Proverbs 11:9-11 (ESV)
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
The ungodly use gossip to destroy those around them. They pretend friendship to gain access to the heart of their neighbors, only to turn around and use revealed personal information to bring their “friends” down. The wise recognize the godless and resist their manipulative ways. The righteous avoid intimacy with those who have the “dirt” on other members of the community. The godly rejoice when the enemies of the Lord fall, but the wicked create wars among friends. Relationships built by laboring together for the Lord can be demolished by the slander of the wicked. Have you ever crossed paths with the woman who wants to let you in on problems with fellow believers? How foolish to fight with our teammates. We should battle against the enemies of our God and not one another. Exercise wisdom and walk away from negative talk about any of God’s people today.