The damage done by gossiping, slandering, and using unedifying speech about another Christian is severe. Oh, the sins we commit against one another may be forgiven, but a ton of grace and time will be necessary to restore the trust and confidence once enjoyed between the two parties. As serious the pain is when our tongues speak ill of another Christian by making assumptions or passing assumed truths in conversations about them, the real damage is to the one committing these heinous sins. The tongue is a powerful weapon of good or evil. Should a Christian lack control, easily cutting down, speaking ill of, and not offering uplifting words about or to another believer, rest assured severe discipline will come from the Lord. To hurt one of His sheep by sharp words is to bring great displease to the Chief Shepherd and great chastisement to His sinning child. And how will the Lord deal with us who are guilty of such sins against another believer? One way is a withholding of sweet fellowship with Him. When He does this, we will experience no joy, no peace, no contentment, no delight in the Word read, no hunger for the Word preached, no relational prayer life, no passion for Christ, and no burden for the lost. We will have all the outward looks of a Christian but no inward realities of being a Christian. And all this spiritual pain because of the unedifying use of our tongue in speaking to or of another sheep in Jesus’ flock (Proverbs 10:19; 11:13; 12:18; 16:28; 17:27: 29:20).