Satan never gives up in trying to trap us in the snares of sin.
That’s why we should never give up in our vigilence for discerning his deceptions.
The longer that most of us live as Christians, the less likely we are to engage in gossip and other divisive behavior.
That’s a good thing.
But until we graduate to eternal glory, we’re not invulnerable to failure in this regard.
We might not engage in machine-gun maliciousness toward another as we chat with this person and that person, yet any careless, carnal words that cut down another should have no place in our conversation.
We should see any form of gossip as sinful. For that’s how God sees it.
Contrast the content of these two verses:
“The perverse stir up dissension, and gossips separate close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
Gossip seeks selfish gain by tearing others down.
Faith seeks collective gain by building others up.
Satan wants us all to lose and he lies about the long-term benefits of gossip.
God wants us all to win and gives us the truth about the benefits of encouragement.
We all know this. Our challenge is to remember and practice it even when people are gossiping about us.
Don’t fall for Satan’s advice, even if your flesh is calling for “payback.”
It is ALWAYS a trap.
As always, I love you
Martin
