How do I stop gossip when I hear it?

Proverbs 26:20Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

Make the gossip chain stop with you! When we hear gossip, we can decide not to spread it. We can smother gossip with a kind word about the victim or simply change the conversation. Or we can confront it for what it is and tell someone not to spread it any further. If we do, the flames will be robbed of their fuel.

Deuteronomy 13:14“In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully.”

If we are concerned about something we have heard, we must look carefully into the matter without assuming we have the truth. We should go to the source and get the facts straight before sharing our concerns.

Matthew 7:12“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

The Golden Rule can be applied to our speech: “Talk about others in the same way you would like them to talk about you.”

Ephesians 4:29Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

It’s really true—what we spend most of our time thinking about is what we end up doing. When we are tempted to complain, we should train ourselves instead to pray. When we’re tempted to gossip about someone, we should encourage and help someone instead.

Colossians 3:17Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

When we are tempted to gossip, we should ask ourselves, “Does the person I’m speaking to need to know this information? Is it true and accurate, and would telling it be helpful to everyone involved?”

Psalm 141:3Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.

Exercising self-control over our words involves not only not saying what we shouldn’t say, but saying what we should say. For example, we shouldn’t gossip. But we should speak up when we see injustice; we should encourage those who are down; and we should praise God every day. What comes out of our mouth most often reveals what is in our heart. We can ask a friend to hold us accountable for our words.