Psalm 101:1-4-“I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, LORD, I will sing praises. I will carefully attend to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall leave me; I will know no evil.”
Proverbs 20:19-“One who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with a gossip.”
Sometimes, we forget that even saying something we consider good news about someone else without their permission can be unappreciated by that person. One guard against saying something we shouldn’t say, is to remember that it is solely their story to tell. If they give us permission, it is not gossip or revealing something they would not rather have others talking
about.
When we are in a place where confidentiality is expected, then we can speak about the needs of those who have given us permission to do so for their prayer requests. Then we are edifying that person because they know that prayers are being lifted up on their behalf, but that only what they have given permission for is spoken. We must take our responsibility to speak on behalf of others seriously. We would expect the same consideration for ourselves. When we gather to pray in Prayer Matters or in worship, it is a godly responsibility to be accountable for what we reveal about the lives of others.
In His Grasp,
Pastor Missy