Woman of God, this is a struggle for all of us. Perhaps it was as a young school- age girl. Or an hormonal, ever-changing teenager. I’m pretty sure as As an immature young woman you fought this. It’s likely now as a maturing strong, faith-filled woman, the Battle is still with you.
Fight it. Take it to the Lord. On your knees if you must.
Refuse to share-and even hear-gossip.
The word, gossip, comes from a Middle English root meaning one who is with someone of God, a close ally or friend, who you share idle talk with. It’s modern meaning is “sharing information about the behavior and personal lives of other people”. God has strong warnings about it. Paul wrote this to the believers in Rome concerning the sins that have angered God.
“God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they should not do. They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip and say evil things about each other.” Romans 12:28-30.
Paul introduced the topic by writing this in verse 12:18,
“God shows his anger from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. Their evil lives hide the truth they have.”
That’s a bad list of behaviors for gossip to be included with. We must stop this idle talk. It hurts our witness. It hurts the church. It hurts. Women we must reboot and refresh our conversations. Be positive, hopeful and compassionate. Work hard at thinking well of others and not thinking the worst.
In my ministry and my profession, I’ve been honored to come to know many “back stories”. It helped me to understand other’s behavior- as annoying, strange or different as they may be. If we know what others have been through in life, we would be less likely to criticize or talk negatively about them. Promise God you are going to change. You will not gossip!
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be become more compassionate in your thinking and your talk. Honor God with your mouth.
