“Tattle Tale! Go to jail! Hang your britches on a nail!”
Did you ever say that as a kid? Or, worse yet, did anyone ever say that about you? What a memory! As kids, none of us liked to be told on or accused, and the tale-bearer was certainly not appreciated!
When I was in first grade, if a student tattled on another student, the teacher led the class in that atrocious little chant and made the tattler wear a long braided rope “tail” around the classroom. I know because I remember wearing that humiliating tail myself in front of the entire school! Isn’t that a terrible thing to do to a kid?
As a mother and a teacher, I tried to help my children understand when it was necessary to tell authority about something serious and when it became a matter of tattling when they would purposely try to get siblings and classmates in trouble. The worst thing about a tattle-tale is when he/she will exaggerate or lie to get someone in trouble for something they really did not do.
That does not always end with childhood either. Hopefully, most of us believe we have outgrown the need to bear tales on others, but there are always those few who continue this pattern, even as grown-ups. Some call it the blame game because they will not accept responsibility for their own actions and feel the need to blame someone else for their plight or project their guilt onto someone else in order to feel better about themselves. Often, a person’s intentions are misunderstood, and others may jump to the wrong conclusions, spreading that juicy bit of gossip like wildfire. Gossip is just a grown-up form of tattling, isn’t it? The habit of automatically assuming the worst in others can cause much grief for the accused, especially when it results in ugly rumors. Still, there are those who are plainly malicious and will quickly bear false witness against their neighbor out of revenge or bitterness.
Those are all adult versions of tattling. We must be mindful if we have been engaging in any of the above behaviors and work to break the habit immediately. Let us look for and assume good in others. If we simply have to speak it, take it to the Lord in prayer. Otherwise, let us use wisdom and self-control before we open our mouths.
Did you realize that we also have a serious tattle-tale problem in the spiritual realm too? We have a mean-as-a-snake villain who is constantly trying to stir up trouble for us. He tattles on each of us incessantly and falsely accusing us is his specialty! He never relents either!
The Bible tells us that Satan accuses us night and day before God. He is just waiting for us to fall or
make a mistake so he can pounce on us, and if we do not, he will just make something up. He knows enough about us to make it look convincing, but God is not fooled. That old rotten devil is such a whiner!
“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:10b NLT
Satan also gets a thrill out of stirring up ideas in other’s people’s minds about us, just hoping to create division, relationship breaches, and especially to turn as many people as possible against each other. One of his favorite hobbies is to ruin friendships or crush families out of misunderstandings and accusations. He thrills in stirring up jealously and planting divisive thoughts. He especially loves to crank up the gossip engine and turn self-righteous noses up at others.
Worst of all, Satan accuses us to ourselves. I say it is worst because this is usually his most successful tactic. He knows that if he can get us to believe anything about ourselves that is not true, he can halt any productivity in our lives, steal our peace and joy, and cause us to recoil in shame. Ah shame, one of his favorite weapons!
His entire purpose is to “steal, kill, and destroy.” He longs to thwart God’s magnificent plan for your life, and he will not give up easily!
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy…” John 10:10a NIV“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV
How many of you have ever had one of these fleeting thoughts, whether you believed it or dismissed it?
- “You never quite get it right, do you?”
- “God is just watching you and waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you.”
- “Just wait until they get to know the real you!”
- “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
- “You blew it again! You might as well just give up!”
- “You will never do enough or be enough.”
- “You are nothing special.”
- “Who do you think you are? You will never do anything great!”
- “You will have to work extra hard to be a good girl and earn your way back into God’s good graces.”
- “What a loser! A dork! A frump! An idiot! A sinner!”
- “God is disappointed in you.”
- “Don’t even call yourself a Christian. You just can’t be good enough!”
- “You better hope God doesn’t come back while you are (dancing, taking a drink, in a movie theater, listening to secular music, or name any other man-made rule…). You will never make it to heaven!”
I have actually heard some women say these exact things about themselves. What a number the enemy has played on their minds! I say, let’s fight back! Let’s stop this tattle tale from any and all power he has had on us!
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV
You also must recognize his ploys and know that he is nothing but a big, fat liar! Every single one of the statements above is a blatant lie!
“He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44b NLT
Let us conclude this by studying several truths in Scripture. It is time to stifle every single word that is contrary to God’s Word! What does God Himself say about your innocence?
You are not condemned!
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 NET”
You have been made right with God!
“For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Romans 10:3-4 NLT
You are God’s child and an heir!
“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.” Galatians 4:7 NLT
God does not count your sins against you! He says that you are the “righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!”
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them… God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21
We are made right with God by faith, not works. We do NOT have to earn His favor!
“…I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” Philippians 3:9“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NET
When we do mess up, we have an advocate who defends us before God. He cancels out everything the tattle-tale devil accuses us of before God.
“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” 1 John 2:1 NLT
Christ has made us truly free!
“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Galatians 5:1 NLT
So, do not listen to Satan’s lies any longer! Know the truth and it will set you free!
Gosh, I had never heard that horrible rhyme about tattle-taling!!! What humiliation! But a great image of how Satan wants to tear us down with his accusations!