Hollywood Prayer Network On The Pain Of Gossip

PRAY:  Dear Lord, I have become filled with every kind of wickedness and I ask that You clean out my heart, my mind, and my soul right now. I want to start today being washed as white as snow, so that no gossip comes out of my mouth and no evil thoughts go into my head. Even though I know Your righteous decree, I don’t want to continue to do these evil things that displease You. Please allow me to start fresh today with a pure and contrite heart. Thank you, Lord.

REFLECT:  Romans 1:29-32 tells us that not only do we allow every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity to come into us, but Paul lists horrible things that we think and do, and GOSSIP is on that list, next to God-haters, infidelity, and having no love. That’s powerful. People often prioritize sins according to what we think is better or worse, and we get it so wrong. We know turning against God is bad, but seeing that Paul put gossips in the same list as God-haters is humbling and thought-provoking. Are you careful with your words? Do you talk about or against others? Although we know God’s righteous decree, that does not stop us from doing such things that deserve death! We do them anyway and even approve when others practice the same thing. 

ACT:  Read through this verse out loud and listen carefully to the list of sins that Paul points out as evil and wicked. Are you surprised by the variety of offenses? Go through them again one at a time and ask the Lord to take each one away from you. When you arrive at gossip, ponder its dictionary meaning: “someone who likes to talk about someone else’s private or personal business.” It’s not necessarily mean words, it’s just personal. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any time that you’ve gossiped and to help you to hold your tongue the next time you’re tempted. It may take a few times to break the habit.

PRAY:  Father, I’m sure I have lots of habits I don’t even think about. But I ask You now to help me to see if I have a habit of gossiping. Or maybe I am idle, which makes me become a gossip. I don’t ever want to talk nonsense or say things that I shouldn’t. I want to have pure thoughts and say only words that bless, encourage, lift up, and honor other people. May this be the week that I break any possibility of gossip and I refocus and recommit to You and Your ways. Thank you for allowing me to start fresh every day. I love You, my heavenly Father. Amen.

REFLECT:  Reflect on this insightful progression of sins that Timothy warns us about. If we get in the habit of being idle, then we start going about from house to house bothering our neighbors, and then we become busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things we ought not to. Wow, look how that creeps up on us. So, first of all, we can’t become idle. We have to be wise, resourceful, and purposeful with our time, giving every moment to the Lord and using our time for His glory. Then we won’t be tempted to waste our time, bother other people around us, or gossip. So, gossip can come from liking to feel powerful by talking about people behind their backs, or it could be just because we are not using our time purposefully for God’s glory and for the good of others. How do you spend your time? And are you talking about others during your days?

ACT:  Think about your days just this week. Have you been purposeful in using them to the best of your ability to be productive and contemplative and to serve God and others around you? Think through your conversations: Have you talked about people? Or have you talked about ideas, experiences, concepts, and godly wisdom? How do you spend your time and what do you talk about in your conversations? Maybe today is the day to evaluate your days and start to break habits of being idle or of gossiping. There is no better time than the present. Re-commit right now to become more Christ-like in all that you do and say.

PRAY:  Dear God, I want to understand the power of words and how I can choose my words to avoid betraying the confidence of others, in order to be a trustworthy person who can keep a secret, and to never be a perverse person, stirring up conflict. Lord, You tell me that a gossip separates close friends. I never want to do that. I want to be known for stopping quarrels and building closer friendships, not gossiping and fueling fires. Help me to check my words and be a person of love, kindness, encouragement, and integrity. Thank You, God!

REFLECT:  Proverbs 18:18 says “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” Contemplate the power of words expressed right here. It is completely contradictory to the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Who thought of that and how did it ever become popular? It’s a phrase from the enemy in cute poetry so that kids will say it to one another and begin to believe it. But we must be aware that words go down to the inmost parts of our hearts and souls and they stay there to fester and grow. Words are a weapon or a salve, depending on which ones we choose to use. Gossip is all about words. We can either choose to hold our tongues or hurt other people, in once sentence. That’s all it takes. How can we become more aware of the words we use, especially when we’re joking or being flippant? Those words can come out so quickly that it’s sometimes too late to ever take them back. 

ACT:  An assignment for today is to be focused and aware of every word you say. You can either make a mental note or write down all of your jokes, conversations, casual comments, and responses. Watch what you say and how you say it. And notice if you’re saying things that you wouldn’t say if you were writing them in a letter or leaving them on a voice message. Try to heighten your awareness of your words and see if you’re pleased or surprised at how you use your words. Most people don’t think about their words and cause more damage than they even mean to. At the end of the day evaluate all the words you said. How did you do?

PRAY:  Heavenly Father, I understand that we can know our true selves by examining our hearts. You say in Matthew 15:19 that out of the heart comes evil thoughts. Then you list some horrible things that we think. Then in Psalm 52:4 you tell us that we love every harmful word that we say because we have deceitful tongues! Lord, today I want to get control of my tongue. Sometimes I can be so mad, so silly, or so carefree that I let my tongue say things I would never otherwise say. But I can’t blame my tongue, I can just choose to control it. In order to avoid gossip, would Your Holy Spirit give me self-control over my tongue. Thank You for giving me the strength to control everything that comes out of my mouth. Amen and Amen.

REFLECT: These Old Testament and New Testament verses call out two body parts as the problem causing us to sin. “Out of the HEART come evil thoughts” and “You love every harmful word, you deceitful TONGUE!” So, we can blame our body parts or we can take responsibility for everything that comes out of our body. Our body is a Temple and we are in charge of that Temple, so if the Temple is left open, it can attract all kinds of seedy characters wandering in. If the core of the Temple (i.e., our heart) is dirty, or if the front door (i.e., our mouth) is left open, then our hearts and tongues are free to spew out whatever they want. It’s our responsibility to close the door and control the thoughts from our hearts and the words from our tongues. We must have self-control so that we don’t commit murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, or slander. Our deceitful hearts and tongues love sin, but our souls long for goodness, purity, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, honor, peace, and unity. Surrender control of ALL of your body parts and let Him transform your mind and heart. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit you’ll be able to have self-control over your tongue.

ACT:  Whatever time it is in your day right now, since you got up this morning, have you had any evil, mean, selfish, or gossipy thoughts? Have you said any harmful words? If not, praise God and keep going, trying to keep your heart and your tongue pure for the rest of the day. If you have already slipped, then ask forgiveness and pray to start fresh, believing that as of the moment your prayer ends, you are as white as snow and ready to start again. Do this as many times as you need to before the end of today. And as you lie down to sleep, either thank the Lord for a successful day, or ask Him to help you again tomorrow and the next day until you have broken the habit of gossip and you are transformed!

PRAY:  Lord, today is a day for me to pray for others who gossip. I can’t change other people, but I can pray for Your Holy Spirit to come in and stop them from slandering, gossiping, and speaking maliciously against others. Lord, I pray for the people around me whom I know and love, for our political leaders, and for the leaders and decision-makers in Hollywood who don’t know You and don’t understand Your concepts. A lot of the people I know see nothing wrong with slander and gossip, and they speak maliciously against other people and against You without even blinking an eye. But as Jesus said on the cross, “Forgive them, for they don’t know what they do!” Lord, I lift up our country’s political and cultural “rulers” and ask that You forgive them and then transform them, revealing Your saving grace to them. As I meditate on Your decrees I ask the Holy Spirit to convict their hearts, and mine, so that any of them who speak maliciously may be ashamed of their slander and gossip, and repent, and let me not judge any of these people, but pray for them to find You. Then Your Holy Spirit will make all of us new creatures. 

REFLECT:  God has told us from the very beginning to pray for our leaders, whether we agree with them or not. We need to lift our leaders up to the Lord and ask Him to renew them, transform them, and guide them. You have surely thought to pray for your political leaders, but have you ever thought to pray for your cultural leaders? The leaders in Hollywood who are creating and distributing our world’s media and entertainment need prayer. Many of them sit together and slander others; they gossip, lie, and harm others. Our job is to keep a clear conscience by not participating, or even by redirecting the conversation, so that those who speak maliciously against our or others’ good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander and gossip. It’s our job to pray for them to discover and embrace the healing and transforming love of Jesus so that He can change their hearts and their tongues.

ACT:  Think of two leaders in Hollywood whom you know don’t know Jesus. They might have a bad reputation or are known for saying or doing bad things. They could be decision-makers or celebrities, but regardless, they are impacting our culture through their lives and projects, and even their actions. Instead of letting them lead you to gossip about them, stop right now and pray for them, and for the Holy Spirit to come in and change their hearts, minds, words, and actions. By doing this, you are keeping a clear conscience and helping these leaders move one step closer to a relationship with Jesus. That’s a Win/Win!

PRAY:  Oh Lord, help me to be wise. Make me a trusted person of integrity. Help me to hold my tongue and listen more than talk. I never want to be a gossip or to betray anyone’s confidence. So help me to choose my words, not over-talk, and not lose control of my tongue. Give me self-discipline so that I always keep my eyes on You, regardless of the circumstances. Thank You for helping me, guiding me, and molding me in to the person whom You’ve created me to be. I need You desperately at every moment, Lord, and I know that’s right where you want me. I pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

REFLECT:  There is a lot to unpack in these two verses of Proverbs. First of all, we learn that a gossip betrays a confidence. That’s why we have to be so careful not to talk about people to others. As believers, we want to be people whom others can trust, turn to, and depend on. Those traits are rare commodities in the world, and one of our jobs is to “be there” for people. Then we’re told to beware of people who talk too much. We need wisdom to understand that someone who likes to tell stories is different from someone who gives TMI—too much information. In this case, talking too much means talking about things and people they shouldn’t be talking about, revealing too much information, and betraying confidences. It’s always better to be silent than to talk about things that could hurt people. We can choose to act wisely just by holding our tongues. That’s a start. But we still need the Holy Spirit to give us guidance on what to say, to whom to say it, and what to keep to ourselves. This is an important issue for Christians and one about which we should always ask ourselves. 

ACT:  Let’s step out in faith and do something radical, just like Jesus. Choose a person close to you whom you may have gossiped to at some point. Did you tell them too much information, did you reveal some secret that you should have kept silent about? Whatever form of gossip you may be guilty of, now is the time to make amends. Would you meet with that person or call them on the phone and apologize for talking too much? It doesn’t even have to be a serious offense. It might just be some slip of the tongue that you remember. Let them know that you’re working on controlling your words and you want to start by apologizing for this one mistake. That is your first step in breaking any possible habit of gossip and remembering that it’s easier not to say something than to have to go back later to apologize. You can become a new creature right now by taking this first step. It will make your heart feel so good!

PRAY:  Thank You, Lord, that I am ending my week on Gossip with a mandate from Paul to only talk about what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, and only what benefits those who listen. I want to be that kind of person. I thank You that as I keep my eyes on You, and control my tongue, that I can stop all unwholesome talk and only build up others, glorify You, and lead non-believers to You. Lord, I have so much potential and I thank You that You never give up on me, that You’re there for me, and that I can keep turning to You for help, strength, wisdom, and direction. Use me, Lord, direct my words and let me make an eternal difference in the world. Amen!

REFLECT:  Christians often focus on what we should do, act upon, or accomplish to be great Christians. But here Paul tells us to focus on what we say. All Christians should embrace his encouraging words and be empowered to make an eternal difference in life by the words that we use. Do you only use words that are helpful for building others up according to their needs? Do you choose words that benefit those who listen? What would it take to be lifting up others, encouraging them, being sensitive to their needs, and not saying anything unwholesome— which includes gossip? We could literally change the world around us. People would notice and many would try to follow our example. Some would ask why we’re so encouraging and why we’re being careful in what we say, and then we’d get a chance to share our faith. Because of that, some would walk away with a new hope, new ideas, and a more positive view of the world! 

ACT:  Ready for a new commitment to end your week? Say something nice, kind, encouraging, helpful, beneficial, uplifting, or loving to one person EVERY DAY. If you have to, call someone just to let them know you love them, or if you see someone you don’t know and want to let them know that you noticed them… do it! Whatever it is, start practicing wholesome talk, so that you won’t be tempted to get idle and gossip. You will start having so much fun with it every day that you’ll notice when you miss a day. It’s fun, it pleases God, and it benefits everyone who listens. Go make the world a better place!