GOSSIP

For us to be overcomers in Christ we need to seriously take this to heart. Satan is our enemy, not your spouse, not your next-door neighbor, and no, not your boss or peers either.

You will be surprised how many men thread being poisoned by their wives, it’s kinda funny if you ask me.

Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness.

Satan, so anonymous, unseen, and would endeavor to blind most people to his sinister activities, they gather in the darkness. I must stress that even though Jesus Christ is the Ultimate Victor for us, we are still engaged in a spiritual fight, a struggle, an argument on many grounds which includes both spiritual and fleshly lusts which so easily entangle us.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren and does not cease in bringing accusations against us before the Throne of God. He knows full well, that which is permittable or permissible with God. Why? He was once the Anointed Cherub and Arc Angle, the covering Cherub of God’s Throne, and the highest-ranking prime minister in Heaven under God.

He knows God full well. He knows when God should act and he also knows when God will not act.

Satan has the right to act and the right not to act. You in case friends have the potentate to allow or disallow. If you fail on moral grounds you are in effect opening a door for Satan to work through. Millions if not billions of people are oppressed by this anonymous unseen enemy of the soul…Satan.

He lurks in the dark and his highest and greatest of priorities is to be an absolute secret at best, not to be exposed for who and what he is. Sin must be exposed and brought to the Light.

Satan does not sin for you, no, no, you do it all by yourself.

However, Satan can tempt us into sinning. This takes us back to the classic scene in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil was sitting right there in Eden, as long as Adam and Eve had not partaken of it, we would not have been in the mess we find ourselves in this day.

In so gossip is the very first sin or original sin recorded in the book of Genesis. In effect, God said to Adam: “Of every tree, you may freely eat, but from the tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you “shall surely die”.

What does Satan suggest to Eve: “Did God indeed give you instruction as not to eat from this tree? I tell you, this tree is one to make wise, for God Himself knows that in the day you eat from it, you shall be like the Highest, knowing both good and evil.

But it is for the very fact that Adam and Eve believed the “Tempter” “Satan” took the bait and they did eat and sin.

In the Lord’s Prayer, one line states:

“Lead us not into temptation”, this, however, should rather be read as:

“Lead us not to be tempted”.

How did I arrive at this? After Jesus our Lord was Baptized by John the Baptist, it was not the devil that led Christ up into the wilderness to be tempted, no, it was the Spirit of God “Holy Spirit”. “Matthew 24:1”.

So then, when we pray: “Lead us not to be tempted” we in effect pray, “Lord, please do not lead us to be tempted or tried by Satan.” This does not mean we won’t be tried. We will be scrutinized by Satan. This leaves us with the idea that you can either overcome or fail in the testing of our trials of faith.

A certain person once said to me: “If I sin then the devil leaves me alone”.

You better believe it.

Ever so classic the epic tale of Job, a blameless upright man before God, was put through the worst kind of scrutiny imaginable by Satan and lost all he owned in a single day. While he was sitting on the ashes, scratching his boils, his wife urged him and cheered him along to curse God “and die”. Even his wife was a mouthpiece of the devil.

He did not curse God. He was victorious and God restored double unto him.

God tempts no man. Period.

James 1:13-15

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The greatest sin is the sin of the tongue. He who has not learned to bridle his tongue will NOT live a victorious life. Period. For from the abundance of the Heart the “mouth speaks”.

Matthew 12:35-37

35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 5:21-22

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hellfire.

He who has mastered bridling the tongue will endure seeing that even the tongue, so small a rudder, can be set alight by the fire of Hell itself. We need to take into account “what we speak”.

Gossip, oh, people love to gossip and in effect undermine “demonize” or even bring much trouble unto themselves, most especially if anyone gossips or speaks slanderously about an Anointed man or woman of God.

Gossip grows tails from one person to the next.

The Word of God teaches us that we will be judged for every idle word we speak. I am guilty of this myself, and I sincerely seek God’s forgiveness. If you can identify this in your life then we can repent.

We will be weighed by the measure of our words, gossiping about another releases a sense of gratification in the moment and you might feel a thrill in sharing something negative about someone which will only bring trouble upon yourself.

You know, people can be so, so very cruel with their words.

They may even team up and “victimize you” in a wicket evil way. Makes me think of so many youngsters getting bullied in schools. That child suffers under the tongue of his or her schoolmates and this is a serious offense, these kids end up in sessions with psychologists or even psychiatrists.

How do I know this, I have spoken to many of these victims in mental rehabs. I was severely victimized not only by school peers but by the very church where I am supposed to find a haven in safety, I was cruelly victimized and even “demonized”.

You know, do unto others as you would want done unto you, doesn’t this stay a truth?

The war of words.

We can either build people or break people with our words, whether spoken or something we commented on on social media etc. We ought to cheer people along with our words.

There comes a time when we must protest and speak in a strong manner, only, but only for the greater good and to protect the person or persons.

We should use our words constructively and not destructively.

The fastest manner to bring trouble on yourself is to remark and make a negative comment or statement “gossip” about an Anointed man or woman of God.

I can think of one young rising Pastor in South Africa that I am so very protective over and God keeps me up to date with his life, I will not mention his name, you will know who he is indeed.

Ever heard the words: “Think Twice?” And no, I am not referring to a song by Phil Collins. Next time before you open your mouth in a gossiping fashion, think twice friend.

Let there be not a war of words. Speak kindly, building one another in the most Holy Faith by treating one another with the goodness of virtue and that which is from God.