There are people who come out of the woodwork for a good fight. They have their tongues rolled like whips ready to strike in your defense or against you. They stand at the door in preparation for ways to break one's spirit. We know them. We see them. We have even become friends with some of them.
It is time to release those people. You must release them and their powerfully negative words. They are only there to kill. Regardless if they are on your side, whatever is alive in you, they will kill. "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly..." (Proverbs 1:1) and the ungodly are those who can never bridle their tongues. Remember James 1:26, "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
Beware of those wish only to take a side. It rarely matters to them which side. It only matters that they are involved. It only matters that they are allowed to speak. They are not wise. They are foolish, and if you happen to pursue any desire for wisdom, then you will disregard their council and their community. Love may not keep a record of wrongs, but wisdom does. Wrong words. Wrong deeds. Remember that a track record often speaks for itself. In sports terms, sports enthusiasts often say a team is better than their record. No. This is not the case. The track record is all that matters in the end. As John Burroughs said, "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention."
Let a person's past speak for itself. To judge a person's character is to act wisely. Be silent around those who gossip and search for ways to become angry. Your words will most certainly be misconstrued. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. An idle mind is just as terrible, especially a mind that searches for rumors and hearsay. Evil does lurk. Therefore, beware of those who wish only to fight. They are not hard to spot for they arrive when the pot can be stirred.