I am dismayed when someone declares someone a "nice guy" or a "nice lady", they are making a judgment about them when they have no idea what their home life is like. They are basing their judgment on how friendly they are to the one making the judgment.
Even worse there are many people judging someone as "great" or "wonderful" because of some talent they have that pleases the one making the judgment.
judgment
Behavior can be a manipulation to fool people into believing someone is good when behind the scenes with people they don't like they act rudely and even wickedly. Never take good behavior as an indicator of one's character. We must judge righteously with the discernment of the Holy Spirit based on the Word of God.
Those who are born again and living their behavior according to the Spirit will be able to be seen by other born again believers. The Holy Spirit is able to tell us when someone is genuine or counterfeit.
Satan loves to draw in kind hearted people through false inauthentic behavior.
How do we know if someone is false or genuine? Here is what God says that helps us distinguish between those who love God and those who are pretending to be good people.
Matthew 7:15-20
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
And,
Galatians 5:22-23 " 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.…"
Born Again believers do not practice unkindness, unloving and manipulative ways. If they catch themselves acting rudely they are deeply convicted and repair the damage they did through confession of it and sorrow for it.
Romans 8:5
"Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."
We can tell when someone loves us or hates us because we know what love looks like when we walk with Christ. Here is what God tells us love looks like:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
8 Love never fails;
A relationship based on love will never harm the persons of its love. Those who love protect and are loyal to those they love.
When our loved one falls we feel bad and want to help. Those who do not love only want to further harm the one for whom they have contempt.
When we walk in the Spirit of Christ we can easily see the difference between love and role playing that only serves to hoodwink the one being manipulated.
May each one reading this post self-reflect to see if they are walking in the Spirit or if they are walking according to the flesh to gain advantage over others.
1 Corinthians 13:1 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal".
Only those who love deeply by the Holy Spirit of God will be able to evaluate themselves and admit where they fall short desiring to be changed by Christ to walk in righteousness and holiness.
Remember to judge righteously and not according to feelings but according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and knowledge of HIs Word.
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