Mmmmm...Choice Morsels

      Has this ever happened to you? You decide to go on a diet to lose some weight, and you cut out all the sugary, greasy, gooey, yummy food that you love so much. It is a hard decision to make and stick to because all those things are just so irresistible & delicious! But you know it is clogging your arteries, pushing your cholesterol over the edge and wreaking havoc with your blood sugar!

      So now, you have been really good for a whole week or maybe even longer and then, out of the blue, here comes a friend or coworker with a plate of cookies or chocolate cake or some deliciously greasy savory snack that has your mouth watering and your stomach growling! Mmmmm choice morsels, tasty trifles, juicy tidbits! You cannot resist! You have been so good and this would be like a little reward! It won’t do any harm to have just a little and let your hair down for a minute, right?

      Well, then the next thing you know, your stomach is rolling and rumbling! Your intestines are cramping and spasming! Your body acts like you have tried to poison it, and it begins the ejection process! You react one of two ways… you vow to never cheat on your diet again and stick to your new lifestyle and learn to be selective about the tasty trifles you put into your body. Or you suffer the digestive consequences and happily go back to eating all your favorite juicy tidbits . After all, you’re going to die someday anyway…might as well enjoy life! Right?

      As the owners of theses temples, not made by hands, we are solely responsible for everything that goes into our bodies and the consequences thereof! We have been given free will to choose for ourselves what to allow into our digestive systems as well as into our HEARTS. What we put into our mouth goes into the stomach and out of the body. However, things that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears go down into the heart and remain. The Word says in Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." So if your heart is full of good things, you will speak with good intentions. If your heart is full of hate, you will speak with evil intentions.

      The Word calls gossip "choice morsels" and "tasty trifles"! Hmmm, sounds yummy huh? Many of us know gossip is bad, but just like those yummy, gooey, tidbits gossip is irresistible for most people! Gossip is a guilty pleasure that mostly women indulge in, but men are not exempt!  Seriously girls, how many times have we scrambled to a quiet corner with a friend to share some juicy little tidbit we just heard?  How many times have we hurriedly called a friend to share a secret we were just told in strictest confidence?

       It’s all good until we are the subject of the gossip mill! Right? Somehow, when we are the target, we suddenly see the juicy tidbits as malicious, slanderous, envious, jealous lies! Well, gossip is always ALL those things and more.  Gossip destroys lives and reputations where ever it is present. Gossip spreads like wildfire and is hard to contain because it has so many far reaching tentacles.

      Just as juicy tidbits of food can wreak havoc in our physical body, choice morsels of gossip will wreak havoc in our spiritual body. Gossip begins as a tiny seed, but quickly puts down a bitter tap root. Where there is gossip  strife, envy, jealousy, slander, hatred, maliciousness, self ambition and all manner of nastiness soon develops!

Proverbs 26:22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.  James 3:8 It (the tongue) is a restless evil, and full of deadly poison.

      When we allow a gossip to whisper into our ear, their lies go into our heart. Little by little our whole being becomes poisoned and we being to think and act differently. Out whole attitude changes because we have allowed lies to get in and take hold of us body, mind and soul!

Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us that there are certain actions that God HATES. Notice how they all involve gossip and lying in some way! 

  ¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

 ¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
 ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

      Oh Lord, have mercy! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to participate in any activity that God HATES! We don’t have a choice about a lot of things in life, but gossiping is a choice. Let's choose to close our ears to gossip. Let's choose to speak only good things about people. If you can't think of anything good to say, then it's best to just be quiet! Let's choose to focus on the best in people rather than the worst!

      I want God to find my heart full of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience and self-control...what about you? If your heart is full of Godly things, then there will be no room for wicked things! 

Prayer

      Father God, I come before your throne of grace in humble submission. Father, I forgive those that have spoken falsely against me , and I ask for forgiveness for speaking falsely against others. Father, please put a guard at the gates of my lips, and teach me to speak life and not death over myself, my family, my friends and my enemies. Father, give me a clean heart and give me wisdom and understabding so that I may serve you in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name I ask. Amen.