How many times were you tempted to think something and had to fight off the thought. Many years ago when I was still in sin I had thoughts that I did not fight off. Those thoughts were justified in my mind, because of things that were happening to me. Those thoughts led to sin because I had no defenses against the lies of the devil. It wasn't until I became born again that I had the Holy Spirit to appeal to in prayer that led to power against the thoughts of the devil. When I realized that sinning was not an excuse just because someone else was sinning against me.
Anyone who thinks this has never happened to them, might want to go back and analyze the thoughts and the actions that resulted from the thoughts. Sometimes the thoughts are as simple as concocting in the mind things one wishes to believe about someone without evidence or that is based on gossip.
There are those who are jealous of others, because of this jealousy they justify believing things about others that are not only not true, but that are the way they wish to think about someone.
No one can claim they have not sinned because of their thought life. The sin does not have to be large and clear, it can be as covert as holding an idea of sin against someone without any evidence of it. That is sin, it destroys relationships often triangulating with others in gossip.
Triangulation is when we think we see a sin in someone without evidence but pass the gossip on as though the perceived sin is true. Sometimes its as subtle as generic character flaws without evidence.
I once heard someone say, "that woman is controlling and a usurper." I knew that woman and she was neither. She was assertive when it came to her beliefs and the way of life she chose based on God's Word. The triangulation came about to cause others to disapprove of a woman who had not sinned in her assertiveness and formulation of boundaries. She had merely made it clear what she believed and what she would allow in her life. The narcissist hates boundaries and assertiveness in others, their goal is to control their target. When they find they cannot control them because of their assertiveness and boundaries, they become angry and take their deceptions about that person to the streets, to anyone who will listen.
Notice that their accusations are always generic without detail. They say things like: "she is rude", "she is mean", "she does not have love", when she is not all these things but the gossiper wishes to place thoughts in the minds of those around them. The flying monkeys believe the gossiper because the gossiper is favored by the flying monkeys.
These tactics that are manipulations by the devil through the thought life work very well on those who will not fight the thoughts through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you have been a narcissist or flying monkey then I would challenge you to evaluate your thought life in prayer to see if the devil is influencing your thoughts to cause division and rage. Jealousy is at the root of many gossipers thought lives. It causes the jealous one to be determined to ruin the one of whom they are jealous, often causing feelings of rage that hide inside until a moment when it can no longer be held inside.
Keep in mind that no one rages instantaneously without a thought life first. Rage only happens when there has been a full and angry thought life before the rage emerges. Those who are not angry or bitter never rage.
Proverbs 22:24
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,"
Ecclesiastes 7:9
"Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools."
Proverbs 14:29
"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."
As born again believers our goal ought to always be truth. When we seek truth we will take into captivity every thought according to God's Word rather than based on momentary "feelings."
2 Corinthians 10:5
"5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
The video below is excellent, speaking of the thought life it brings great insight into the human soul and the tactics of the devil.
Follow the Link to learn more about "How Satan Gets Inside Your Head."
These people are deeply jealous and interpret everything you do and say as wrong because of that jealousy. I have seen this many times in the narcissists I know. They ask people to do the strangest things for them but are not available to those same people who have helped them. They have no sense of loyalty, even when loyalty has been shown to them. The narcissists in my life not only do not see my humanity they act badly that I might have a need or problem, even when it doesn't involve them. I think from your descriptions the people in my life have been closer to the malignant narcissist than center on the spectrum. Its pretty severe and yet they think they are good people. I have had to remove all of them from my life, when I began doing that the peace flooded back to me. I am convinced that the malignant does not trust because they know no one can trust them. They measure others by their own character flaws. They think people do to them that they do to others. Just some observations from my own experiences. Follow the link to a great video on this subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viknzcweCHQ
In a comment on another post a friend had mentioned the Holy Spirit conviction to non-believers even when we say nothing.
I shared with Elaine this story of my days on the fair circuit.
"I have a little story about the Holy Spirit conviction even when we say nothing at all.
We used to own an ice cream business. We would go around to fairs and festivals selling it from a cute little booth. Often the girls who came to buy a cup would be wearing scanty clothing with very revealing tops.
I would serve them with a smile saying nothing at all. Even as they were walking up to the booth they would be pulling together their tops or putting on a sweater in front of me.
They weren't doing that when they were a ways off from the booth, but only as they approached it. I was always happy, friendly and engaging, but they would often cover themselves in front of me.
I thought that it was the Holy Spirit that they were experiencing and felt the conviction of immoral clothing.
Not all the girls did this but enough that I began to really notice it."
Is it any wonder that the Holy Spirit is called the restrainer?!
We don't realize how much the Holy Spirit is restraining others through our silent witness. Some people meet us for the first time feeling very uncomfortable around us but don't know why. They assign something to us to make sense of it all, but in reality they are merely experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Its not about us at all.
Hallelujah, we are witnesses even when we do not speak. This does not mean that we can remain silent all the time, but sometimes we do not need to speak the Holy Spirit does it for us.
Acts 16:6,7.
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them."
Acts 20:22,23.
"And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me ."
Those who allow others to dictate their truth will be led astray. Think with the mind of Christ, then truth comes to us.
John 16:13-14
"13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
I am convinced that most Christians do not believe this promise. They look at me like I have two heads when I say we must ask the Holy Spirit for understanding.
A couple of times I heard men tell me that we should say things to people in a way that they would accept it when it came to the gospel.
I see nothing in Scripture that says this, but it does say that the Holy Spirit will speak through us. These men mocked me for saying that. Christ has many ways of dealing with people based on what HE knows they need. The apostles and Jesus Christ Himself were persecuted and killed, did they say something in a wrong way? NO, they told the truth and the people hated them for it.
If we know the Word of God the Holy Spirit will bring to mind the truth and He will speak through us as we witness and speak truth.
Those who mock the work of the Holy Spirit cannot possibly be hearing from Him. I know well what it is like to hear from the Holy Spirit. When someone tells me they have heard from the Holy Spirit I believe them but only if what they say stands up to the test of the Scriptures.
We will hear much foolishness these days because most pastors have been trained in "church growth" and "how to say things" according to man's idea of what works. When we do what humanly works, often it is only the fleshly desire to be loved by man. When we are loved by man we will dumb down the truth as well as even silence ourselves when we should speak just to be accepted by man.
Proverbs 29:25 "25 The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD will be set securely on high. 26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD."
Proverbs 9:10
"10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
When we stop fearing man God will bless with wisdom and boldness. When we fear man we will be led into grievous error and compromise.
How many times were you tempted to think something and had to fight off the thought. Many years ago when I was still in sin I had thoughts that I did not fight off. Those thoughts were justified in my mind, because of things that were happening to me. Those thoughts led to sin because I had no defenses against the lies of the devil. It wasn't until I became born again that I had the Holy Spirit to appeal to in prayer that led to power against the thoughts of the devil. When I realized that sinning was not an excuse just because someone else was sinning against me.
Anyone who thinks this has never happened to them, might want to go back and analyze the thoughts and the actions that resulted from the thoughts. Sometimes the thoughts are as simple as concocting in the mind things one wishes to believe about someone without evidence or that is based on gossip.
There are those who are jealous of others, because of this jealousy they justify believing things about others that are not only not true, but that are the way they wish to think about someone.
No one can claim they have not sinned because of their thought life. The sin does not have to be large and clear, it can be as covert as holding an idea of sin against someone without any evidence of it. That is sin, it destroys relationships often triangulating with others in gossip.
Triangulation is when we think we see a sin in someone without evidence but pass the gossip on as though the perceived sin is true. Sometimes its as subtle as generic character flaws without evidence.
I once heard someone say, "that woman is controlling and a usurper." I knew that woman and she was neither. She was assertive when it came to her beliefs and the way of life she chose based on God's Word. The triangulation came about to cause others to disapprove of a woman who had not sinned in her assertiveness and formulation of boundaries. She had merely made it clear what she believed and what she would allow in her life. The narcissist hates boundaries and assertiveness in others, their goal is to control their target. When they find they cannot control them because of their assertiveness and boundaries, they become angry and take their deceptions about that person to the streets, to anyone who will listen.
Notice that their accusations are always generic without detail. They say things like: "she is rude", "she is mean", "she does not have love", when she is not all these things but the gossiper wishes to place thoughts in the minds of those around them. The flying monkeys believe the gossiper because the gossiper is favored by the flying monkeys.
These tactics that are manipulations by the devil through the thought life work very well on those who will not fight the thoughts through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you have been a narcissist or flying monkey then I would challenge you to evaluate your thought life in prayer to see if the devil is influencing your thoughts to cause division and rage. Jealousy is at the root of many gossipers thought lives. It causes the jealous one to be determined to ruin the one of whom they are jealous, often causing feelings of rage that hide inside until a moment when it can no longer be held inside.
Keep in mind that no one rages instantaneously without a thought life first. Rage only happens when there has been a full and angry thought life before the rage emerges. Those who are not angry or bitter never rage.
Proverbs 22:24
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,"
Ecclesiastes 7:9
"Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools."
Proverbs 14:29
"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."
As born again believers our goal ought to always be truth. When we seek truth we will take into captivity every thought according to God's Word rather than based on momentary "feelings."
2 Corinthians 10:5
"5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
The video below is excellent, speaking of the thought life it brings great insight into the human soul and the tactics of the devil.
