Dear friends,
Are you separated from someone who has been a friend to you in the past? A relationship that has been broken or severed or cold towards? Have you contributed to the severing of such a relationship or has someone caused a severance in your relationship with another?

I have been thinking on one way friends are separated from one another...through SLANDER.

Proverbs 16:28 - "A slanderer separates intimate friends."

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT A SLANDERER?
God says, "He who SPREADS slander is a FOOL." - Proverbs 10:18

A Slanderer is a GOSSIP...
I remember hearing the story of a young married couple. Each evening the young wife would meet her husband at the gate of their home on his arrival home from work....over time someone spread slander that the husband was
committing adultery. The young wife ended up taking her life!

A QUESTION TO ASK a Gossiper is, "Have you spoken to the individual and established the FACTS before you spoke to me?" Usually they have not!

THE SAD FACT ABOUT a slander is too often they have willing and gullible ears to listen to their poison. Has that happened to you with regard someone you once were close to? Someone told you "in confidence" about something said and you did not establish the Facts, whether it is true or not, but have took what was said as gospel truth?

SCRIPTURE TEACHES "Every man seems right until his neighbor comes. In other words there are TWO sides to each story. Establish the FACTS first and "WARN" and rebuke the slanderer- {1 Thessalonians 5:14, Luke 17:3 tells us}

WHAT ARE THE MARKS OF A FRIEND?
Be a Friend in the Biblical Sense.
1. - LOVE -
"A friend loves at ALL times."- Proverbs 17:17

2. - LOYALTY -
"But there is a friend who STICKS closer than a brother."- Proverbs 18:24

3. - LAYING DOWN OF ONE'S LIFE -
"... one LAYS DOWN his life for his friend."- John 15:13

4. - LOVES ENOUGH TO CONFRONT YOU OVER SIN IN YOUR LIFE. -
"Faithful are the WOUNDS of a friend."- Proverbs 27:6

WHAT SEPARATES FRIENDS?

One person who does is a slanderer ; "A Slanderer SEPARATES INTIMATE friends."- Proverbs 16:28

Don't allow yourself to be separated from one who loves you....If you have not been to that individual then FIRST go and establish the FACTS and don't allow a slanderer to come between you and someone who has and does love you.

If YOU are the one who has SPREAD the slander, you need to go back to that person and ask forgiveness for the sin and damage it has done to the relationship and to the person's character. Slander is CHARACTER ASSASSINATION! It causes people to chose to think Unkindly, unfavorably and unlovingly about someone. As it has been said you can tell someone something and as they pass it on it gets distorted and if the story was to be passed around the world from one person to person when it would come back to you, you would not even recognize it! Establish the FACTS about what was said and what was not said.... and be careful to speak that which BUILDS up not BURIES people.

GOD'S WORD TO US REGARDING OUR SPEECH.
Gods Word says
A. - "...EACH of you must PUT OFF falsehood and speak TRUTHFULLY to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." -in Ephesians 4:25

B. -" 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

C. "SPEAK the Truth in LOVE."

D. - " Brothers DO NOT SLANDER one another. ANYONE who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - WHO ARE YOU to judge your neighbor?" - James 4:11-12 ***The Judgment he is speaking is not Righteous judgment or discernment as Scripture exhorts us to do - as The Scriptures mentioned here show us to... John 7:24, Matthew 7:16-20, Hebrews 5:13-15. But a censerous critical condemning judgment is what is on view ***

E. - "Let all that do be done in love."- 1 Corinthians 16:14. A good question to ask, " Is this speech Loving?" Slander is always a lack of love ... coming from a heart of bitterness.

F. - "Give no offense ...to the church of God."- 1 Corinthians 10:32

G. - "Whatever you so, do ALL to the Glory of God."- 1 Corinthians 10:31

In light of the Above Scriptures ... is what has and is being said," coming form a heart of Love and Ultimately God's Glory?" Never is slander coming from such motive.

The Bible says "See to it that... No root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it MANY be defiled..."- Hebrews 12:15
Slanderers are usually Bitter people and they cannot keep their bitterness to themselves and too often as they SPREAD it... Others are contaminated by choosing to believe what has been said.

The devil's Name is SLANDERER
Did you know the name devil means " slanderer" or "to falsely accuse."

A.- he is the Slanderer and ACCUSER of the Brethren - Revelation 12:10

B. - he SLANDERS God to man- Genesis 3:1-7

C.- he SLANDERS man to God- Job 1:9

D. - SLANDER will hinder your APPETITE for the Word of God- 1 Peter 2:1-2'

How often as Christians we have done the devil's work by slandering and gossiping about one another.

Paul in Ephesians 3:31-32 sums it up best "Let ALL bitterness, wrath, clamor, and EVIL SPEAKING, be put away from you, with ALL malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ has forgiven you."

PERSONAL APPLICATION
Do not sin against God by choosing to do the devil's work and slandering others.
Do not listen to the SLANDER of others.

DO ASK the one who is spreading Slander if they have spoken to the one they are speaking of and if they have established the FACTS FIRST.
DO SHARE WITH THEM Slander does not Please the Lord or Benefit those who hear
DO ENCOURAGE them to ask themselves "Why" they are "sharing" such reports.