I had a roommate in college who loved to gossip. He would talk amicably with one of his “friends” and then later that night I would hear him talking badly about that person behind their back. He was always eager to fill me in on the campus scuttlebutt or the latest social club drama. Although I loved this roommate and enjoyed his company, I often felt insecure around him and wondered if he ever said bad things about me behind my back.

“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body” (Prov 26:22). Why is it that we so much want to tell and hear gossip? The psalmist even warns us, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure” (Psalm 101:5). Our apostle Paul also mentions gossip on six occasions, but always in a negative way (Rom 1:29; 2 Cor 12:20; 1 Tim 3:11; 1 Tim 5:13; 2 Tim 3:3; Titus 2:3).

If you struggle with gossip (or hear gossip frequently) I challenge you to flip this habit. Every time you crave to tell a juicy rumor, use that as an opportunity to say something positive and constructive. Do as Paul advises, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up…” (Eph 4:29). Tell your friends something you like about them. Tell them the most exciting thing you have ever done. If you really want to combat Satan with this strategy, use the temptation of gossip as a reminder to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. With him you have hope, you have a purpose, you have life and life eternal. Why would you not want to share this?