Living in the Word – Prayer Devotional for Gossip
Gossip is spreading, revealing, or reporting personal or sensational facts about others. It’s judgmental and usually cruel in nature.
So why does it happen?
Because of our own insecurities and lack of self-esteem.
In an attempt to make ourselves look better we talk negatively about someone else. Males are not void of self-esteem issues and thus gossiping, but this is a much more prevalent focus for women. And it sadly starts at a young age. Girls and women will pick each other apart because that is what a person with low self-esteem does to themselves. The other person’s clothes, size, beauty, personality characteristics. Each area that gets picked on by someone is generally the exact area that they dislike or feel uncomfortable about themselves.
Women who have comfort in who they are take the time to build up other people. They don’t feel like they are competing in whatever imaginary contest other women may focus on.
Ridding gossip from your life is freeing and allows love, kindness, and goodness to enter your heart and be blessed onto others. Removing gossip requires self-control to restrain the behavioral response to talk about someone else. But for gossip to truly be out of your life it will require focusing on your own self-esteem and understanding you are loved and worthy, just as you are, by God!
Take the time to read the below bible scriptures and truly focus on what they are saying to you. Some passages may touch you differently than others. Writing down the verses in your own hand is helpful for some individuals. Possibly looking up the verses in your own bible may be beneficial. I use a NIV bible translation. Or reading them over and over to commit to memory. Whatever method works best for you to experience God’s words and feel closer to Him.
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 141:3
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Proverbs 8:6-8
Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, buy only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
James 1:19
My dear bothers, take note of this; Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Proverbs 11:11-13
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
Proverbs 26:20
Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.
I sincerely pray that these verses meet you where you are and help you to see that gossiping about others hurts not only them but you as well. Tearing others down will not build you up in anyone else’s eyes.
God bless,
Melissa
Melissa, these are great verses to remind us of how important it is to control our tongues and not spread gossip. I totally agree that we do it to make ourselves feel better about who we are. In reality if we saw ourselves from God’s perspective we would realize He created all of us and loves all of us. Thanks for the scriptures! – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
They are such great reminders because it’s so easy to fall into! Especially on the days when you are feeling a bit down or insecure. We need to remember to lean into Him instead of push down someone else! Thank you for reading and commenting! God Bless!
Thank you for writing about a subject that we can all relate too! I loved the scriptures that you used and ps. 141:3 is so powerful and one of my favorites. I can only hope and pray that I can walk in this truth. Thanks for such a great reminder to do so today!
It is absolutely a subject that we all relate to and at times struggle with! It is also amazing that God has words to guide us for all situations! Thank you for reading and commenting! God Bless!
It’s true we need to stop being to gossiping and pray that God helps us to please Him with the words of our mouths
Very true! If our daily prayer was to use our mouth to lift up the others around us we would live a quite a different world! Thank you for reading and commenting! God Bless!
When I hear women picking each other apart, it breaks my heart. We should be building each other up.
It is very sad. It also can be very easy to fall into if your focus is not in the right place. God! Thank you for reading and commenting. God Bless!
Ohh. Some of my most painful lessons in my early adulthood centered around how poisonous gossip can be. It is malicious and comes from a place of insecurity within us. Now I listen to people and distance myself from those who gossip. Who knows when my head will be on the chopping block next?
Agreed! I try to stay away from those situations and people as well. Not because I’m better than them but because it becomes so easy to fall into. God Bless!
This is SO good. It’s easy to turn well meaning conversations about prayer requests into gossip – we slip in unnecessary details here and there. We add our judgement. It’s a trap that we need to stop falling into. Thanks for the verses!
It can be incredibly easy to do. Especially when we are personally struggling. It truly is amazing that when we root ourselves in God we look at others through His eyes and not our own. Thank you for reading and commenting! God Bless!
I don’t allow people to come to me with gossip. If someone does, i stop them and say let’s pray for them right now. in my prayer I always ask God to let the person that comes to me be a source of love, light and hope to the person they are trying to gossip about
That is wonderful! It takes a secure person both in faith and in who they are as a person to be able to do that! Thank you for reading and commenting! God Bless!
Proverbs 26:20 is such a powerful verse in regards to gossip. If we would stop stroking the fire, the devil would not get as many opportunities as he gets.
This is so true. We need to do everything in our ability to not allow the devil a foothold. Thank you for reading and commenting. God Bless!