We see the same dynamic in politics that we see in inter-personal relationships these days. The dynamic that a group or a person must be better, more special, and superior to others, dominating them to gain whatever the narcissist wants in their life, mostly power over others.
In this dynamic, the group or person who desires to love and follow God is minimized, demeaned, and rejected merely because they do not think like the narcissists. The free thinker who interprets everything through the principles of the Word of God is hated by those who love their traditions and self elevated status, more than they love God.
Here is a challenge for everyone, how about we stop looking over there, across the field at the politics, and begin to focus right in our own yard, our own attitudes, and interpersonal relationships.
If we can self reflect to determine the problems in our relationships with the purpose of understanding one another better, the problems of the entire nation would be affected by this.
The family and community is a microcosm of the entire country. Whatever goes on in the home will be how the entire country operates. In today's world the family is basically and generally selfish, unconcerned about others and demanding in terms of their power.
On the national scene, the narcissistic actions and reactions are the outcome of a culture that is narcissistic, it began in the homes and extended to the community and then to the government.
If anyone is angry at the government that rules rashly and with irrational thinking, we have only to look to our communities to see how the government got that way. God really does give a nation the government that fits with the culture as a whole.
I have watched for years the family dynamic in this country, for the most part this institution called the family has claimed to be Christian but in practice ignored God's word even negating it with claims the traditions or the people were more important than what God said.
Most Christians see the Word of God as a book of suggestions they can take or leave alone. What they do not realize is that the Bible, what we call the "Word of God", is not merely words written on a page by the patriarchs. What the prophets wrote were what God told them to write, the words came from the very heart of God.
Jesus Christ is the very essence of His Words. What He said is exactly what we need to take seriously if we are to please Him. To negate them as irrelevant or pretend there is an option to ignore them is the same as denying Christ. Christ IS HIS WORD!!!
When we have Christ living in us, He is not there only to seal us as His but also to instruct us too. He is there to give us His wisdom. Those who ignore the Holy Spirit are ignoring the very heart of God. Many of these people will be those who barely make it to heaven with little reward. Some of them have never been born again, they only pretended to be Christian because it had a benefit to them in some way, but they were never sealed with the Holy Spirit and may hear these fateful words, in Matthew 7:21-23, if they do not repent.
Matthew 7:21-23
New American Standard Bible
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
Then there are those who are saved who placed little value on the instruction of the Holy Spirit who will realize they had failed because they would not listen to the Holy Spirit that lives in them.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "…18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not extinguish the Spirit. 20Do not treat prophecies with contempt,…"
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
Then there are those who will face the most frightening experience of all, those who have pretended to trust in Christ but were never born again. They believe they are going to heaven only to be met at the gates of heaven to hear these frightening words from Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23
"I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
These are people who worked in the church, was there for every function, did good deeds, some even did miracles in Christ's name, they will be seen as icons of the church but in fact were those who never trusted Christ. These people trusted in their own goodness, their own deeds, and the praise of others as though all that would get them into heaven.
Matthew 23:4-6 "…4They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"
Matthew 6:1-2 "1“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.…'
These people were full of their own pride and accomplishments, Christ was not on their radar even though his name slipped from their lips from time to time.
There are many people who tell us not to judge when someone has committed sin or lives a lifestyle of sin. The same people who say not to judge a person's bad acts or character are ready to judge the good acts of someone without hesitation. If we really believe we should not judge then why would we judge a person as good because of a good act? Perhaps God is not pleased with it because He sees a heart that is showing off. The truth is that God told us to judge all things. We can actually see if someone is doing a good act to elevate themselves as much as we can see when someone is living sinfully in rebellion against God.
Psalm 1:1
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;"
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.
In order to know who we should spend our time with we must judge their character as a character that encourages us to walk with Christ. We must know who is of God and who is not to be able to obey the Word of God. God tells us to connect with and who not to connect with, we can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit's discernment and wisdom. The Bible lays out the criteria for discerning spirits in His Word.
It is pride that prevents human beings from admitting their flaws. It is insecurity and immaturity that prevents people from owning their own sins. Many people do not want anyone to be judged because they know their own heart of rebellion and do not want to be judged themselves.
God will not work in the heart of a prideful person, they remain infants until they can weep over their own sinfulness. If they weep because they have been exposed, that is not the same as weeping because we have offended the heart of God or that we have harmed someone else in some way.
Weeping because we have been exposed is a self-centered reason based on pride. Weeping because we have offended the heart of God, brings cleansing, a clear conscience, and perhaps even restoration of broken relationships.
I wish there was a way to show narcissists how freeing it is to confess to be cleansed by God. It is a blessing that cannot be explained to freely admit our flaws and carry on toward greater holiness. There is a heavy burden associated with attempting to hang on to a false persona so that others will view us as perfect and wonderful, but none of these superficial relationships are satisfying, they leave a hole and emptiness as long as we continue to protect our own pride.
Here is God's formula for cleansing and true freedom in the Spirit.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Don't remain in bondage by defending sin or refusing to self-reflect before God in prayer. Get free, ask God what the sins are, confess them when He reveals them and confess to others you have harmed. Then you will know true freedom. Hallelujah!!!!!!
