Gossip - the Destroyer

The Curse that is Satan’s best weapon.

Now I’m no theologian; no Bible scholar either, but I reckon that of the so-called “deadly sins” - wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony, there is one yet deadlier. Yes, truly, there is a sin that combines some or all of the ‘deadly’ ones and it is a sin that has gone unchecked in many churches for years and years. It is rampant throughout the whole world but possibly at its worst in the church, the Bride of the Lamb of God.

“What’s the goss?” is, more often than not, the prelude to a total meltdown of all that we, as Christians, should hold dearest in terms of our way of life. When we do this; when we ask such a question, we suddenly become purveyors of the most insidious lies and innuendo that will eventually destroy all that many hold dear.

So what is this ghastly sin? It is GOSSIP.

Gossip is Satan’s poison with which he is trying to so devalue the church that it will fall. Gossip is the collected facts, assumptions, innuendo, and lies that together make the most lethal and sinful cocktail. Gossip ruins reputations, lives, families, churches, and whole communities. It debases trust. It corrupts. And it destroys.

Yet – walk into any church most Sunday mornings, eavesdrop a little bit, (which is how much gossip starts in the first place), and you will hear the phrase “Did you hear about . . . . . ?” Followed by, “No-o-o – really?” or something like that. You know that ‘secrets’ whispered in the right ear will be common knowledge within minutes or hours – and it will probably have a little added spice too. That’s how gossip starts, spreads, and finally destroys people.

The Word of God says, perhaps of people such as gossips :-

Psalm 5:9 “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.”

And again

Psalm 41:6 “Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it abroad.”

The Word of God also urges us to

Psalm 34:13 “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”

And again

Proverbs 13:3 “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”

So, next time you hear someone gossiping, either ask them to stop or move away so that you are not polluted. Better still – when they say, “Did you hear . . . . “, say “No – and I don’t want to hear either thanks.” As the old phrase has it – if you can’t say anything good about someone, then say nothing at all. The Word of God tells us to keep our speech edifying and positive – so let’s all do that? Gossip brings no glory to God, only sadness and disappointment.