Joel Osteen - Turn Off The Flow

I want to talk to you today about Turn Off The Flow. We live in a day where there's all kinds of gossip, slander, people spreading rumors. But you and I should live by a higher standard. Proverbs 10:18-19 says, "To slander is to be a fool. Don't talk too much, it causes you to sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow".

You can save yourself a lot of heartache, a lot of trouble if you'll just turn off the flow. You can't discredit someone and see God's favor. "Well, Joel, what I'm saying is all true, I'm not making it up", but do you need to repeat it? Is it necessary? Is it benefiting anything or is it just putting them in a bad light?

They may be guilty, but the scripture says, "Love covers a person's faults". Love doesn't expose them, love doesn't go call five friends, love doesn't put it on Facebook. The mercy you show others is the mercy that's going to be shown to you.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:29, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only that which is beneficial to others". You have to ask yourself: is what I'm going to say going to benefit others? Is it going to build them up, make them look better? Or is it going to tear them down, give them less credibility, poison their reputation?

Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend is loyal, but a brother is born for times of adversity". In tough times your son needs you, your mother, your father, your sister, they need you. Not your judgment, not the harsh, critical. They don't need more guilt, more condemnation. They already know what they did wrong. They need someone that will show mercy. If you're family can't count on you, who can they count on? If you don't take up for your father, your son, your sibling, who's going to do it?

Proverbs 11:13 says, "A gossip goes around spreading rumors, but an honorable person tries to quiet them". When you're honorable, you pour water on the fire, you take up for people, you defend your family. The enemy would love to draw us into gossip, spreading rumors, being a busy body. That's a sure way to miss your destiny.

Be trustworthy, be honorable and quiet the gossip. You have a destiny to fulfill. Don't get distracted by what others are doing, run your race, focus on your assignment. God is counting on you to be the bigger person, to stick up for your family, to defend your friends, to cover some faults.