Monday, August 4, 2025
Information Changed According to Ones' Own Mindset
Be careful to go to the source when hearing information about others. Often, people relay what they heard according to their own mindset and personal interpretation rather than what was actually said or done.
I have witnessed this many times over the years, the misinterpretation of information because of the way the person hearing it interpreted it.
This is why gossip is so dangerous and second-hand information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people are relaying what they saw or heard, not meaning to do it, unaware that they have misinterpreted the message.
We see this all the time in the confusion between people who are making judgments based on what a third or fourth party told them.
Proverbs 18:8:
"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inmost parts of the body."
Proverbs 20:19:
"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips."
Proverbs 26:20:
"For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases."
Sometimes a person may think they are innocent when they repeat what others said and did, but the guile in their hearts is hidden to others and even from themselves.
Mankind has a propensity to justify the evil that they do by changing the meanings to suit their own way of thinking. This is why the news media must be taken lightly; there is a vested interest in embellishing to manipulate people to listen.
As believers, it is prudent to be diligent in vetting information from the source rather than just believing second- and third-hand information.
Many relationships are ruined by misinformation and, worse, disinformation that divides friends and family. When we notice that someone frequently judges others based on second- and third-hand details that have not been properly vetted, it is prudent to dismiss such judgments and refrain from repeating them.
Even worse than repeating information we have heard is to judge a person based on that questionable gossip. When we treat someone rudely and disrespectfully based on gossip, we have entered the realm of malicious hatred.
Proverbs 17:8-10 "…8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds. 9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends. 10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.…"
Fools do not listen to a rebuke; they hate correction, but a wise man will be convicted by correction and be thankful for it. Those who gossip will always have an excuse; they will lie to protect themselves, but the wise man will not listen in the first place to that which he did not see for himself.
When we love with the love of Christ, we do not wait and watch for opportunities to judge others for things that may not even be true or are not even sin.
Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Galatians 6:1
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
There would be a lot less strife in the world and even among Christians if everyone would mind their own business, refusing to judge things merely on hearsay.
I have witnessed this many times over the years, the misinterpretation of information because of the way the person hearing it interpreted it.
This is why gossip is so dangerous and second-hand information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people are relaying what they saw or heard, not meaning to do it, unaware that they have misinterpreted the message.
We see this all the time in the confusion between people who are making judgments based on what a third or fourth party told them.
Proverbs 18:8:
"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inmost parts of the body."
Proverbs 20:19:
"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips."
Proverbs 26:20:
"For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases."
Sometimes a person may think they are innocent when they repeat what others said and did, but the guile in their hearts is hidden to others and even from themselves.
Mankind has a propensity to justify the evil that they do by changing the meanings to suit their own way of thinking. This is why the news media must be taken lightly; there is a vested interest in embellishing to manipulate people to listen.
As believers, it is prudent to be diligent in vetting information from the source rather than just believing second- and third-hand information.
Many relationships are ruined by misinformation and, worse, disinformation that divides friends and family. When we notice that someone frequently judges others based on second- and third-hand details that have not been properly vetted, it is prudent to dismiss such judgments and refrain from repeating them.
Even worse than repeating information we have heard is to judge a person based on that questionable gossip. When we treat someone rudely and disrespectfully based on gossip, we have entered the realm of malicious hatred.
Proverbs 17:8-10 "…8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds. 9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends. 10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.…"
Fools do not listen to a rebuke; they hate correction, but a wise man will be convicted by correction and be thankful for it. Those who gossip will always have an excuse; they will lie to protect themselves, but the wise man will not listen in the first place to that which he did not see for himself.
When we love with the love of Christ, we do not wait and watch for opportunities to judge others for things that may not even be true or are not even sin.
Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Galatians 6:1
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
There would be a lot less strife in the world and even among Christians if everyone would mind their own business, refusing to judge things merely on hearsay.
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