It does not matter to what organization one belongs - office, team, or church - rumors and gossip always fly. Intentional or not, rumors produce results.

A word here or an anecdote there into the right ears can eventually cut another down like knives in the back, blindsiding the subject with wounding gossip.

Gossip is like scattering feathers in a wind: It is just as impossible to reverse the damage done by gossip as it is to regather the feathers.

All have been guilty of malicious gossip; consequently, they should not become offended when they hear gossip about themselves (Ecclesiastes 7:21).

The tongue may be the most untamed beast on earth! James says we all offend in word. But James 3 is filled with wisdom regarding how we can overcome the beast.

The church grapevine is good at spreading news, but it can be evil when it spreads gossip and rumor. Gossip actually harms the gossip himself. Here's how.

King David's list of required character traits in Psalm 15 starts off by setting an impossibly high standard: the very character of God Himself.

Emotional damage from hurtful words is more harmful to our nervous system than we have imagined, lingering long past the healing time of any cut or broken bone

As culture degenerates, the sin of reviling has become more pervasive, as impatient narcissists lash out at others, using foul and abusive language.

Jesus calls His disciples "the salt of the earth." Do we know what He meant? Here is the spiritual side of this common mineral compound.

During times of unrest and confusion, it is easy to blame others for our problems. Yet finger-pointing is contrary to everything God teaches.

Childlike humility overlooks offenses, but childish pride causes one to strike out in retaliation when feelings are hurt or feathers are ruffled.

Reaping good fruit does not happen immediately. If we feel we are not reaping, we must consider that we might be reaping some negative things we have sown.

James' exhortation about the use of the tongue seems to stop with James 3:12. However, the rest of the chapter provides more wisdom on controlling our speech.

If we are not performing righteous acts with the right spirit (God's Holy Spirit or the mind of Christ) we will not hit the mark.

The virtue of love is the overarching framework for unity, demanding rigorous control over the tongue, understanding its capacity to destroy.

None of us is born with godly character; we develop it over a lifetime, working with God to develop right habits, conforming to God's holy characteristics.

We can never destroy another's standing before God, but we can easily injure his or her standing before other people. We truly are our brother's keeper.

We learn to love God by first loving our parents. Our first lessons in loving our neighbors happen within what should be the friendly confines of the family.

Assassinations have occurred frequently. There is an extremely dangerous kind of assassination—namely, character assassination through murmuring and gossip.

It is easy to fall into the traps of judgmentalism, gossip, and unforgiveness. We must overcome our natural reactions and use forbearance in our relationships.

Sometimes we hear some juicy tidbit, and we have to pass it on! But what if it is not true? Consider these effects of gossip.

Poisoned and perverted language will be destroyed in God's kingdom, when purified hearts will speak a pure language.

In contrast to Stephen who spoke the truth fearlessly, Haman valued his position more than the truth and gave into hatred for Mordecai and his people.

Driving out the evil must be followed by cultivating goodness and righteousness. An antidote to depression is to get our hearts focused on someone else.

Our speech reveals the true condition of our hearts. Even truthful words can be brandished as tools of destruction when delivered with pride or malice.

Kindness goes hand-in-hand with love. It is an active expression of love toward God and fellow man, produced through the power of God's Spirit.

The seemingly benign advice to 'Be Nice' falls short of a truly virtuous approach to life. It is associated with pleasant but superficial behavior.

We are obligated to show compassion and mercy to all, refraining from gossip, exercising righteous judgment, forgiving others and applying the Golden Rule.

Instead of repeating the same day over again, we must break the habits of things like gossip, promiscuity, pornography, sexual immorality, and drunkenness.

The Millennium and subsequent Kingdom of God with the New Jerusalem, a venue of peace and innocence, will be bequeathed to the humble and pure of heart.

We cannot measure how much evil the tongue has perpetrated, for falsehoods disguised as truth have destroyed reputations and even nations.