The Fruit of Our Lips.

You know what I see a lot of, and it's really a shame, is people who claim to have the gift of prophecy or encouragement, and trade in the power of their mouths and ministries for foul words and talebearer ways to take place.
Prophets and people with the gift of words or encouragement are often hindered with an open mouth to gossip and negativity. It is so disappointing to hear someone who clearly has such a gift for language use their mouth to tear other Christians apart. This grieves the Spirit and crushes people's lives. To put a bad light on a sister or brother simply because you feel the need to say something, is immature and a waste of your ministry, and time.
We should pray that our mouths are a place for good things to spill forth and bless, and lift up. People who have issues with their mouths betraying them with gossip should take a break from preaching, leading worship, or their gift in my opinion, until they can keep their mouths closed when they feel the need to slander. If there's one thing I cannot tolerate, it is gossip and slander. It breaks down the body and fuels sin. It should not be done in the Body of Christ. We should be healing with our words, not wounding.
Isaiah 6:5 says,"Woe to me, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." He was seriously grieved by the position he was in because he was in the presence of a Holy God who knew all, and hears all. I am guilty of this, or else I would not be writing this right now.
I pose this question, are we praising the Lord with our tongues, and also cursing men and gossiping? In James it says,"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers (and sisters), this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree bear olives? Or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." He is so right, and I want pure water to flow from my mouth, only that which will edify and lift up and be comforting and useful to our growth.
It is so easy to be a talebearer. But it is also easy to clamp your mouth shut and say nothing if there is nothing good worth saying.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." ~Proverbs 18:21

Let's let the fruit of our lips be love, not hate.