Day 10 - The Gossiping Tongue

Day 10 – The Gossiping Tongue

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” Pro 18:8

We know that out of the abundance of the hear the mouth speaks. If you have consumed choice morsels of gossip then you are likely to engage in this type of talk. I work hard at not gossiping or creating an atmosphere of gossip—but not hard enough.

It tickles my ears, bewitches me, and makes my flesh feel good for a moment. Guilt soon follows and the whole cycle of self-doubt, deprecation, loss of confidence, and irritation can come on me like “white on rice”!

God expects us to walk in integrity and many times that requires us to not conform to this world’s ways. One way that I have eliminated the need to gossip is what I will watch on TV, read on the internet and buy at the magazine stand. I do not watch network news on a routine basis---usually for the weather. I don’t watch gossip shows or cynical comics. I no longer purchase rag magazines, entertainment magazines or tabloid newspapers. When I surf the internet I am quick to close a site that is filled with gossip.

This was not easy. I am a TV junky, I grew up in a house where knowledge of the rich and famous and the latest doings was a competition. To this day, my dad and I play the “who knows more?” game. If I stump him on start trivia he digs way back and asks me things like, “did you know that Raquel Welch went to High School in San Diego and she……blah, blah, blah”.

Because the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth in the power of words and what we spend time talking and speaking about impacting eternity, I have worked with God to let Him change me. It has been difficult and some of my friendships have suffered; it is easy to get pulled back to the world but we must remain constantly vigilant and on-guard. The enemy is ready to pull us back into our old ways, our old sin. I remind myself that the old man is dead and in the grave, quit trying to resurrect him!!!

Deborah Pegues Smith gives a great solution to cutting off gossip. She asks you to declare your home, work and play environments as “gossip-free zones”. Make every effort to avoid gossipmongers. Pro 20:19 warns us that, “a gossip tells secrets, so don’t hang around with someone who talk too much.” Deborah also cuts gossipers off in mid-sentence by pointing to her tongue and saying “tongue fast!” This let’s people know you are not willing to engage in the conversation.

She states she’s lost some friends, gets fewer phone calls and invitations but her life is better for it. She is pleasing God. God tells us in His Word that we will all give account for every idle word uttered from our mouth---man, I have ‘lots of splain’ to do Lucy!!!” I don’t need to wrack-up anymore-explaining time with God.

Affirmation Scripture (again, one of my favorites): Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14