I've been pricked by the Holy Spirit when someone is telling me something about another person and then I go and repeat it to someone else. When I got saved, gossiping is one of the things I really tried to avoid but there were times that the story about someone was so intriguing, that I listened...and repeated, to my shame. Have you ever been to a wedding or baby shower and played the game where something was whispered to one person and then it was passed to the next person on down the line until it reached the last one who told the story out loud? It was never the same as it was originally told and everyone had a good laugh.
Let's take a look at what the Word says about the tongue:
JAMES 3:1 MY BRETHREN, BE NOT MANY MASTERS, KNOWING THAT WE SHALL RECEIVE THE GREATER CONDEMNATION. 2 FOR IN MANY THINGS WE OFFEND ALL. IF ANY MAN OFFEND NOT IN WORD, THE SAME IS A PERFECT MAN, AND ABLE ALSO TO BRIDLE THE WHOLE BODY. 3 BEHOLD, WE PUT BITS IN THE HORSES' MOUTHS, THAT THEY MAY OBEY US; AND WE TURN ABOUT THEIR WHOLE BODY. 4 BEHOLD ALSO THE SHIPS, WHICH THOUGH THEY BE SO GREAT, AND ARE DRIVEN OF FIERCE WINDS, YET ARE THEY TURNED ABOUT WITH A VERY SMALL HELM, WHITHERSOEVER THE GOVERNOR LISTETH. 5 EVEN SO THE TONGUE IS A LITTLE MEMBER, AND BOASTETH GREAT THINGS. BEHOLD, HOW GREAT A MATTER A LITTLE FIRE KINDLETH! 6 AND THE TONGUE IS A FIRE, A WORLD OF INIQUITY: SO IS THE TONGUE AMONG OUR MEMBERS, THAT IT DEFILETH THE WHOLE BODY, AND SETTETH ON FIRE THE COURSE OF NATURE; AND IT IS SET ON FIRE OF HELL. 7 FOR EVERY KIND OF BEASTS, AND OF BIRDS, AND OF SERPENTS, AND OF THINGS IN THE SEA, IS TAMED, AND HATH BEEN TAMED OF MANKIND: 8 BUT THE TONGUE CAN NO MAN TAME; IT IS AN UNRULY EVIL, FULL OF DEADLY POISON. 9 THEREWITH BLESS WE GOD, EVEN THE FATHER; AND THEREWITH CURSE WE MEN, WHICH ARE MADE AFTER THE SIMILITUDE OF GOD. 10 OUT OF THE SAME MOUTH PROCEEDETH BLESSING AND CURSING. MY BRETHREN, THESE THINGS OUGHT NOT SO TO BE. 11 DOTH A FOUNTAIN SEND FORTH AT THE SAME PLACE SWEET WATER AND BITTER? 12 CAN THE FIG TREE, MY BRETHREN, BEAR OLIVE BERRIES? EITHER A VINE, FIGS? SO CAN NO FOUNTAIN BOTH YIELD SALT WATER AND FRESH.
We see that the tongue, though being such a small member of our bodies, is a dangerous member if not controlled. So, how do we control it? Let's look at the Word again:
JAMES 3:13 WHO IS A WISE MAN AND ENDUED WITH KNOWLEDGE AMONG YOU? LET HIM SHEW OUT OF A GOOD CONVERSATION HIS WORKS WITH MEEKNESS OF WISDOM. 14 BUT IF YE HAVE BITTER ENVYING AND STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS, GLORY NOT, AND LIE NOT AGAINST THE TRUTH. 15 THIS WISDOM DESCENDETH NOT FROM ABOVE, BUT IS EARTHLY, SENSUAL, DEVILISH. 16 FOR WHERE ENVYING AND STRIFE IS, THERE IS CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK. 17 BUT THE WISDOM THAT IS FROM ABOVE IS FIRST PURE, THEN PEACEABLE, GENTLE, AND EASY TO BE INTREATED, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, WITHOUT PARTIALITY, AND WITHOUT HYPOCRISY. 18 AND THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS SOWN IN PEACE OF THEM THAT MAKE PEACE.
Reading in James we see that through wisdom from God we can tame the tongue. All we need to do is ask Him. JAMES 1:5 IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, THAT GIVETH TO ALL MEN LIBERALLY, AND UPBRAIDETH NOT; AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN HIM. God is pleased when we want to follow His Righteousness and ask Him to help us rid our hearts of the bad fruit. We should be able to easily see that gossiping, strife, and envy can be produced because of unforgiveness toward someone. Everything we say and do as Christians is being watched by sinners as well as other Christians. They all know that hypocrisy is wrong.
Wouldn't it be much more pleasant to reveal the good things someone has done so that it would encourage more of us? It hurts deeply when a slip of the tongue occurs and how discouraging is that?! We need to build one another up as the Bible tells us. ROMANS 14:19 LET US THEREFORE FOLLOW AFTER THE THINGS WHICH MAKE FOR PEACE, AND THINGS WHEREWITH ONE MAY EDIFY ANOTHER.
There are many unhappy and mean people in this world, so let's look at them through Christ's eyes. His heart breaks for them as He knows the joy they could have if they were not so blinded. As Christians we should use our tongues to proclaim the greatness of God and the freedom of sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.
When you are in a situation where someone is tearing down another person with their tongue, wisdom would be to speak up and say something nice about that person, or if you can't think of anything nice to say about them, then say, "We should be praying for them." This is something that I have found myself saying and it puts an end to the other person's wagging tongue, because they know they are wrong. Then don't forget to pray!
I want to encourage Christian women to take their walk with Christ seriously. Ask God to search your heart. COLOSSIANS 4:5 WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT, REDEEMING THE TIME.
Blessings,Sharon
Source: animals-and-shamanism.blogspot.com