Here’s something that came up in my spirit this morning that I’d like to share with you. It is written in Proverbs 11:13, A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
We all probably know someone who, for one reason or another, likes to tell others about things told them in confidence. But according to the above verse, God doesn’t seem to like that. There was a TV show on many years ago where a lady sang, “We’re not ones to go around spreading rumors. Why really, we’re just not the gossipy kind! Oh, you’ll never hear one of us repeating gossip, so you’d better be sure to listen close the first time.” Now I know this has nothing to do with what I usually preach, but there must be a reason the LORD put this in my spirit today, and someone out there needs to hear this.


It further says in Proverbs 6:16-19,
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Now understand this; what “revealing of secrets” someone spreads may not necessarily be a lie, in fact, it may be the truth, but it certainly “stinketh” unto God, and it certainly sows discord among brethren. You’ll notice it says, “but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” Of course I know nobody has anything they’d rather not have repeated that has been revealed to them in confidence, right?

As a minister of the Gospel, I’m held to a higher standard of integrity than others, and things revealed to me in counseling and prayer requests stay between me and God, and I take that charge so seriously that I won’t even tell my wife without that person’s express permission. But that’s the way it should be with anyone, minister or not. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. So when someone says, “Hey Jerry, do you want to know a secret?”, I tell them NO. But that never stops them, they always tell me anyway, because they delight in doing so. And if they’re telling ME your secrets, they’re telling OTHERS! Thankfully, that secret gets locked in my heart and goes no further. You see, I have a ministry of reconciliation, and spreading secrets I’ve heard is not in that job description.

You may think all this is no big deal, but if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be bringing it up. I’m not picking on anyone in particular, but you know if it applies to you, and if it does, in love I’d ask you to stop doing it, for your own good. You see, it throws the door wide open for the devil to come and afflict you in ways you may not even connect with the things you tell others. Some have been doing it for so long, they don’t even think about it at all, they just open their mouth, and it just gushes out. And they wonder why things just don’t go well for them. I’ll tell you a secret: this just may be the problem.

It’s bad enough to have your secrets told to others, but most people can’t resist adding something to it along the way, and by the time it gets back to the first person who said it, the story has changed somewhat. Happens every single time. That’s just human nature, and the devil eats it up.
Proverbs 25:9-10 pretty much sums it up:
9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:
10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.

So what’s the best way to avoid that embarrassing situation? When you hear something, lock it up and throw away the key. Don’t be a talebearer, even if it’s true. Don’t be an agent of the devil, but rather walk in love, even as you would have others do unto you. For sooner or later, you’ll say something to someone you wish you hadn’t, and it will end up spreading like wildfire to everyone you know, and to those you DON’T know. That is, unless I’m the first one to hear it, which in that case, it dies right there.

We’re all trying to be pleasing to God, or else you wouldn’t be reading this. We all have faults and regrets. But rather than revealing secrets, let’s reveal words of encouragement to one another, and build one another up as we wait for the day of our redemption! Do you want to know a secret? Jesus loves you, and so do I. That’s the one secret the LORD doesn’t want you to keep to yourself!