People love to embrace change during the start of the year, so a bestselling Christian author decided to offer a resolution that he hoped many would adhere to - avoid gossip.
"Set My Heart on Fire" author J. Lee Grady, who is also the head of the charitable organization The Mordecai Project, wrote for Charisma News that even the best Christians fall prey to the lure of gossip. So in order to help, he offered three tips on how to deal with gossip.
The first is to be constantly reminded that the devil is always "the accuser of our brethren," as said in Revelation 12:10. He tempts people into repeating accusations, so it would cause damage and hurt.
"Do you honestly want to be on Satan's side in spiritual warfare? You are fighting for his team when you spread negativity about others - even if your hateful indictments are cloaked in 'God told me this while I was praying' smugness," Grady warned. "Never align yourself with the accuser. Make sure your heart is free from unforgiveness, jealousy and hatred so you don't end up being a minion of the devil."
Next, Grady said that people should refrain from repeating gossip unless they know for a fact that it is true. He added that believers should not listen to gossip in the first place, and as hard as it might be to resist learning something "juicy," Grady said they should just walk away before things get "toxic."
"If you have God's love in your heart, you won't slander another person. Love covers negativity with mercy and kindness," he said. "This doesn't mean we don't confront sin. But if someone has wronged you, you should go to them privately and discuss it."
Lastly, Grady said Christians should just pray when they hear something negative about someone. Instead of enforcing character assassination, he suggested that Christians get down on their knees and ask for God's love and mercy.
"Prayer will supernaturally guard your heart from the seeds of hate that are hidden in a juicy morsel of gossip or a false accusation. Prayer will adjust your attitude, fill your soul with forgiveness and make sure that Satan, the ultimate accuser, has no foothold in your life," he said.
Earlier, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham wrote on his website that some Christians gossip even though they know it's wrong. He said the reason behind it is not because people enjoy bringing others down, but because they like to build themselves up.
"When we gossip, we're claiming to be 'in the know,' and when we criticize someone, we're claiming to be better than they are. In reality, however, we're only tearing ourselves down," he said.
