Gossip is destructive.
Gossip dishonors the one who gossips as well as the
person gossiped about.
Gossip dishonors God.
God hates gossip.
A child of God must never take part in gossip, either by
listening to it or doing it. As Christ’s ambassadors in the Earth, our actions
and speech must be a direct reflection of God the Father and God the Son. “…whatever you do
or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him
to God the Father. Colossians 3:17
In his Epistle James, the brother of Jesus, compares the
tongue to a tiny fire spark capable of setting
a great forest on fire…he also describes the tongue as restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Not a very pretty picture,
but James does gives us hope when he says that if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control
ourselves in every other way.” James 3: 1-12
Our Father wants all His children to thrive in His Kingdom and He
will help us to change any behavior that does not conform to His will or glorify
His Name. If we struggle with gossip, we have only to confess this and ask Him for His help. The eyes of
the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to
their prayers. 1 Peter 3:12
As we pray in faith and seek God’s strength we also take action
and apply some practical steps to wean ourselves away from gossips and the
temptation to gossip.
- Stop associating with people who are known gossips - Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers…Psalm 1:1
- When others try to gossip to us we refuse to listen, change the subject, or walk away – Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9
- Gossiping is a bad habit that exposes the condition of our hearts – whatever is in our hearts determines what we say. The Word cautions us to Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Philippians 4:23 – so we ask God to change our hearts.
- If we are the victim of gossip and rumors we don’t retaliate in kind but instead we confront the offenders and let them know how they have injured us. If the gossip is a child of God we especially attempt to reconcile and help that person to change the behavior, if we can… if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. Galatians 6:1
Our Father is especially grieved when
we gossip against another child of God, a brother or sister for whom Christ died.
He wants us to live in unity with Him and each other, to love like family, to encourage
and build each other up, and not tear down and devour each other by
ill-speaking.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires
of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the
Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let
us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 5:24-25
Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, how good and faithful you are! Thank
you that we are not consumed because of our wrong doing. We know that a sin
against one of your little ones is a sin against you and we thank you that you
extend mercy to us and you don’t judge us as harshly as we deserve. Thank you
that your goal is always to restore us back to you so we can live the righteous
life purchased for us with the blood of your Son. Cleanse our hearts of
bitterness, jealously and boasting, for it is out of the abundance of our
hearts that our mouths speak. Teach us to walk in love which covers a multitude
of sin and cause us to protect our brothers and sisters and not expose them to ridicule.
Forgive us and we pray that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our
hearts be acceptable in your sight always. You are the Holy One to whom belong
all dominion and power for ever and ever. We pray and ask all things in the Name
of Jesus. Amen.
Always by God’s Word and prayer,
Cecile
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