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Pro Tips from Proverbs: 18:19



A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

Proverbs 18:19

  A young lawyer was flabbergasted at the case he had just lost. He had the evidence. He had laid the case out perfectly. He had dismantled the opposition case. Yet when the jury return it’s verdict, they sided against his client.

  As he told the story to a senior partner, He remarked, “I can’t understand that stupid jury!”  The older man responded, “That’s why you lost.  You didn’t understand them, you dismissed them as stupid. They could sense that, and no matter how good you presented your case, you couldn’t win them!”

  It's just what we read in Proverbs. Once you insult or offend someone, it’s very hard to ever get them back on your side. If you make people feel dumb, or worthless, or beneath you, it's not likely that they will listen to you any longer.

  This should be advice we consider when we teach the gospel to others. If we come across a judgmental or condemnatory we may never get any further in our case. Don’t win the argument and lose the soul. Consider your words, and that might keep you from the battle altogether. 

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