benefit of the doubt over and over again.

I can count on less than one hand the people who I trust who care and will pray, who follow-up and do not speak ill of us behind our backs.

More importantly – I ought to focus on Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (H/T: Mommas Time)

I have limited my sharing and feel good about that decision. I can go to God first. If I need help after that I will stick to my core peeps who I know have integrity and won’t throw me under the bus the first chance they get.

Have you ever been vulnerable with the wrong person?

The Words of a Gossip

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. ~Proverbs 18:8

I'm doing a word study on gossip

The more I read what the bible has to say about it, the more I want to steer clear of it. A friend of mine on facebook wrote the following: Simple way to remember how gossip stands out from other talking: 1. INTENT - Harmful. 2. CONTENT - Hurtful.

Someone else had this to say about gossip: I've always been taught that if I am talking with someone about a problem and we are not part of the problem nor part of the solution, it is probably gossip.

This verse really makes me stop and think: A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. ~Proverbs 16:28

Gossip makes me think of Matthew 15 verse 11: What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.

That's some pretty powerful stuff to think and pray on.

What Perverse People Do

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. ~Proverbs 16:28

What Gossips Do

A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. ~Proverbs 11:13

The Thief On the Cross

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. ”  Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43 NIV