There is a spirit behind all the evil that goes on, it is the spirit of Anti-christ. This evil is spreading and increasing everywhere, be ready by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:1-6 "4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."
1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…
Ephesians 6:11-13 "…11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.…
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Serving is His Business!
Don't feel a need to explain yourself when you are serving Christ. He is the only One Who directs us in what to do and when to do it. We are not in bondage to the expectations of others.
When we are obeying Christ we are free to ignore the pressure of others to do what they think we should be doing.
Glory to God that He is the One we are answerable to and what a blessing that is!!!
Colossians 3:23-24 "23 Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, 24 because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.…"
When we are obeying Christ we are free to ignore the pressure of others to do what they think we should be doing.
Glory to God that He is the One we are answerable to and what a blessing that is!!!
Colossians 3:23-24 "23 Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, 24 because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.…"
Exponential Growth of Narcissism
Has anyone else noticed that this is growing exponentially in this generation, the idea that everyone is special? God teaches that NO ONE is special, only Christ.
I am aghast at how prevalent this is among so many, as though it is the entire culture and they all think it is good and normal.
Personally I believe the increase of this mentality of superiority is associated with the mentality of self esteem that has been taught the past 40 years, actually excessively praising children making them demand special treatment, as apposed to choosing to blend in as we were taught to do as children.
I am 64 years old and blending in "the melting pot" was the overall mentality of our culture which led to respecting one another, accepting our selves even in our flaws, even being able to say we were flawed.
Now days if you tell someone they need work on something in their character they become enraged that you don't think they are perfect and wonderful.
I have actually been told by a couple of family members that they do not respect me. I didn't take it seriously, other than being sad that I could not have a relationship with those who do not respect me.
What I realized was that those who have demeaned me by using the manipulation of lack of respect, in this way, had no respect for anyone but themselves. I was just the one they targeted for verbal abuse because I dared to correct them about something. Instead of dialoguing with me about my concerns they simply raged to shut the discussion down to maintain their status of control.
When we encounter a person who is full of themselves in this narcissistic way, we learn quickly that nothing can be worked out with them, the relationship is based on nothing more than their need to be superior and their enjoyment in demeaning another human being for personal elevation, then we have reached the end of the relationship.
Sadly God warned us about these people and that in the last days it would be mostly our experience. He said it would be as in the days of Lot and Noah, when everyone did what they wanted to do without regard for others, no matter how much they harmed their targets.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives us the description of these people while instructing us to turn away from them. They are not to be in our lives if we have a choice because we are called to live in peace and the narcissist will bring nothing but turmoil and hatred to the relationship.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Notice in this Timothy passage that God said they would be "haters of good." The more we walk with Christ and the more we teach His principles the more we will be hated by the narcissist. Not only will they hate us but they will attempt to make us and others think we did something bad, mean or wrong by speaking truth. These types hate the truth, it convicts them of their own sin even when all we do is live our lives to please the Lord.
John 15:17-19 "17 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18 f the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…"
Knowing these principles and having the wisdom that comes from Christ frees us from the bondage of false guilt. We no longer agonize over how we have been treated because we know where it comes from, the father of lies the devil and we know Who has our back, that being the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Hallelujah!!!!
I am aghast at how prevalent this is among so many, as though it is the entire culture and they all think it is good and normal.
Personally I believe the increase of this mentality of superiority is associated with the mentality of self esteem that has been taught the past 40 years, actually excessively praising children making them demand special treatment, as apposed to choosing to blend in as we were taught to do as children.
I am 64 years old and blending in "the melting pot" was the overall mentality of our culture which led to respecting one another, accepting our selves even in our flaws, even being able to say we were flawed.
Now days if you tell someone they need work on something in their character they become enraged that you don't think they are perfect and wonderful.
I have actually been told by a couple of family members that they do not respect me. I didn't take it seriously, other than being sad that I could not have a relationship with those who do not respect me.
What I realized was that those who have demeaned me by using the manipulation of lack of respect, in this way, had no respect for anyone but themselves. I was just the one they targeted for verbal abuse because I dared to correct them about something. Instead of dialoguing with me about my concerns they simply raged to shut the discussion down to maintain their status of control.
When we encounter a person who is full of themselves in this narcissistic way, we learn quickly that nothing can be worked out with them, the relationship is based on nothing more than their need to be superior and their enjoyment in demeaning another human being for personal elevation, then we have reached the end of the relationship.
Sadly God warned us about these people and that in the last days it would be mostly our experience. He said it would be as in the days of Lot and Noah, when everyone did what they wanted to do without regard for others, no matter how much they harmed their targets.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives us the description of these people while instructing us to turn away from them. They are not to be in our lives if we have a choice because we are called to live in peace and the narcissist will bring nothing but turmoil and hatred to the relationship.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Notice in this Timothy passage that God said they would be "haters of good." The more we walk with Christ and the more we teach His principles the more we will be hated by the narcissist. Not only will they hate us but they will attempt to make us and others think we did something bad, mean or wrong by speaking truth. These types hate the truth, it convicts them of their own sin even when all we do is live our lives to please the Lord.
John 15:17-19 "17 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18 f the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…"
Knowing these principles and having the wisdom that comes from Christ frees us from the bondage of false guilt. We no longer agonize over how we have been treated because we know where it comes from, the father of lies the devil and we know Who has our back, that being the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Hallelujah!!!!
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