No wonder the Bible has so much to say about the trouble mouth and lips can cause. When you gossip, you are dissembling someone's reputation. True or not it cannot be taken back.
It is especially damaging to children to hear themselves being put down and their project and work criticized.
It doesn't stop there. The second half of the verse says "and lays up deceit within him."
The person's heart can become hardened from deceit (Heb 3:13) Deceit is defined as cause to believe an untruth or a device to deceive. When he lies to himself, he says things like, "Abortion is a woman's right to do with her body what she wants." He makes excuses or assumptions to justify buying a want rather than a need. The heart becomes hardened to people's needs with the excuse "they should have done this" or "they could have done that". Assumptions and excuses can cover up sin, like deciding to "borrow" money, which is in reality embezzling.
But there is hope for us. Ps 119:29 says "Remove from me the way of lying; and grant me thy law graciously." The Psalmist is asking God to point out his deceit and replace it with God's law. Heb 3:13 says "But exhort one another daily; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Encouraging each other daily and cooperating with God about areas that need work will prevent us from lying to ourselves and becoming hardened to others' need.
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