Rumors and Gossip
Proverbs 18:8 (NLT) “Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.“
Did you know spreading rumors is just as bad as spreading gossip? A rumor is information or a story passed from person to person without verification that it’s true. Gossip may have a small piece of information that is true, but the motive of passing the information from person to person is not for edification, only slander.
So why are rumors and gossip so desired to hear? One reason is pride. When we hear that someone has fallen short of being honorable, we feel internally elevated, as if we are better. Human nature cannot help but compete and compare ourselves against others. And we like to win. Hearing information about others is also a way to track who we can trust. The problem with that rule is that gossip can create a false perception because it is based on a partial truth.
Why does God hate rumors and gossiping? Because it has the same behavior as Satan when he accuses the believers of evil and wrongdoing. Satan brings evidence before God of the wrongs that we’ve done to declare us not righteous. Satan whispers slanderous information about others to you so that your perception of that person is not through God’s eyes, but your own judgmental eyes.
Proverbs 6:19 (NLT) “a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.”
Be careful of individuals who just want to spread information about others to you. There is a saying, “if a person is sharing with you a lot of information about someone else, then that same person is probably telling your information to others.” The quickest way I get people to stop spreading rumors or gossip to me is that I interrupt them by saying, “Hey, let’s pray for them right now! You start, and I will finish.” Just keep doing that a couple of times, and I promise they will stop coming to you with gossip and rumors.
Be Blessed!
Ron
Ron Cobbs Ministries © Copyright August 19th, 2026, All Rights Reserved