During a fast God reveals things to us that we were either too busy or not sensitive enough to see before. One visual I got, during our 2018 twenty-one days of fasting, was of a huge black pot of green “yuck” boiling. It was like the big black cast iron pot that the villain Gargamel, from the Smurf’s cartoon, would stir as he plotted evil. (I know…I must have watched a lot of Smurf episodes to remember his name :) In this vivid picture that came to me, thick green goop was bubbling to the top as surprising impurities that we didn’t even know were below the surface. I knew this was a warning and also an answer from God on relationships for myself and others only 6 days into the fast.

Two lessons from the goop vision

1. Divisive Spirits are hard to see and often far below the surface

Divisive spirits attempting to bring discord and kill unity will forever be after our family, our marriages, our friendships and our workplace. The confusing part is this; a divisive spirit doesn’t come to us openly calling itself, “a bad spirit”. Satan never shows his hand…why would he? Satan doesn’t use people you don’t like, he uses people you do like! But fasting opens up our spiritual eyes when the eyes of our stomach are finally not busy.

2. Satan is patient and crafty

Satan is calculated in sending divisive spirits into Jesus people territory.   Because he knows we can easily identify nasty people, he instead uses divisive spirits in “good” people who just have a crack in their armor. They are most times carried by people who are unsuspecting and even unaware of what their words and actions are doing. People who are good people but who are still carrying hurt, offense, or wounds from the past are most likely to allow a divisive spirit to use their tongue as a weapon.

Satan has to be more stealth to get to healthy and whole Jesus people. He knows that we have sealed up the cracks and are routinely inspecting our prayer life and our thought life and, at Life Church, looking at our capacity to be trusted by God with more. Satan has to come in from the outside, get a foot in the door, and sometimes be clothed in “friendship” or “servanthood”.

This last year I, personally, have bumped into this half a dozen times! Time for me to wake up and time for us to all outwit the devil and be quicker about it. With the staff and friends who surround me, I don’t worry about gossiping. We historically don’t have drama among the staff because we all just walk up to each other in the hall and say, “Hey, I wanted to let you know….” or “Question about this situation I had.” That kind of open communication is our Life Church culture and keeps us 100% Kind with 0% Drama.

We should continue to build people, and not become guarded or hardened. But this is also a warning to not allow blind spots and keep some people around when humility, character and teachability aren’t growing in them. We wait to have the hard conversations and call it “grace” or “long-suffering.” Let’s not confuse compassion with love, because if we really loved people we would confront immediately.

Good people who feel they have good intentions have to ask:

1. Am I going to a listening ear?

and/or

2. Am I being a listening ear?

Here are some other gages when talking about a person and NOT to the person:

1. Is this conversation life giving? 
2. Is this conversation happening to find a solution or just under the guise of, “finding a solution” or “prayer request?” 
3. Have you gone to the person you are talking about? Even so, why are you talking about them without them being present?

Truths

Truthful feedback not given to your brother or sister but mentioned to anyone else, IS gossip. Gossip is like witchcraft according to the Bible.

Gossip grows the offense and adds a 2nd offense to the listener. Then bitterness or suspicion can develop in both people.

Matthew 18:1-7 says, At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2Jesus called a little child to stand among them. 3“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

Final Application

When you see/hear someone who already knows Jesus doing any of the above things, call them out and direct them within seconds to the person they are talking about so you don’t become a listening ear. Don’t get trapped, and love enough to confront early.

Pastor Sonny