It has become clear to me over the years that people convey more honestly what they are feeling and thinking through their body language and actions.
Narcissists can say something nice while at the same time making you feel awful as though they do not mean what they are saying. This is not something anyone can explain, one has to experience it and know what they are watching to be able to understand this phenomenon.
Some people will be saying yes to you while their head is shaking side to side as if to say no. Their bodies cannot hide their emotions or spiritual bent.
This is why I believe God said; "you shall know them by their fruit." The fruit is; love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. These are intangible things, that can only be seen through body language and Spiritual discernment.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
The fruit of the Spirit of God does produce righteous actions but this fruit is present all the time within us even when there are no actions.
A dear friend once told me he could tell a man's character by the way he walked down the sidewalk. I believe him because I have seen this for myself. There is a proud walk and a humble walk, both visible to those with discernment.
I can also discern when someone is lying or making up stories to impress or in an attempt at superiority.
Proverbs 6:17-19
"17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who declares lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers."
Proverbs 29:23
"One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."
Psalm 10:4
"In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
Something to always remember, we must work on our inner man to become Christlike. We are not able to hide whatever is inside, it leaks out through our facial expressions and body language. We can only hide for a short time but those who are discerning will see our hearts anyway.
Why do you think non-believers are uncomfortable around authentic born-again believers? I believe it's because they can sense the Holy Spirit in us and the kindness they know they lack. There is a strong Spiritual element to our body language and facial expressions that the unbelievers can see but cannot explain. They think there is something about us that they cannot endure.
They see it with their own spirits without knowing what they are observing. They are disquieted around us but have to make up something they don't like about us because of that feeling they are having, but cannot point to any evidence that we have done anything wrong.
This is why non-believers often attack our character, describing their own character in their attack on us. They choose to believe we are just like them, so they accuse us of what they are doing and we are not. This has become common and typical in our day as the end times progress toward the tribulation.
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, 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 people as these."
Have you ever been in a discussion about a matter when you disagreed with someone and they left the matter at hand and began to call you names, attacking your character when your character had nothing to do with the discussion?
I cannot tell you the number of times I encountered personal attacks against my character when the party I disagreed with could not refute my arguments based on the Word. Sadly this has happened more with Christians than with non-Christians. Non-Christians don't argue with me because they are aware they don't know the Bible. The Christians have been indoctrinated with false doctrine so they want to believe more than the one with whom they disagree.
Even when the Bible proved them wrong they refused to discuss what God said and began the character assassinations. I am convinced this is the devil's design to cause frustration in the believer so they will be caught off guard and act fleshly in defense of themselves.
I notice when the personal attacks begin they always follow the scripture provided that proved them wrong. This tells me it is not me they fight against, even though they think so, it is God they are fighting against not me.
When we no longer feel a need to defend ourselves we can remain calm and leave a discussion when it becomes a personal attack without regard to the original discussion.
When you say, "the Lord says this" and their come back is "you're mean, you're this or you're that", you know they will not hear God no matter how relevant the scripture is to what they are saying.
When we discover we are dealing with a manipulator attempting to cause us to fight we can completely disregard what they are saying and walk away realizing we cannot reach this person with the truth.
Unless expressly led by the Holy Spirit it is not wise to return to that fighter. They have developed in their mind that you are the person to be despised therefore they will not listen another time.
Pray for them, we cannot grow and change without being able to confess we don't know it all and that someone else may have something to offer us. Even more importantly we need to seek Christ for truth, not our own ideas or the ideas of anyone else. It must be the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit Whom we seek.
John 16:12-14 "…12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 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."
Don't allow the devil to goad you into ungodly responses, remain calm and loving and remove yourself politely.
