One of the main traps of offense the devil likes to use is scandalous gossip. The truth is it’s hard to think of anything that works as efficiently as gossip to cause hurt and offense between two people.
Just think about the game “telephone” that you used to play when you were a child. You would whisper a sentence in someone’s ear; then that person would whisper whatever he heard into the ear of the next person.
This same process would continue around the circle of people who were playing the game. And by the time the last person heard what had been passed around the circle, it would be something entirely different than the original sentence!
Often it seems that scandal circulates just that way in the body of Christ. Someone shares with another person a piece of information regarding another believer’s personal life. Before you know it, what started out as a simple story has escalated into juicy gossip that no longer resembles the original account at all! And the person who is the source of discussion is the one who suffers.
The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the dangers of gossip and scandal. Let’s look at some of those Scriptures:
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
(Prov. 11:13 NIV)A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
(Prov. 16:28 NIV)A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.
(Prov. 20:19 NIV)Without wood a fire goes out, without gossip a quarrel dies down.
(Prov. 26:20 NIV)
God is giving us a very clear message: As Christians, we must be very careful to avoid giving offense by repeating a scandalous gossip.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Kate McVeigh has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad for over 35 years! Kate teaches people how to rise above challenging circumstances and win in life through a personal relationship with a loving God!
Kate’s testimony is truly inspiring. She struggled in school as a teen being painfully shy and vowed never to speak in front of people. However, after receiving the Lord at age 16, she was healed of a learning disability and immediately began speaking in front of crowds big and small, boldly sharing that God can take your hurt and turn it into healing. Your mess can become a message of Victory, and your test can be turned into a powerful testimony helping others to receive God’s goodness and love!
After high school, Kate graduated from Rhema Bible College and began her full-time traveling ministry more than 35 years ago. Speaking hundreds of times each year in churches, conferences, TV appearances, and through her daily radio broadcast, The Voice of Faith. Kate has authored many books, and some of her best-selling books such as The Blessing of Favor, Get Over It, and others have been translated into more than ten different languages.
As your Faith Coach, Kate will help teach you how to win in life by applying and standing on the powerful promises found in God’s Word.