Have you ever noticed how often our opinions of people change? One day we think they are great, and the next day we can’t stand them. Then we allow our fleeting emotions to burst free from our thoughts, and we gossip about them. But what if our desire to think about the people around us is not necessarily wrong? What would happen if we started overcoming the spirit of gossip by praying when we felt the urge to focus on others?
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Overcoming the Spirit of Gossip: 7 Promises of Blessings
Overcoming the spirit of gossip is a very difficult sin to overcome, but there is a solution: Love. When we filter our attention on others through love instead of judgment, prayer will replace gossip. We are social creatures and we like to contemplate the world and the people in it. The desire to embrace others with our thoughts can be extremely beneficial when submitted to the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead of using our words to destroy, we can replace gossip with prayer and use our words to build up.
Why Should We Replace Gossip with Prayer?
When we have the urge to gossip, our hearts and minds are telling us there is new information to analyze and assimilate into our understanding. In a brief moment, we have a choice of two paths – blessings or curses. We can show mercy and offer blessings to others or we can show judgment and offer a curse. The choice is ours. We can gossip or we can pray. Tear down or build up.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” 1 Thessalonians 5.11 NIV
The Bible has a lot to say about our words. When we fully understand the power of the tongue, we would be very careful about what we think and say. The tongue is literally a weapon that can be used for good or evil. There is no in-between. When we gossip, our tongue is used for evil. When we pray, our tongue is used for good. Once we learn to wield this weapon for good, we can reap the benefits.
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7 Promises for Overcoming the Spirit of Gossip
Not only can we bless others with our words, but we can also bless ourselves. The Bible gives us 7 promises that are unleashed as we replace gossip with prayer. When we choose to bless others, we literally bless ourselves. When we choose to curse others, we, in turn, curse ourselves. We can transform our desire to gossip into a force for good by praying. As we get better at replacing gossip with prayer, our life will experience massive positive results.
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses…” Deuteronomy 30.19 NLT
Promise 1: We will enjoy life more.
We don’t realize it, but when we spew negative words about others, we too become covered with negativity. However, if we learn to transform our words of judgment to words of mercy, our days will become good and joyful. We will not be bogged down by the words of destruction we have spoken aloud.
If you want joy in your life and have happy days, keep your tongue from saying bad things and your lips from talking bad about others” 1 Peter 3.10 NLV
Promise 2: We will always have an answer.
We may not know everything, but God certainly does. When He can trust us with our words, He will open up His wisdom and release it on our lives. The void left behind after we overcome the spirit of gossip will be replaced by God’s righteous words of wisdom.
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” Colossians 4.6 NLT
Promise 3: We will have close friends.
Friendships are a choice and they take work, but they can greatly enrich and bless our lives and keep us on the right track. People are not perfect, and our friends will make mistakes. If we choose to forgive instead of gossiping about the transgression, our relationships will prosper. And when we make a mistake, the mercy can then be extended to us.
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends” Proverbs 17.9 NLT
Promise 4: We will have healing.
Our words will not only bring healing to others, but they can also bring healing to us. The power of Jesus Christ is found in mercy. When we speak words of mercy in prayer instead of gossiping, we are surrounding ourselves and others in an atmosphere of healing. Our bodies, minds, and hearts will all benefit from the healing power around us.
Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing” Proverbs 12.18 NLT
[bctt tweet=”Words can hurt or words can heal. YOU decide how they will affect someone!” username=”kingdomblogger1″]
Promise 5: We will have satisfaction.
Gossiping is like a fire that can’t be quenched (Proverbs 26.20). We will stress ourselves out overthinking about people and situations, and our hearts will be robbed of satisfaction. When we gossip, we become the person speaking out of turn in the courtroom who will eventually be removed. When we pray to God instead of gossiping, we are pleading in the ears of the Judge Whose verdict is final.
Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction” Proverbs 18.20 NLT
Promise 6: We will have peace.
No money in the world can buy true peace. Peace comes to us each day because we replace our thoughts and words of gossip with prayer. Our words can free us or enslave us. When we pray instead of gossip, we surround ourselves, our homes and our relationships with God’s unending peace. How simple it is to have peace. All we need to do is learn to pray instead of gossip.
He who watches over his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles” Proverbs 21.23 NLV
Promise 7: We will have life.
The Bible says that the power of life and death is in our words. This realization should make us only want to speak life. When we replace gossip with prayer, we are literally pouring life onto us and those around us. We can reap the fruits of blessings or curses. The choice is ours, and all we have to do is use our tongue in prayer.
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” Proverbs 18.21 NLT
Be sure to also read these other great posts to help grow in your faith:
- What if I Don’t’ Know How to Pray
- Giving it to God: 5 Ways to Let Go and Let God
- Where Does God Fit Into Your Life?
- Searching for God in All the Wrong Places
- 7 Ways to Improve Spiritual Health in 2019
How Can We Overcome the Spirit of Gossip with Prayer?
When we see something we don’t like in someone, we should first go to God in prayer. We can pray for that person and the situation and ask God for clarity. That way we will have stopped ourselves from gossiping, and we won’t reap the negative fruit it produces. Before we speak to anyone else about our thoughts, we should always turn to God first. The Holy Spirit will convict us if we are showing judgment instead of mercy.
If there is a person or situation that is truly unfair, God is our judge! He is our Redeemer and our Counselor. We can tattle on others to God, and trust that He will accomplish both His justice and mercy in us and others. When we realize that we have been saved from a life separated from God because of the mercy of Jesus on the cross, it will be easier for us to offer mercy to others. So before we gossip, let us pray in love!
For more wonderful, faith-filled reading, be sure to check out some of the amazing books written by Alisa Hope Wagner!
