Know how to lose a friend?

How would you describe a friend?

Most people would have no problem coming up with a few answers to that question. Most would say things like: Loyal, Honest, Trustworthy etc. All of those would be good answers and they lead me to my next question.

Are you loyal, trustworthy and honest?

It’s funny how many of us want those things in a friend but we don’t have them in ourselves. One of the hardest things to control in life is your mouth.

James 3:8 “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

People love to gossip. There is something about finding out information and then sharing it to people that makes us feel good. We treat it like currency in a lot of ways. If you have good dirt on someone, you feel you have power over them. People will come to you to find out what it is. The crazy thing is half the time we don’t know if the rumor is really even true but we always say, “They said” or “I heard from” to put the blame on someone else.

Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

The bible specifically says not to gossip. It will bring nothing but trouble into your life. When it does get in, it does a great job of eventually creeping into and destroying even the closest of friends. There is a saying I came across:

Whoever gossips TO you will gossip ABOUT you – Spanish Proverb

So what should we do about gossip? Well you should watch your own tongue first. Gossip is something that has to spread by people. If you keep your mouth shut you will not be a gossiper. If your friends like to gossip be careful because the same way they talk about other people might be the same way they talk about you.

Gossip – “Squash it don’t spread it.”

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