Toxic Waste

Toxic Waste

Proverbs 22:24-25 “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul.”

Proverbs 25:23 “The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.”

Proverbs 29:22 “An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”

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cripture is replete with admonitions against keeping company with angry people. However, angry people are not the only snares to our souls. Basically, any person with a negative demeanor, a gossip, complainer, backbiter, talebearer, evil speaker or a host of other colorful personages are a snare unto us. They may all be classified as Toxic Waste. Toxic Waste is just what the name says it is—it is toxic, it wastes lives, and as such it is dangerous because it contaminates everything or person exposed to it, and therefore it is also contagious, just as Proverbs states. Keeping company with angry or negative people rubs off and contaminates. That’s just the way life works!

When the infected person takes the toxin home they in turn contaminate the family unit—the very ones they are charged to protect, likewise, if not checked, the family further contaminates all they come into contact with.

Toxic Waste has the ability to cause people to up and quit their job, or suddenly move across town or some other irrational behavior. Those infected spread rumors and cause division, they incite otherwise rational people into doing or saying irrational things.

If a person has a sharp tongue at work and puts down other co-workers, the disease will spread like wildfire throughout the workplace working its deadly toxin on the unsuspecting. That’s one of the deceitful characteristics of the toxin; a person doesn’t know they have been infected, in fact may be in denial all the while spreading the vile to others.

Common excuses for keeping company with such negative persons may range from:

·         I really like them, they’re my best friend.

·         They’re just stating facts.

·         They don’t mean any harm.

·         What they say is important in my job.

Essentially rationalization is the basic reason for not parting company with them.

Affected to Infected

Sin is always progressive if not stopped. First you are affected by negative people which in turn affects your own rationalization and cognitive skills; that’s what is termed as a struggle. The next step is just as subtle, that is, being infected which may be compared to the biblical term stronghold. It is at this point that you no longer struggle to rid yourself of undesirable behavior and speech, but you actually infect others with your negative behavior. In essence you place a stumbling block in front of another thus causing them to stumble. It becomes a vicious circle gradually engulfing many others.