All This Cocaine: Yet Your Nose Is In My Business

Gossip is the original gateway drug — one hit of that sweet, juicy high and you’re hooked. I’m the junkie in recovery, preaching to myself first.

In this episode, we’re going all the way back to the beginning of humanity to unpack where it started, diving into the science behind why our brains crave it, and hearing straight from God on how He feels about it. Raw Confession. Real Truth. Hardy Talks. Just conviction, grace, and a way out.

Snort grace, not rumors.

Keep your nose clean.

Stay Real.

#HardyTalks #GossipIsCocaine #StayReal #ChristianPodcast #MindYourBusiness #gossip #mindyourownbusiness

[00:00] Confessing My Addiction to the Original Gateway Drug
[04:32] Unpacking Gossip's Nature and First Biblical Appearance
[07:29] Fear-Fueled Rumors Cost a Generation Their Destiny
[11:41] Miriam's Slander Against Moses and Divine Judgment
[15:49] The Addictive Science and Biblical Abomination of Gossip
[19:23] Biblical Warnings and Practical Steps to Stop Gossip

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Look, we need to talk about the original gateway drug. I'm not talking about marijuana. I'm not talking about that sweet cocaine. I'm not even talking about methamphetamine. I'm talking about gossip. I love that stuff. It drives me crazy. It excites me. I love hearing what people did. I learned, I love hearing what people are doing. I love hearing about my own self. You see, I'm a junkie in recovery. But just like cocaine, just like methamphetamine, one hit of this sweet stuff, and you can be hooked. It gives you a high like no other kind. It bonds you with your dealer. Then it can crash your life or the life of those you gossiped about. So welcome to Hearty Talks. And I must ask, with all the cocaine in this world, why is your nose in my business? Let's be real. Let's be real. Now, understand, I'm preaching to myself here. I've chased that sweet thrill of a high more times than I care to admit. So let me spill my own tea real quick. Earlier this year, I was visiting a friend of mine, and we started talking about people we used to know, started sharing old stories, reminiscing, you know, talking about the good old days. Well, one person in particular came up. This was a person neither of us have talked to or seen in a very, very long time. And I begin to share some juicy gossip about this guy's marriage. I mean, we were rolling in laughter at this story. I I haven't laughed this hard since I was a little girl. Then they then a few months later, God stages the most awkward reunion since Cain and Abel. I was at Pump 7 at Chevron, and I ran into the very guy I was gossiping about. We get to talking, and he starts uh telling me all the struggles and hardships he's been facing over the last few years, and my heart was pricked. I I felt so bad for this guy. And I ended up giving him some encouragement, and we started talking about God for a long time, and I even prayed for him. And as we were talking about God, you could see a spark light up in his eyes. You could see faith that's been trampled on start to be fanned. And it was just awesome. Well, just well, let me tell you. Sometimes whispers, but sometimes it's a roar. Because just two weeks ago, I was at my buddy's house that the one I was originally gossiping with, and he was he was playing a video game with some other guys. He was on a party chat, and he started to tell them that juicy gossip that I shared with him months earlier. And I was trying to stop him by downplaying the story. I was trying to make it seem like I was lying or exaggerating, but he straight looked at me and held his hand over that mic and said, No, it's funnier this way. Hush. Well, let me tell you, right in that moment, Jesus took off his sandal and slapped me on the neck. All I could think about was how I just got through a few months earlier encouraging the guy and praying with him. Now, the only thing that was on my mind was how his faith in me and God would literally be destroyed if he knew I was spreading these rumors. You see, gossip doesn't just hurt the person you're talking about. It handcuffs the person you're talking to when God wants to use you. Now, imagine if that guy from Pump 7 walked in during that XP session, one sentence from my buddy's microphone and the spark I helped light in his eyes, gone, destroyed. That there is gossip's collateral damage. It burns the bridge God just built through you. So what even is gossip? Gossip isn't just small talk. It isn't just chit-chat. It isn't just spilling the tea. In modern society, gossip has become an umbrella term that includes gossip, slander, lying, lying about someone's character, or even lying about their motives. Any juicy talk about someone's character or their motives, if it tears down trust in that person, rather if it's true or false, it falls under gossip. Now, the Bible doesn't always use the word gossip per se, but it consistently hates the fire it starts. We need to rewind all the way back to the very beginning, to the beginning of humanity, and look at the first hit of gossip. You have Adam and Eve. They're taking a stroll through the Garden of Eden and they're they're all alone. And Satan comes up and starts gossiping with Eve. Now, hear me out, hear me out. Follow this perspective with me. He starts asking Eve questions that make her question God's own character. Satan asks, Did God really say you can't eat from any tree? And Eva goes on to say, just that one, or we'll die. Well, that serpent then said, You won't die. God knows when you eat it, you'll be just like him. That's why he said no. That was complete slander against God's character. He was literally trying to say that God was gatekeeping Adam and Eve. He accused God of bad motives. All of this happened behind God's back. Eve believed it. That's the problem with even just listening to gossip. It's dangerous. Eve believed it, then she spread that rumor by giving the fruit to Adam. While the Bible doesn't explicitly call this gossip, in modern times, any juicy info about someone's character or motives that destroys trust, that's gossip. The fall of man started with a lie about God's heart. And you can you can relate all of this to a TikTok influencer questioning a pastor's motives behind closed doors. He might say something like, Did God really mean that? Is that what the Bible's really saying? It starts small, but it spreads like a viral trend. It it erodes trust in leaders just like Satan's slander. Now, listening to one whisper wrecked paradise. But if you if you fast forward in time, you get to the wilderness where a gang of spies turned God's promise into a group overdose. Numbers chapter 13 and 14. A little backstory, God's just freed the Israelites from Egypt. He used miracles, plagues. He's parted the Red Seas. You know the story. You know the story. Well, God tells Moses to send 12 spies to scout the promised land. The land that God promised flows with milk and honey. Well, these spies, they sneak in, they see the abundance, they see how beautiful it is. There's giant trees, giant grapes. It's flowing with water, with rivers. But they also see some giants, some real giants, some fortified cities, some tough locals. They see some bad stuff. But back at the camp, the 10 of those 12 spies start bad-mouthing. And I love the way the CEV version of the Bible says it, because it says then they started spreading rumors. Spreading rumors. But what they said was the land devours people, those giants, we're grasshoppers compared to them. This is numbers 13. You see, this wasn't facts. It was fear-fueled exaggeration. Straight gossip against God's promise. They even went as far as questioning God's motives. They said things like, He led us here to die. God led us here to literally die. That all of this was later confirmed to be gossip in Numbers 14, verses 6 through 8, because Joshua and Caleb, they were two of the 12 spies. They plead with everyone about how wonderful the land actually is. Don't believe all this junk. Well, unfortunately, that negative rumor, it spread faster than chlamydia in Mississippi. Fast and painful. The whole camp panics. And you have to understand there was around two million people camped out in the wilderness. As that rumor spread, the entire congregation began to rebel against their leader, Moses. They even made cries to return back to slavery. This spread of rumors and gossip had some major consequences for the entire group. It goes on to say that God began to roar and he said, Oh, y'all want to question me and my motives? Well, guess what? Now you're going to get to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Literally, because of gossip, none of the people alive, except for Joshua and Caleb, who gave the good report, none of them alive was allowed to enter the promised land. The ten spies who started all this mess, they were struck dead by a plague, instant judgment. The exaggerated and fear-mongered report of the ten spies, it spread like wildfire, sowing division and distrust, much like how gossip spreads harmful narratives. Their words directly led to rebellion and divine judgment. It cost an entire generation their destiny. It's like when someone makes a post on Facebook about an event or something bad is coming up. Exaggerated rumors that literally panic crowds. This hints why every time we have a storm approaching, we run out of toilet paper. Because people begin to panic, they begin to trust misinformation, and they buy all the supplies. Rumors can so division and ruin reputations before the truth even catches up. This mass rumor overdose ruined an entire generation. But let me tell you, when gossip hits leadership, when it starts at the leaders, that's that premium grade Colombian bam bam. That's that good good. Picture it. Sand's everywhere. The heat is blazing. And as we said, they just came out of Egypt. They've done seen all the miracles. You know, you know it. They're they're following God's presence, a a cloud in the sky. They're being led by Moses, who who talks with God face to face. Now, Moses' sister, Miriam, she's a camp superstar. Everyone knows her. She's a prophet, she's a tambourine queen. She she leads them in victory dances as after they drown Pharaoh's army. She's a leader. But jealousy begins to brew in Miriam. Moses marries a Cushite woman. And Miriam is jealous. The Bible doesn't say why. It could have been because she was from a different tribe. It could have been maybe because her skin was darker, maybe because she was more beautiful. Whatever the reason is, it just wasn't what Miriam expected or wanted. And this makes her jealous. And she pulls her brother Aaron to the side and starts saying things like, This wife of Moses, she's sketchy. I don't know what it is about her. I can't put my nose on it, but something's sketchy about this woman. And she goes on to say, Moses, why why is he God's favorite? What's so great about him? Why does he get to talk to God? We can prophesy too. Moses ain't the only one. We can do it too. You see, this wasn't just about marriage. It was raw envy. Her whispers about Moses' character and leadership. It was questioning God's choices, all behind their back, sowing seeds of division. Well, God overhears all of this. And he calls a family meeting at the tent. And it says that he descends from the cloud and he himself stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, and his voice booms. He says to the people, Moses is my guy. He's my chosen leader for all of you. I talk to him like a best friend. And you dare talk crap about him? That was that was God. Before Miriam could even blink, her skin is covered in leprosy, white as snow. Aaron and Moses plea with God, begging him to show mercy on their sister. But God said, nah. She needs to be an outcast for seven days away from the tribe. Let her stew in her shame, her guilt, and ponder on what she's done wrong. And you might ask, why such a harsh punishment? It was just harmless chit-chat. It was just careless words. Well, you see, Miriam wasn't just chatting. She was a leader defying God's choices, risking a split in the church, in the congregation. Gossip from the leadership platform equals spiritual arson. Picture a church worship leader slandering the pastor's decision in a private group chat. It that would literally risk the congregation congregation splitting and it would torch God's plans. Well, as you can see through all these biblical stories, gossip has been humanity's drug of choice since the very beginning of time. But what what makes us snort this sweet stuff according to science and scripture? Well, anthropologists say that gossip makes up 65% of casual talk. That's more than weather, politics, or sports. That's a lot. Scientists also say that sharing secrets releases oxytocin. That's the love hormone. The same hormone that releases when we hug someone, that means gossiping is a form of bonding. Scientists also say that juicy gossip, it lights up the brain's reward center like a slot machine. When that happens, our brain releases the feel-good chemical, dopamine. Gossip literally gives us dopamine plus oxytocin. It's weaker than sex, but it's the same chemical cocktail. We literally get the brain's chemicals of sex and bonding by gossiping. That makes me wonder if the reason the Bible singles out that sex is a sin we should not fight, but rather we should flee from. From a scientific standpoint, that's because the amount of chemicals the brain releases when we start to be tempted with sex, it becomes so overwhelming that it makes it borderline impossible to fight. Science says it's addictive. Scripture calls it an abomination. Same verdict, just different lab coats. Now, science explains the rush, but exactly how does God feel about it? How does he feel about gossip? Proverbs 6, 16 through 19 gives us a pretty clear understanding of God's feelings on gossip. It says, There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him. They are haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among his brothers. He hates these things. He said it is an abomination to God. And that word abomination that God uses, it's the same word that's used to detest homosexuality. You Southern American Christians, y'all are quick to rebuke the gays, but slow to repent the slander. Each one of these things he mentions in Proverbs 6, they all can pertain to gossip, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. You shed innocent blood by ruining their reputation, wicked plans, your motives behind gossiping. It goes on and on. That it's rooted with gossip here, too. And maybe all of this is why God was so mad at Miriam and mad at the ten spies, because he knew gossip would spread like wildfire. And if none of that is enough to convict you, let's see what Brother James had to say. James chapter 3, verse 5. It says, In the same way the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. Essentially, your small words can cause big problems. One rumor equals one match, one match equals one reputation in ashes. James goes on in the very next verse and says, next verse he says, the tongue is set on fire by hell itself. Then Matthew 12, 36, Jesus said that on the day of judgment, we will have to give an account for every careless word. One day, your mouth will literally be exhibit a in heaven's courtroom. Whew, ow. And you might ask, how do you avoid the drug? Well, play the devil's advocate. Someone starts dumping tea, flip it. Say something like, Man, I bet they're just hurting worse than we know. Shine some compassion like a flashlight. It will convict them without a fight. If that don't work, then neutralize with prayer. You could say something like, Well, true or not, I just pray they get it right with God. That would kill the high they're trying to get by starving that fire. It takes the oxygen away. And if none of that works, none of if none of that shuts them up, then just go blunt. Just straight tell them, girl, I don't want to hear that crap in my ears. Take it somewhere else. Listen, boundaries are not rude. They are holy. Now, if you're the problem, then ask yourself, how would you act if that person was on speaker phone? And you better remember you're not fire resistant and hell is hot. Snort grace, not rumors. Your nose stays clean that way. And and it stays out of my business. Now, the Bible ends gossip with two words. It says, No more. Revelation 21 and 8, liars, slanderers, they all end up in the lake of fire. Revelation 22 15, gossipers, they end up outside the city. You see, heaven's gates has a no cocaine sign, and your nose better be clean. Better be clean. Just remember, you better stay real.