Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Lukewarmness A Blight On American Christianity

Do we weep over our lukewarmness?

I'm sick to death of the so-called Christianity of our day. What's supernatural about it? When do people come out of the sanctuary awed and can't speak for an hour because God has been in glory there? Dear God, as soon as they get out, they're talking football, or sports or something or there's going to be a big sale downtown or somewhere. We are not caught up into eternity!

Leonard Ravenhill

Narcissists are not Insecure, they are just Evil

There are those who believe narcissists are very insecure and protecting themselves. Narcissists tend to rage at any suggestion of personal faults that need correcting, therefore they must be deeply insecure, or so is the premise of the psychological community.

What then drives the "shrinking violets" that are insecure? Their response to harshness is usually to remain silent, take the guff others have to dish out and call it humility.

The narcissists are not being picked on but they rage, the shrinking violet is picked on but puts up with it. Something doesn't fit here, in these assessments of narcissistic personality disorder, that they are insecure, doesn't fit with their pampered childhood. Why does the "shrinking violet" put up with abuse while the narcissist remains a favored child unabused but abuses others.

Shrinking violets tend to think they deserve the mean things other people do to them, wondering what about them are so inept or incompetent that others would treat them this way. In other words, they know they don't deserve the evil treatment, but cannot imagine that others would be so mean without a good reason.

The fact is that, yes, people are that evil, that they will pick on the one that appears to be helpless, expecting that they can get away with their sin. Weak minded and mean spirited people pick on those they perceive as weak simply because they do not fight back, therefore they are a sitting duck, a target easily conquered.

I do not see as insecurity, the mentality that needs to lash out over nothing, simply to dominate another human being. All the narcissists I have known have been pampered and praised their entire lives, making them feel entitled to special treatment and prizes.

They have contempt for those who display positive and happy emotions, as though it is weakness. Perhaps because the narcissist is incapable of their own honest emotions, generally they tend to be very guarded, hiding their real selves from those they wish to impress, while mocking and demeaning in secret those they believe are too weak to fight back or will not be believed if they express the evil done against them.

Narcissists are always surrounded by their flying monkeys who elevate them, walk along with them, while believing their phony persona. If a flying monkey happens to finally discover the tricks of the narcissist, they then also become a target of the narcissist.

Narcissists hate anyone who knows them for what they are, anyone who openly exposes their attitude and anyone who lives according to their own standards without the permission of the narcissist. Narcissists expect everyone to be and do as they are, superficial and inferior to them.

Narcissists must have mindless cowards who fawn after their every breath, those who defend all that they do and believe all that they say, without evaluation.

Our modern term for narcissism personality disorder is described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, in which we see the last days mentality that dominates the world, we are living in this condition right now.

2 Timothy 3:1 "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.

The narcissist may be insecure, but generally I believe they are self exalted bullies who will prey on anyone that they believe cannot defend themselves. I don't see this as "insecure", I just see it as pure evil. They may be fearful of not being "first" and "best" above everyone else, but they are deeply flawed, arrogantly watching for those they can lord it over, making them feel powerful. Their most used tactic is to mock, demean and destroy their target, keeping them constantly in a one down position for no other reason than power.

These traits as described in 2 Timothy 3 are the very same traits of evil that we see in the devil. He wanted to be like God, but even worse He wanted to be above God, He wanted God's position of power and authority. This is what we see in narcissists, their lust for power overrides decency.

Narcissists think they are ruling their own life as well as the lives of others, but in fact they are being ruled by the devil, completely taken over by demonic forces, that are deceiving them into believing the narcissist is in control.

Narcissists are being manipulated by the devil to do as he did, that is, be superior to everyone in their path, no matter who it might harm.

1 John 3:8 "8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."

Psychology seeks to convince us that everyone who does evil is merely insecure, but the reality is that those who do evil are controlled by the devil. Their aim in acting badly is to subjugate others while gaining power for themselves.

Isaiah 14:12 "“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!"

The devil is pure evil, he has nothing but guile, working feverishly to destroy families, communities and entire nations, drawing them away from God. He has been masterful in getting the beggarly people of the world to assault the righteous.

The stronger you become in the Lord, the more the devil will attempt to turn you away from Him. His greatest tactic is to turn others against you, if he cannot get them to kill you physically he will prod them to beat up on you emotionally. His aim is to destroy our resolve to follow Christ.

Don't give into those who are being used by the devil, proclaim truth loudly and refuse to be moved in your walk with Christ. If Christ is more important to you than being loved by the culture, you cannot fail, Christ is your ROCK, anyone who comes against Him will be dealt with by Him.

Psalm 18:2-3 " 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.…"