Loose Lips Sink Friendships

They were from a fairly conservative denomination , so they really didn't allow a lot of vices within the group . But as these pastors began to talk with one another , one of them said Our people come to us and they pour out their hearts . They confess certain sins and needs . You know , I think we should do the same .

The Bible tells us that confession is good for the soul . Well , they all talked about it a little bit and then they all agreed . So the first one confessed that he liked to go to the movies and he would sneak off whenever he was away from his church . The second confessed that he liked to smoke cigars .

And the third one , he confessed that he liked to play cards . When it came to the fourth one , he wouldn't say anything . The others pressed him , saying come on , we confessed our sins , what's your secret vice ? And finally he answered with a grin it's gossiping , and I could hardly wait to get out of here .

Recently , I read an article that said that gossiping is America's new favorite pastime . Isn't that a sad statement of where we've come to ?

Some of the most popular shows on television are things that talk about celebrity gossip or political gossip , or shows like Dr Phil , where people come in and expose all of the garbage of their lives and then others can talk about them . It's really getting ridiculous and in its extreme form , gossip is turning into canceling people . You use all the gossip networks .

There's Twitter , facebook , instagram , you name it . There's so many things out there that people use and abuse to gossip about other people , and it can become quite vicious , to the point where there are now a number of recorded events in the States where teens have committed suicide because the gossip about them has gotten so bad on these social media accounts .

Actually , gossip is nothing new . The Bible talked about it a long time ago . Proverbs 16 , verse 28 says A troublemaker plants seeds of strife . Gossip separates the best of friends . Over in Proverbs 18 , verse 8 , rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one's heart . And then , over in the New Testament , paul is writing to the Corinthian church .

He's admonishing them because they've gone so far from the way they should be living . And in 2 Corinthians 12 , verse 20 , he says I'm afraid that when I come , I won't like what I find and you won't like my response . I'm afraid that I will find quarreling , jealousy , anger , selfishness , slander , gossip , arrogance and disorderly behavior .

Paul was not about to put up with a church that gossiped . Just so that we're clear , let me give you the definition of gossip . It's defined as casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people , typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true .

One of the biggest challenges that we face is that we can't even watch news right now without getting gossip . We get bits and pieces of details that really are unconfirmed as being true or they're taken out of context to create a different perspective than what the truth was in the original statement .

It's happening everywhere and people are eating up this gossip and the end result Gossip is destroying reputations and people . So , as Christians , we need to lead the way to stop gossiping . We need to think before we speak . We need to refuse to listen the way to stop gossiping . We need to think before we speak .

We need to refuse to listen to others who are gossiping . We need to make sure that we're not judging others by the gossip that we've heard . Let me give you just a little hint of something important . People who gossip to you will gossip about you , that's guaranteed .

So here's an alternative for you If you're going to talk behind someone's back , compliment them . Don't talk about anything that could be damaging or hurtful to them . Compliment them even if it's someone you don't like . Say something good about people . Make it your choice every day to say good things about people .

Let's start a goodness gossip movement where all we do are talk about good things . Someone mentions the name of someone . You say something positive about them , even if you don't like them . We choose to say the good things . The end result will be the opposite of destroying reputations and people .

We're building them up , and there needs to be a whole lot more of building each other up in our world right now , and let it start with us . You and me Make that decision that I am going to build people up by what I say about them when they're not around , and when we do , we mirror what Christ wants us to be in this world .

Have a great day , my friends . Say good things and we will talk to you again tomorrow . Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday , right here on , starting right with Danny Mac .