Proverbs 16:28 (CEV) Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends.

We all have been guilty of spreading gossip. A friend or family member confides in us about a problematic situation and we go tell someone else. Not only do we tell someone else, we may give our opinion about the people involved.

Because our words have power, what we’re doing when we gossip is keeping that situation alive (Prov. 18:21). It’s like adding a log to the fire. Each person we tell, we’re fueling that negative situation. If we’re giving our opinion about the people involved, most of the time, it’s not favorable or true. We’ll say how terrible the person was or how foolish someone was. Again, with the power of our words, we’re speaking death over the people involved. And if what we’re saying doesn’t agree with God’s Word, it’s not true.

The best things we can do after hearing unfortunate news is keep it to ourselves and sincerely pray for the person and their situation. Let’s speak life in that situation and declare all is well with them and their household. As tempting as it is to tell someone else, nothing good comes when we tell another person’s business.