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By Pastor Jason Green | Mineral Springs Baptist Church

Psalm 34:13 tells us something very important – “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” That is directed toward liars, people whom would attack the good name and character of God’s people and plain old gossips.
The gossip network in each community has done immeasurable harm throughout civilization. Some will argue they “share information” in order to help people be in the know. The truth is the average gossip doesn’t do what he or she does to help spread knowledge and understanding…let alone wisdom. He or she gossips because that person wants to be considered “in the know.” That’s a power struggle. And people work tirelessly to have more information, the inside scoop or the better story so that they can one up their counterparts. It’s a relentless battle of egos. And sometimes it isn’t even about ego, it’s about entertainment. It’s stepping into a situation in which he or she does not belong and bears no real understanding of, then planting seeds of discord. After the seed is planted, he or she backs away and watches in glee as a situation becomes confrontation, a confrontation because a quarrel, and a quarrel becomes a no-holds-barred fight.
Gossips never know as much as they think they do, but will make stuff up because they believe it needs to be juicy. They have to have the best story..in spite of the people it hurts. Many media outlets have gotten themselves in trouble for wanting to be first with the news, at any cost. They get the pot stirred, discover they were wrong, then through a 10 second apology on air say “oops, my bad” and expect all to be well, even as the world burns.
Gossips are the same way. The unfortunate part is we all know who they are, we all know what they are about yet we refuse to hold them accountable and call them out. In other words, the child of God that entertains a gossip is complicit in the damage gossips cause. If you want your community healthy and your church healthy, shut the gossips down. The best way to do that is to call them out for what they are doing, reveal the damage they are doing, and share from scripture the truth of the character flaws they continually put on display. Scripture says iron sharpens iron. We need to stop being so dull to the things harming us from within, lest we continue to destroy what should be righteous reputations in the community on the outside of our churches. Here’s a few of scriptures to pray over and to be allowed to reach your heart;
Proverbs 26:20 – For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
Provers 11:13 – Whoever goes about standing reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
Proverbs 17:4 – AAN evildoer listens to wicked lips,, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
Exodus 23:1 – You shall not spread a false report, You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
James 3:5 – So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
2 Timothy 2:16 – But avoid irreverent baby, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness
1 Thessalonians 4:11 – And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.
Psalm 141:3 – Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips.
If you continue choosing to be a gossip, people around you have to become wise enough to feeding the beast. If you discover people no longer telling you anything…you might be being taught a very real, and a very powerful lesson. Let’s get better together. God forgive us!