How to Stop Gossiping as a Christian: It’s Time We Learn

If you’re struggling to resist the gossip devil, stay here and read this. I’ll dive into what God thinks about gossipers and what type of immoral character a gossiping spirit has. Find out the biblical character traits you might not have known about that spirit. Let’s go.

The Character Traits of a Gossip

Now, this is for the Christians. Jesus said to go to His lost sheep. Today, we’re gonna gain some wisdom, resist the gossip devil, and make him flee. Maybe after seeing what God thinks, the fear of the Lord will put things in order.

Gossipers Are Untrustworthy

Would you be surprised if I told you that if you’re a gossiper, you are considered UNTRUSTWORTHY to God Almighty? Ouch. It’s in the book of Proverbs. Here, let’s read it:

“A gossip goes around telling secrets,
    but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13 NLT).

Wow. See? Let’s break this down a bit. The Book of Proverbs is a book of parallelism. It defines one thing that corresponds to another. So since it says here that trustworthy people are the ones who can keep a confidence, then gossipers are untrustworthy. Do you want that character trait? We shouldn’t want to identify with the enemy, right? Nah.

They’re Unreliable Employees

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, something so full of common sense makes a huge difference when it’s broken down like that and coupled with being God’s word. Look at it like this: your supervisor has read the Book of Proverbs, and he lives his life as best as he can based on it. Imagine that he already has this wisdom. He sees you gossiping around the job and deems you untrustworthy.

But guess what? You can apply this wisdom to your own life as well. Perhaps you aren’t the gossiper, but your co-workers struggle with that spirit. They’d be seen as untrustworthy to you. This information can help you to be gentle as a dove and wise as a serpent (Matthew 10:16). Having this wisdom, you can make the decision not to get too close to a person who does this. Or if you already have a rapport with the person, you could bring it up gently and maybe transform their lives. Ah-ha! Aren’t you glad you stayed?

First of all ladies, why are we gossiping about people made in God’s image? Why aren’t we praying for them? We wrestle not against flesh and blood . . . (Ephesians 6:12). So why not take a minute and discern the spirit behind the gossiping? That’s our real enemy.

Read more of where this quote came from in my first blog post titled Putting God First: 3 Simple Ways to be Holy at Work.

They Mirror Demons

Whoa-whoa-whoa. You said what? Yes. Now I don’t know if you’ve heard any testimonies of people waking up in sleep paralysis or if you’ve heard any of the many hell testimonies out there these days, but (and I can attest to this with my own story) they gossip about US. Yes. We know that’s not a godly trait; it’s a demonic one. They laugh and gossip about us. They slander us too, whispering into people’s spirits to get them to behave like them. Sound familiar?

That’s a characteristic of the enemy.

On the other hand, God doesn’t do slander. He is Truth. John 8:44 says that Satan is the father of lies, and that goes for his minions, too. They salivate on “juicy” gossip, hoping to get through an open door into a human’s life. Angels rejoice when a sinner repents. I’d imagine that the kingdom of darkness laughs when we fall into sin—even gossip. We can’t be out here bringing “joy” to the enemy.

Gossipers Are Troublemakers

Listen, I know this is some direct information here. And though it seems like common sense, do our lives show we believe it? I’m laying it all out on the table. But think about it. Do you want to be associated with being a troublemaker all because of gossip? The goal here is to get you to think about how it looks as a bigger picture. Need a scripture? I got you: “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends” (Proverbs 16:28).

What to Do About Gossip?

Now, earlier I gave the scenario about your supervisor possibly having this knowledge of the Book of Proverbs. How bad would that look if you’re a gossip? But fearing what a supervisor thinks over the One who sees you all the time is not the way. Do we care more about what they think than what God thinks? I need you to put this into perspective here.

The one who sees us all the time (whether the supervisor sees us or not) is who matters most. That’s called having the fear of the Lord. We express our fear of God by how we live our lives, including how we behave on the job.

We make it obvious who we are by how we live. Most people won’t see how you are at work so this is sort of an opportunity to shape your character in secret. Choosing God’s righteousness is a silent expression that speaks volumes. Resisting gossip gives you a good reputation. Without that plaguing your life, you’re seen as a trustworthy human being. Now that’s a light that should shine.

It’s simple. Once you become trustworthy, you become reliable. You’re not seen as the one who can’t keep a private conversation to yourself or who keeps getting passed over in the friendship department by virtuous people who already have this wisdom. Those people could be the ones you need to grow. Iron sharpens iron. If you get this and pray for the grace to control your tongue, those people will see you as a great candidate for a friend. I would.

Conclusion

Lastly, don’t worry if you’re resonating with the enemy here. God’s arm is not too short that he can’t save you from this turmoil. Just lay it out on the table, be honest with him about maybe even loving gossip, and tell him you no longer want that to be your portion in life. Do this with ALL of your heart. Read this blog post again and again if you need to, to let it sink in and watch what happens.