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Proverbs 18:19
An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars (NLT).
Prayer: Ask the Lord for forgiveness for times of defensiveness that lead to offensive counterattacks and the Crazy Cycle. Ask Him to work His will in your marriage by making both of you more mature and humble enough to treat each other with love and respect. (Is anything happening at work or at church that is making you defensive? Pray about this too. We bring home problems from wherever we spend our time.)
Action: Resolve that when your spouse tells you something about yourself that you don’t like, you will not say, “Well, you do the same.” Instead, you will make an effort to bite your tongue and not be defensive. (For discussion questions, see page 262 in Appendix A.)
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