Blog
“The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” (Proverbs 18:8)
Gossip is delicious. It gives the gossiper a sense of power, making them feel they are above others. It’s like the last chocolate you’ve been saving in the Whitman’s Sampler box, but it’s filled with a bittersweet filling.
To be receptive to gossip is also delicious, making you feel like you’ve gotten the “inside scoop” and knowledge others do not have. If you have a heart that receives this, others will sense that and bring it to you. Don’t be proud if everyone brings you gossip, thinking you have a wonderful, listening heart. What you probably have is a proud and duplicitous heart, and others sense that they can dump gossip at your door, and you’ll gladly take it in and pass it on.
A gossip is always the unknowing pawn of our great Enemy who is a liar and the father of all lies. He loves to spread gossip because it so deadly, spreads so quickly, and is almost impossible to stop. Those whom he uses are naive. In fact, Proverbs says they are foolish.
THEIR EFFECT
The reality is gossip is ALWAYS destructive. The Bible has much to say about it. I have often said that there is one cancer that I have seen destroy churches more than ANYTHING else, and this is it. A gossip is a coward. Unwilling to face people honestly, they destroy them behind their back, one devious sentence at a time.
I know people who DON’T gossip, and they’re trustworthy. Your name and information are safe in their mouths and hearts. You can build a church, a family, a business, a ministry with people like this. But don’t entrust anything to a gossip.
THEIR END
God repeatedly says that a gossip will always be exposed, and the words they thought would exalt them are the weapon that destroys them.
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul. (Proverbs 18:7)
An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will escape from trouble. (Proverbs 12:13)
Don’t listen to a gossip, and by all means, don’t become one. It may taste good going down, but will give you terrible heartburn in the end.
Copyright © 2025 by Bill Elliff @ billelliff.org. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org