Today was hard.
I had a moment where I could’ve gossiped. It would’ve been easy. It would’ve even felt good for a fleeting second, like scratching an itch that I know will only make the wound worse.
I was with two girls from work during lunch break, and we got to talking about another coworker—let’s call her T. They started talking about how T always shows up late and how the manager seems to overlook it. It was subtle at first, like one of those little threads you pull without thinking—but then it turned into a full unraveling. Her personal life. Her clothes. Even her laugh.
I opened my mouth. I was ready to add my two cents. But the Holy Spirit stopped me cold.
It hit me like a whisper and a warning at the same time: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying…” (Ephesians 4:29).
I bit my tongue. I literally had to sip my water to avoid talking. And then I changed the subject. “Hey, has anyone heard about the fundraiser next week?” It was awkward. They gave me this look like I was being too holy or too sensitive. I wanted to feel offended, but instead I felt peace. And conviction.
Later, in my quiet time with the Lord, I opened my Bible and I wept. I wept not because I messed up—but because I almost did. I wanted to. I wanted to gossip. I wanted to belong.
And that scared me.
Gossiping feels like a soft temptation. It doesn’t look evil. It doesn’t come with fangs or a pitchfork.
It comes with coffee and eye-rolls and shared secrets. But behind its charm is a deep demonic agenda: division, destruction, and death of character.
Proverbs 16:28 says, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”
Lord, forgive me for ever being that person. Forgive me for the times I entertained gossip or contributed to it, even if I didn’t start it. I see now—it’s not about who started it, it’s about who stopped it.
And I want to be a woman who stops it.
But let’s be real, Lord. That’s hard.
I live in a world where gossip is currency.
It’s how people bond, how social ladders are climbed. Even Christian circles are not exempt. And that’s what breaks my heart the most. I’ve seen churches divided over whisper campaigns. I’ve seen pastors slandered, friendships ruined, ministries halted… all because someone thought they knew something and couldn’t keep it to themselves.
So today, I’m confronting it—within myself first. This is war.
Because the devil doesn’t come just to tempt us with big sins. He loves the ones that look small but rot us from the inside out. Gossip is one of them.
James 3:6 reminds me, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body…” And if we’re not careful, we start setting other people’s lives on fire, while standing there pretending we’re just holding a candle.
No more. I choose the narrow road.
(Please pray with me by TAPPING on the Image “Morning Prayer To Start The Day“)
God,
I come before You humbled and hungry for righteousness. I don’t want to use my words to hurt. I want to use them to heal. If I can’t speak life, let me speak silence. Give me discernment to recognize gossip even when it’s disguised as “concern.” Give me courage to change the subject, walk away, or call it out in love.
Convict me, Holy Spirit, whenever I begin to stray. I give You full access to my tongue, my heart, and my motives. Cleanse me. Refine me. Make me holy, even in my conversations. Amen.
I’m learning that resisting gossip isn’t just about what I say, but why I want to say it. If I feel better about myself by tearing someone else down, that’s not just sin—it’s a wound I haven’t allowed God to heal yet.
So now, before I open my mouth about someone else, I’m going to ask:
- Would I say this if they were here?
- Is this true, necessary, and kind?
- Is this building someone up or tearing someone down?
If I can’t answer all three with integrity, I won’t say a word.
I also want to do better about speaking for people instead of about them.
If I see a friend being slandered, I will defend her. If I hear a rumor, I’ll kill it with truth. If someone starts gossiping, I will not just ignore it—I’ll challenge it. With grace, but also with boldness.
We’re not called to be passive Christians. Jesus flipped tables. He confronted sin. And I will, too—starting with my own mouth.
If you want to honor God, guard your tongue. Gossip won’t make you more loved or more respected. It may feel good in the moment, but it rots your witness and wounds your soul. Choose the harder road. You’ll never regret silence, but you may regret every careless word.
Matthew 12:36 says, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
That verse both terrifies and empowers me. Because it reminds me that every word I speak matters. Every single one.
So tomorrow, Lord willing, when I face another chance to gossip—or to steer a conversation away from it—I will remember this prayer, this verse, and this vow. I will speak life. I will choose holiness over popularity. And I will remind the devil that he can’t have my tongue.
Not today. Not ever.
In Jesus’ mighty name….
The Christian Tech-Nerd 