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FREE Toxic People Survival Guide
https://krisreece.com/toxic-people-survival-guide

You\\u2019re too sensitive.

I never said that!

YOU\\u2019RE the one with the problem.

Why do you make everything such a big deal?

If you\\u2019ve ever had these words spoken to you, you, my friend, may have been gaslit.\\xa0

\\xa0Gaslighting is the withholding of information or pretending that you don\\u2019t understand what someone else is talking about in an attempt to get that person to question their reality and good judgment. It the evil attempt to distort another person\\u2019s reality through lies and manipulation, and a desperate attempt for self-preservation.

Gaslighters project their issues onto you to divert attention away from their dysfunction or wrongdoing, and they don\\u2019t care who they harm along the way.

\\xa0They will even go so far as to deny something has taken place even in the face of concrete evidence.\\xa0

\\xa0But gaslighting doesn\\u2019t typically end there. In fact, I have never seen gaslighting as a stand-alone behavior. It\\u2019s commonly accompanied by things like infidelity, narcissism, stealing, gossiping, and smear campaigns, just to name a few.

\\xa0While the term gaslighting does not appear in the bible, a word that mirrors it certainly does:\\xa0 manipulation.

That\\u2019s because gaslighting IS manipulation. And the bible certainly has a lot to say about manipulation. From watching out for false teachers, to avoiding evil doers, God does NOT tolerate a lying tongue.

\\xa0At its core, manipulation is a form of lying. When someone speaks falsely with the purpose of deception, they are being manipulative. Satan himself is the master manipulator.

\\xa0There are several examples of emotional abuse in scripture, including Abigail at the hand of her fool of a husband in 1 Samuel 25 and Samson at the hand of the alluring Delilah, just to name a few.

\\xa0So, let\\u2019s look to scripture to shine light on what a healthy relationship should look like in comparison and in doing so provide Biblical proof that gaslighting is emotional abuse.\\xa0

\\xa0The famous love passage in 1 Corinthians 13 makes it clear that emotional abuse is wrong. The apostle Paul describes the actions of real love.\\xa0

\\xa0First, he says love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4), but gaslighting is neither patient nor kind. Rather, it\\u2019s quick to flare up and deflect.\\xa0

\\xa0Love \\u201ckeeps no record of wrongs\\u201d (verse 5), but gaslighting is all about pointing out how another person is wrong and has wronged you.

Love is not rude or selfish or prideful or irritable or resentful, but as with all emotional abuse, gaslighting is self-preservation.\\xa0

Love \\u201calways protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres\\u201d (verse 7). Emotional abusers only look to protect themselves.

As you can see, if you are not aware of the tactics used by these wolves in sheep\\u2019s clothing, you can easily become a target for their emotional abuse.\\xa0

\\xa0So, does \\u201clove\\u201d require you to bear with these emotional abusers? I don\\u2019t believe so.\\xa0

\\xa0To continue to endure under such toxic behavior gives permission and acceptance to the abuser that their behavior is tolerated. God finds that behavior despicable, and so should we.

\\xa0You may be thinking: "But they could change because of my love."

\\xa0To that I say, yes, they can change, but enabling the current circumstances all in the name of love will not bring about change\\u2014it will only keep the door open for further abuse.

\\xa0In addition, there may be degrees of codependency within you that needs to be addressed.\\xa0

If you feel it\\u2019s your responsibility to b