John Stanko

"If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other" - Galatians 5:15.

Paul warned his readers in today's verse that once they started down a road of backbiting, gossip, and sarcasm, it was difficult to control what the end result would be. All those behaviors only lead to more and more of the same, which eventually tears down the people closest to you, with whom  you work, minister, or live. Leaders must be especially careful not to set the tone and example for negative talk, abusive humor, and sarcastic remarks, but at the same time, they must be honest when there is a problem, confrontational when there are harmful attitudes and behaviors, and encouraging all day, every day.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is to set the course for the conversations you are in today. Try this and see how people respond. When you sit down with another person on your team or in your family (it can also be a group), seize control of the conversation by saying something positive about your organization or the people who are in it (you can also do this through your social media presence). Watch and see if people follow your lead and build on what you said. If they do, then determine that you will do this more often than you have in the past. The key is to be proactive and start positive gossip and uplifting rumors!