Counsel #5 — Don’t Gossip

Picture: Counsel #5 — Don’t GossipCR 7.1

People gossip to have something to talk about, to mask their own insecurity, or to gain a false sense of power and superiority over others. But gossip is always destructive. If this habit becomes a regular part of your conversations with your peers, they will start to wonder if you gossip about them to others.CR 7.2

Don’t do it. If one of your peers says something negative about another person, try to reverse the course of conversation by saying something positive about the person. Or, just refuse to stay and passively participate by listening.^{[5]https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2015/05/holy-gossiping}CR 7.3

“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” Romans 1:29-31 ESV CR 7.4

“[Satan] knows that all this gossip, and tale-bearing, and revealing of secrets, and dissecting of character, separate the soul from God. It is death to spirituality and a calm religious influence....CR 7.5

Christians should be careful in regard to their words. They should never carry unfavorable reports from one of their friends to another, especially if they are aware that there is a lack of union between them.” Ellen White in Testimonies to the Church, vol. 2, p. 185CR 7.6

Reflect: How does gossip separate your soul from God?CR 7.7