GOSIP IS LIKE A TERMITE, AVOID IT.
Source: www.heartlight.org
Gossip is like a termite. It eats up the bearer and affects the hearer who harbours it.
The words of a tale-bearer are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart. Proverbs 18:18 (YLT).
People who know their god-given purpose in life and are committed to it don't have time for gossip. So, if you are serious about eliminating it in your life, wage an all-out war against it with the word of God. Ask Jesus to help you overcome it. Declare wherever you are a 'gossip-free zone', and make every effort to avoid gossip-mongers.
Gossip can be a 'choice morsel' that's hard to resist. Ask yourself why you have decided to be a bearer of bad news. Do you enjoy being the center of attention? Does it make you feel superior to know something negative about somebody that the listener doesn't know?
Are you envious of the person's accomplishments? Why are you willing to use the temple of God as a 'rubbish bin' by receiving rubbish? (See 1 Corinthians 6:19). What do you plan to do with what a gossip told you?
'A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don't hang around with chatterers'. (Proverbs 20:19) NLT.
When your tongue is used as an instrument of righteousness, your stock in heaven rises. You will be able to humbly declare with complete dependence on the Father,
'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer' (Psalm 19:14).