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What Does Gossip Sound Like?

Saturday December 15, 2018

Gossip shows up in our lives in many forms.  God hates them all because He knows how harmful destructive words are to our dignity and our relationships.  Here are some types of gossip and what God's word says about it.  In which of the following categories does the tendency to gossip affect me?
1.  Slander spreads rumors or lies about a person in order to damage them.  Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. (Proverbs 10:18 NLT)

2.  Rumors.  We hear something and even though it has not been confirmed we pass it along.  Gossip spreads and harm is done.  Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.  (Proverbs 13:3 MSG)
3.  Speaking with innuendo and planting seeds of doubt which question a person's character or actions is another destructive form of gossip.  By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (James 3:6 MSG)


 4.  It’s easy to complain about things which are not perfect or aren't going our way.  This “behind the scenes gossiping” can cause great harm.  Complain if you must, but don’t lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.  (Psalm 4:4-5 MSG)

5.  Bad-mouthing, back-stabbing, back-biting.  This is the harmful practice of speaking negative and harmful words about someone who isn't there to defend themselves.  The Bible says:  Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.  If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law.  (Matthew 7:1; James 4:11 NLT)

God hates gossip.  God wants us to use kind words in all circumstances so that the practice of gossip will decrease or stop altogether.


Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You hate gossip because of the harm it does to everyone involved.  Give me a discerning heart and help me deal with what I hear in an open, kind and truthful way.  Amen

©2018 Partners in Hope  
More information on this and other related topics @ http://www.partnersinhope.ca/life-with-god-in-recovery-resources/

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