Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

The Gossip Game

Have you ever played Chinese Whispers – in church? This is a game in which players sit in a circle. The first player whispers a statement in his neighbor’s ear. The neighbor then whispers it to the next player…and so on around the circle. The final player then calls out the message as he perceives it. Lo and behold! The original message in the telling has changed – often drastically!

The game shows how rumors get started, how truth gets distorted as it’s passed from mouth to mouth. As a game it’s amusing – but in life more is at stake.

It is said that the best way to spread news quickly is to disguise it as a “secret”. All of us love to share tidbits of information – it’s human nature. Fine – except it too often becomes mere gossip. That’s defined as “idle talk or writing, tattle”. We could gossip good news, but too often the game takes over and distortions set in. Negative gossip, the showing of others in a bad light, is especially popular – as evidenced by the high sales of the gutter press. Scandal is more interesting!

Sadly negative gossip can take root in God’s Church. It’s so easy to pass on “juicy tidbits” of information which inevitably have a depressing effect on many. And, of course, with the telling the substance changes so much that the truth is often somewhat twisted.

Prayer request or gossip? So many times I see gossip disguised as a prayer request.  We pass on  gossip in the form of asking people “to pray for the situation” and then proceed to gossip, gossip, gossip.  

Confession: Lord, help me to tame my tongue and to speak words that uplift and build others up. Help me to recognize gossip and to take a stand against it.

I Timothy 2:1-4 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

It is easy to look around the world today and see all of the chaos and craziness and to feel helpless. Sometimes when we have the opportunity to make a change in this country by voting or making our voice known by calling a congressman to share your opinion about the way he/she voted we don’t do anything. All to often we keep our mouths shut and don’t think that we have the power to do anything.

I want to remind you that you have more than the power to do something, you have the authority of God to make a change. This passage reminds us that we have the option and responsibility to lift up our leaders in prayer and intercessions  to God for them. I don’t care if you like them or not, or if they are not to your political persuasion. God commands us to pray for them so that we can live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. If you won’t pray for them, then their actions will negatively affect your life. Remember that we have the most powerful weapon available to us. Next time you spend 5 minutes complaining about your elected leaders, take the time to pray for them and lift them up to God.

Confession: Lord, I take the time right now  to lift up all those who are in authority in my city state and country and ask for you to lead them and give them Godly wisdom.

Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

• WHO YOU ARE WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING.

•  WHO YOU ARE IF WE WERE TO PEEK INTO YOUR CLOSED CURTAINS OF YOUR HOME AND WITNESS HOW YOU ACT WHEN YOU ARE IN YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENT.

• IF YOU KNEW YOU COULD __________ AND NO ONE WOULD FIND OUT ABOUT IT, WOULD YOU STILL DO IT?

• GODLY CHARACTER COMES AND ASKS FOR FORGIVENESS NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE CAUGHT AND HAVE TO BUT BECAUSE YOU WERE WRONG AND WANT TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND YOU APOLOGIZE WHETER YOU ARE FOUND OUT OR NOT.(you tell on yourself)

• GODLY CHARACTER WITNESSES EXTERNALLY ALL THAT WE ARE INTERNALLY.  AND FOR THAT REASON, GODLY CHARACTER BEGINS WITH OUR INNER LIFE IN GOD.

Luke 6:43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  44 “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?

• YOU CAN’T REGULATE MORALITY.  NO AMOUNT OF LAWS OR MILITARY RULE ENFORCEING THOSE LAWS CAN FORCE PEOPLE TO HAVE MORALITY AND GODLY CHARACTER

• YOU HAVE TO ALLOW GOD TO TRANSFORM THE INNER MAN OF WHO YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU DO. ONLY THEN WILL THERE BE A DIFFERENCE IN WHAT YOU DO. (AS THE HOLY SPIRIT CHANGES YOUR HEART TO THE HEART OF JESUS)

Confession: Lord, give me the grace today to be who you created me to be. Help me to be sensitive to the consciousness of the Holy Spirit in me to make the right decisions no matter who is looking. Thank you for transforming my thinking to Godly understanding