How do we react to someone who bears false witness? "

 "A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow. Proverbs 25:18

How do we react to someone who bears false witness? "
I like what someone wrote:
"If it is untrue, disregard it.
If it is unfair, do not allow it to get under your skin.
If it is misinformed, correct it.
If it is malicious, smile and be bigger than the critic.
If it is justified, learn from it."

Let's not be quick to judge, gossip and slander.‏

A GOSSIP
(Unknown)

As the wind blows spreading air around,
gossips also chatter spreading slanderous news around.
Gossips take unconscious pleasure
in others’ misery.
But behind most gossips
is a troubled mind
hiding its own misery.
***********

Do not judge people before you get to know them, from what you hear from others,
You will feel bad about it when you really get to know them ...:)

God speaks in amazing ways,
This morning I learnt a valuable lesson...
as I read this poem and was so..blessed..

The poem:

Today, if someone is rude or impatient 
I will continue to maintain a healthy relation 
Today, if someone discriminates 
I will not engage him in a debate 

Today, if I come across fair weathered friends 
I will treat them as past tense 
In my heart, I will silently ask God to bless those who are insincere 
Even though their hurtful actions bring to my eyes many a tear 

Today, if someone spreads gossip or slander 
I will stretch out my hand to him like a brother 
For today, I will not strike back or retaliate 
For in God, I have full faith 

Today, I will share the sorrow of any individual 
For today, I yearn to find ways to make this a better world 
Today, I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way 
For today, I must make someone’s day 
Today, I will give them my smile, my support 
Even though, in the past, my kindness, many forgot

Today, I will praise the Lord with all my heart and soul 
For His mighty hand can create miracles, the Bible has told 

Today, I will thank God for the food on my plate 
And ask that he always keep me in a healthy state 

Sincerely, 
Raymond Anthony Fernando 
.copyright raymondfernando

Isn't that good?

How often we listen to stories about people and pass it on to others without even trying to find out the fact.

How many hearts we may have wounded by spreading false rumours without stopping by to find out if the message we heard was true.

How many hearts we broke because we choose to listen to the "lie" of the enemy.

There are some out there who have been hurt and abused.

Their life has a story we are not aware of.

We have not walked their path so we really don't know the facts.

Instead of reaching out to help we are quick to judge and label.

It's sad...

Sometimes we so easily pass judgement on those who serve God, preach His word, our friends and those around us.

Let's not be quick to judge people by what we see and hear, for it may not be what we think it is!

If you have doubt someone is doing something wrong it's very important we find out the exact truth.

It's better to talk to the people concerned. 

For our eyes and ears may deceive us...!

That's why in

Prov 25:7b and 8a it's said.."....what you've seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court....."

Mat 7:1, says,"Judge not that ye may not be judged."

1 Cor 4:5,"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time...wait till the Lord comes....HE WILL BRING TO LIGHT WHAT IS HIDDEN IN DARKNESS & WILL EXPOSE THE MOTIVES OF MEN'S HEART......."

Mark 9:38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

 39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,

 40for whoever is not against us is for us.

Phlippians 1: 15 "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Let us continue to love God and all men, pray for those who mistreat us and fail to understand our motives and do what God has called us to do faithfully.

Even Jesus did not accuse the people who persecuted Him and spoke ill of him, but said,

"Father forgive Him for they know not what they do."

So in future let's think twice before we accuse a fellow brother or sister. Our false judgement and accusation can end up as a costly blow to that person for no fault of his/hers.

Even if they are struggling with sin we need to see how we can help them get out of the enemy's snare.

We can pray with them and for them.

But if some one keeps sinning repeatedly,we ought to warn him!

We need to be careful not to talk about and uncover past sins or mistakes  of our fellow believers which Jesus had forgiven and forgotten long back.

Let's think thrice before we act.!

Let God's love rule our heart..at all times.

"Lord give us your love in our hearts to love everyone like you loved, to pray for those who persecute us, not be quick to judge others as we may not really know what the truth is.

Love you Lord,

 In Jesus Name,

 Amen!"

God Bless each of you.......

YSIC,

Julia

SLANDER,  GOSSIP

A malicious or loose tongue is the cause of much evil in the world. Since talk can cause damage to others and to oneself, one's words should be weighed carefully.

The crime of bearing false witness in a court of law is singled out in the Ten Commandments as a specially grievous sin, since its consequences for the unjustly accused are so dire. In the ancient Mesopotamian law code of Hammurabi, a witness who falsely accused another of a crime was liable, if his perjury were uncovered, to a punishment identical to that for the crime which he laid upon the innocent party. Beyond the court of law, there are many other situations where a person is asked about some event or about the behavior of others. These are opportunities either to be truthful, or to bear false witness and cause others injury by damaging their reputations, sowing discord and mistrust between husband and wife or between friends, or even falsely implicating them in crimes.

Furthermore, much damage can come from words said without careful deliberation and from tales repeated to others without first ascertaining whether they are true.

One should be aware of the character and mind of the person to whom the words are said. Also, harsh and foul speech, cursing and reviling others, can lead to fighting and violence.

Exodus 20.16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

GOSSIP FREE ZONE

Hi family and friends..

We can never really Justify Gossip!!

This is what the Bible tell us about GOSSIP!

Proverbs 11:13A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 20:19A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

2 Corinthians 12:20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 

Stay Blessed..

Julia

★★Gossip Poem★★

(Author unknown)

★My name is Gossip.
★I am a direct descendant of the father of lies.

★I have no respect for justice.
★I maim without killing.
★I break hearts and ruin lives.
★I am cunning and malicious and I gather strength with age.
★The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.
★My victims are helpless.
★They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.
★To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
★I am nobody’s friend.
★Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
★I topple governments and wreck marriages.
★I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches, and indigestion.
★I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
★I make headlines and headaches.
★Even my name hisses. I am called Gossip.
So.........
Before you repeat a story, ask yourself:
 Is it true

Is it harmless?

Is it necessary?
If it isn’t, why repeat it?

Gossip-Free Zone

 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow. —Proverbs 25:18

In some offices, you can get fired for gossiping. According to a 2002 survey, the average employee gossips 65 hours a year. One Chicago firm decided to become a "gossip-free zone." They require that employees never talk badly about co-workers behind their backs. If you're caught, you lose your job.

A ministry for people in the entertainment industry takes a refreshing alternative to gossip. They combat it with prayer. Instead of putting down famous people who get in trouble with bad choices, they encourage people to pray for them.

Among God's commands to His people is "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Ex. 20:16). While this may be talking primarily about lying at judicial proceedings, gossip could also be included in the command because it violates the law of love toward our neighbor. Proverbs uses strong language to describe this use of our words. It's like "a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow" against others (25:18).

Gossip feeds into our natural desires to feel superior to others and to belong or fit in, so combating it in our personal lives can be a challenge. But if we choose to love through prayer, our lives can be a gossip-free zone.  

— Anne Cetas

Lord, forgive us for speaking carelessly
about others to make ourselves look better.
Help us to think before we speak.

Teach usto be loving with our words. Amen.

Let's not form our opinion of people from what we hear from others.

It may not always be correct but just may be repeating what they heard or felt..

GOSSIP!!

Speech has awesome power, and that is to literally redefine reality. Thoughts exist in a separate, private sphere. Once articulated, the thought is no longer a private matter. It becomes an item on the world’s agenda, something to be agreed with or argued; proven or disproven; attended to or ignored.

A person may work side by side with someone for years, and during the entire time harbor the thought that the colleague is "annoying." For all those years, the thought has no power to affect anything or anyone beyond the person thinking it. Then, one day, this person enters into a conversation with a third co-worker, and offers there assessment of the other person as "annoying."

The instant that thought is released into the world, it sets out on a path of destruction.

Now another person’s attention has been drawn to this persons allegedly "annoying mannerisms.

They lose a little respect for them, identities them as a little less competent, a little less appealing.

Inevitably, this new assessment affects their relationship.

It creates a bias in the third person’s mind which they will now confirm every time the "annoying" person does or says anything. And it may go much further. This third person may well share their newfound perceptions as well. It is not even necessary that they believe what they hear. Even if they never seriously think about the statement, it seeps into the subconscious and colors their future assessments of this person’s behavior.

Gossip free zone...

This is what the Bible tell us about GOSSIP!

Proverbs 11:13A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 20:19A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

2 Corinthians 12:20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 

Here below is an e-mail I received that blessed me.

Stay Blessed..

Julia

 Gossip-Free Zone

 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow. —Proverbs 25:18

In some offices, you can get fired for gossiping. According to a 2002 survey, the average employee gossips 65 hours a year. One Chicago firm decided to become a "gossip-free zone." They require that employees never talk badly about co-workers behind their backs. If you're caught, you lose your job.

A ministry for people in the entertainment industry takes a refreshing alternative to gossip. They combat it with prayer. Instead of putting down famous people who get in trouble with bad choices, they encourage people to pray for them.

Among God's commands to His people is "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Ex. 20:16). While this may be talking primarily about lying at judicial proceedings, gossip could also be included in the command because it violates the law of love toward our neighbor. Proverbs uses strong language to describe this use of our words. It's like "a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow" against others (25:18).

Gossip feeds into our natural desires to feel superior to others and to belong or fit in, so combating it in our personal lives can be a challenge. But if we choose to love through prayer, our lives can be a gossip-free zone.  

— Anne Cetas

Lord, forgive us for speaking carelessly
about others to make ourselves look better.
Help us to think before we speak. Teach us
to be loving with our words. Amen.

You can never justify gossip.

G