Today, we’ll address the third type of parasite you need to cut out of your life, the gossiper. I know this sounds harsh. After all, what the harm of a little gossip? No one really gets hurt – right? Wrong! Gossip destroys lives and reputations. Not only your own reputation, but the reputations of others.
The Bible has a great deal to say about the dangers of gossip. Yahweh tells us in Leviticus 19:16 “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.
Proverbs 17:4 tells us, Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander and in Proverbs 25:23, is says As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!
Here we see that that listening to gossip causes you to get angry. And in that anger, it’s very easy to make a judgment about a person or situation without knowing all the facts or both sides of the story. And then go tell others based on your own interpretation of what was told you. And thus begins the harsh cycle of slandering the reputation of another person.
And such slander can destroy not only their reputation but also their very lives. Think about it, how many lives have been destroyed by misinformation or blatant lies told about another person?
And and by spreading the slander these gossiping parasites feed you, you are slowly destroying your own reputation as well. As Proverbs 25:10 says, Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation. Gossip ruins friendships – both your own and those of others. As Proverbs 16:28 says, A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
Once you get the reputation off being a gossip, no one will trust you. And that is one of the greatest damage to your christian witness and ministry you could ever do! How can you follow your calling to help others if no one trusts you?
Yahweh speaks through King Solomon in Proverbs 20:19, A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.
So, we see that we need to cut the gossip spreading parasites out of our lives so we can stop judging by appearance and make righteous judgments.
So how do we cut out those gossip parasites out of our lives? Just stop listening to their gossip and walk away and if you hear a matter, remember what it says in Proverbs 26:20 says Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
When a gossip tries to tell the latest “Did you hear…?” just walk away. If you passively hear people gossiping, keep the matter to yourself and don’t repeat to anyone what you heard. It’s written in the Proverbs: Gossip dies in the heart of the wise. And in Proverbs 11:13 it says, A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
By cutting these gossip parasites out of you life and the infection they spread, you are protecting your valuable reputation. as it is written in Proverbs 22:1 Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.