The Devil's Attacks Subtle and Obvious

The devil's tactics are stubborn oppression, manipulation, or constant confusion, subtle attacks that are denied later, and creating a spiritually hostile environment.

When we encounter these things with people we know, those people are controlled and manipulated by demons. Even if they are not possessed, they are influenced by demons, justifying their attacks with false thoughts and reasons placed there by the devil's minions.

1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

James 4:7
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

 
1 John 3:8
"The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil."

The takeaway from all the verses is that when we encounter people who are rude, mean, and stubborn, we are really experiencing the influence of the devil on them. Yes, it is possible for someone to be like this because of their fleshly attitude, but it is still the influence of the devil placing thoughts in their minds that motivates them to act as they do.

Our culture as a whole encourages terse and disrespectful responses to intimidate those they wish to control, so the culture is also an influence on the way people act regularly.

 
John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness."

The devil loves it when he can destroy family relationships, cause community division and promote anger for no good reason.

He managed to turn Eve against God when all God did for Eve was perfect and wonderful.

 
As human beings, we question ourselves when we do something with good in mind that is helpful, but are met with distrust and a temper tantrum, whether subtle or blatant, as though we did something wrong.

 
2 Timothy 4:17-18
"But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

Our response to what we encounter with people in the world ought to be one of kindness and patience, but never without discernment. It is important that we show respect and love to those who did not give us the same respect.

 
2 Corinthians 2:11
"in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

The key to living the Christian life is to be different from those who do not know Christ. It doesn't matter what they do to us, except that it may be a test to see if we can rise above the abuse and remain the person we should be no matter how unkind or rude others are to us.

 
We know what the devil it attempting to do, that is to cause division and anger. We never have to respond in a vengeful way, we can leave room for God's chastisement.

 
Romans 12:18-20 "…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head."

We are to be the opposite of the wicked person, returning love for their rudeness. Sometimes the best way to do this is to not respond at all. Allow your silence to be your answer.

 
Hebrews 10:30
"For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

1 Peter 3:9
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

We must not expect or desire blessings from people, knowing that our reward for obedience to Him will be blessings from Him that is enough and the best.

 
When we are confident in the Lord and secure in knowing we did not retaliate, we will walk in freedom from guilt and strength to endure whatever the world has to offer.

 
Romans 12:19 "19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord."

The Word of God in Context, Nothing Else will Do!

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called the Word, His Word is the very essence of Who He is and He never changes.

Those who ignore, negate, or change the Word of God are walking in rebellion, and yet most Christians today do this very thing.

 
I cannot count the number of times scriptures are taken out of context and given meaning from the cultural mind rather than what Christ said.

I have also seen people apply to Christians today what was given only to Israel in the Old Testament.

 
These things happen because people like to shape into their own image what God said rather than seeking Him for His truth.

 
2 Timothy 4:3 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them, the way of truth will be defamed. In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep."

If you want to know the truth about anything pertaining to God, read His word and ask Him; do not go to people for answers. God may bring others to clarify things, but do not seek them out for yourself.

 
Often, I have read a passage and, through prayer, God told me the meaning, then later someone else came along and confirmed what God already told me.

 
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."

Notice in this passage, God tells us that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, not men, and what we speak from the Holy Spirit will glorify God.

 
If we listen to a preacher and he brings attention to himself, while entertaining the people to be liked by them, then he glorifies himself. The Holy Spirit will always glorify God.

 
God said be prepared, this can only mean one thing, that we are in constant prayer and know the Word of God through continual Bible study, then we will be prepared when we are asked a question.

 
Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We cannot go wrong when we are led by the Holy Spirit, pray and read God's Word.

The Meaning of "Worship in Spirit and Truth"

Changed by Christ and Him Alone

We are rejected by those who call themselves Christian, who have not been changed by Christ, but thought they would become saved merely by saying they are a Christian. They don't understand that salvation through Christ is not about what we say, but about what Christ does in us in response to our repentance for our sinfulness and a desire to be changed by Him.

What is meant by God in His Word is always determined by the context of the passages. Those who are not authentically born again will interpret the Bible in terms of their fallen mindset because they have not been changed by Christ into a new creation. They do not have the mind of Christ and continue to think in flawed cultural terms rather than in what God actually said.

Philippians 2:5 "5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: "

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 "15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Those who never repented and decided on their own to present themselves as Christians are not able to understand the commands and principles of God; they remain ignorant of the ways of God, no matter how much they read the Bible. These people are the most dangerous people in the church gathering.

Those who are pretenders lead people to believe they are saved because of their own decision, gaining influence in the gathering while misinterpreting much of God's Word while judging others for not following their prescribed human rules and standards that God never commanded.

In these last days, we are witnessing more convoluted interpretations of Scripture by those who have never been born again but think they are going to heaven.

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.’"

Many false doctrines have emerged because of the fallen mindset of those who are pretenders and don't know they are pretenders. The devil has convinced them that they are still in control of themselves, and they must save themselves and think without the mind of Christ.

One of the sayings I hate the most is "God gave us a brain", as though thinking with our fallen mindset is alright because God gave that brain to us. What this tells me is the person using this phrase denies the need to trust in Christ and be changed by Him.

If someone thinks we must figure things out for ourselves and not bother asking God, then I have to believe they never trusted in Him and remain dedicated to their own way of thinking with their fallen mind.

I notice, too, that those who think like this often demonstrate a prideful stance in many things, unable to be taught. They do not change their entire lives because they rely on their own idea of things instead of consulting with God for His truth.

In other words, those who have entered the church gathering, thinking simply by deciding to be a Christian, they are going to heaven, they are fooled by the devil, while on their way to hell. These people must be told the way of salvation through repentance and faith in Christ so that they will become broken over their sinfulness and desire to be changed by Christ. Only then will they be transformed into a new creation and begin to think with the mind of Christ.

Ephesians 2:9-10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. "

Transformed by Christ not by Changing Ourselves to Glorify Self

Anyone who still wants to live in sin without a desire to be changed by God was never born again. Christ transforms those who want to be changed by Him; they are no longer the same person and no longer think the way they used to think.

If you hear a Christian say to you, "I am the same person I've always been", you have reason to be concerned.

 
When we have trusted in Christ, expressing our sorrow over our own sinfulness, He then changes us into a new creation. We are no longer the same person, nor do we want to ever return to the old again.

 
Those who think they became saved by deciding to join a Christian church remain unsaved and still headed for hell. It is only brokenness over our sinfulness and crying out to God to change us that He will work in Us.

 
Ephesians 2:10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!"

Philippians 2:13
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose."

 
Titus 2:14
"He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."

Colossians 1:10
"so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,"

James 2:17-18
"So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. / But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."

It is Christ's work in our hearts that results in righteous actions. Any work of our own that results in actions is dead works, not evidence of salvation, but willful deeds to elevate the self.

 
Christ wants to guide us in every way; only when we want this is the evidence of a changed heart. Those who still want to take credit for their actions and changed behavior in their own efforts are not born again until they confess this sinful stance and pray to be transformed by Christ.

 
Psalm 100:3 "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

The Pride of a Nation will bring it Low

As for the pride I see in those who think they have chosen the man for the hour, I have this to say;

It seems to me that the Lord has left the American people to their own choices and devices. It does not mean He is not in control, a part of God's control is to take His hand of protection off of our country and allow us to do our own thing our own way without Him.

 
Then we will see the foolishness of our own thinking and doing things our own way. Attributing to God the election of our president is like saying God has relinquished His power to us.

 
He has merely given us what we want, that is, "a government for the people and by the people." It is definitely not a government "for God and by God." Think about it.

God Puts Leaders in and Takes Them Out

For years, I have been hearing Christians quote from scripture that "God puts in power those He wishes and takes out those He wishes."

 
Here might be a wiser way of looking at this that most have never thought about.
It seems to me that the Lord has left the American people to their own choices and devices.

 
It does not mean He is not in control, a part of God's control is to take His hand of protection off of our country and allow us to do our own thing our own way without Him.

 
Then we will see the foolishness of our own thinking and doing things our own way.

 
Attributing to God the election of our president is like saying God has relinquished His power to us. He has merely given us what we want, that is, "a government for the people and by the people." It is definitely not a government "for God and by God." Think about it.

Sometimes it is overwhelming how much of Christianity is based on cultural thinking rather than God's Word.

 
Romans 13:1
"13 Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

The question might be how God establishes governments. Perhaps through the hearts of the people, giving the people what they want, good or bad, will determine the course of a nation.

 
God gave Israel a king because they wanted one, like the rest of the world, instead of being satisfied with God as their ruler. So God gave them a king, one of their choosing, and it was a disaster in the end.

 
Once people have tasted the freedom of choosing their own leader, they rarely turn back to God to allow Him to do it.

 
Saul became consumed with pride and power, jealousy and disobedience led Him to eventually take his own life. He began to rely on his own ideas, his own power, and popularity from the people, and it caused God to come against him.

 
Saul began to depend on his own abilities and power, determined to control his own fate, he fell on his sword when he saw that he was defeated.

God allowed circumstances to punish Saul for his pride and rebellion. God didn't make him choose the wrong things or force him to fall on his own sword; he let the consequences of his pride determine his end.

 
As I see it, the ability to choose our own leaders does not mean we will be safe if we get the leader we want.

 
The nation still remains rebellious against God, the churches are preaching a man-centered gospel, and believers are disobeying the Bible more than they obey.
At this time, there is a false sense of safety in their choice of a man. As though the man will save the country, it's not about God at all, but the choice of the people based on their extreme sense of need for personal safety and prosperity and their worship of freedom above any dedication to Christ.

 
May believers stop trusting in a man and remember their home is in heaven, trusting in Christ is our mandate.

5 Signs Someone Is Emotionally Immature

Emotionally Immature People

Emotionally immature people interpret feedback for their actions as personal attacks. It is impossible to resolve situations with someone who will not listen and only rejects the criticism out of hand to protect their ego.

 
A young woman was confronted by her mother with her rude behavior, and the answer that came back was, "I guess I am just the big, bad daughter." Notice she didn't deny what she had done, only that she saw the confrontation as a personal attack instead of an attempt on the mother's part to correct rude behavior. She misinterpreted the confrontation as hate and that the mother thought she was "all bad."

 
Since someone who is prideful needs to feel superior and all knowing without flaws, they cannot stand to be told they are wrong or in need of repentance.

 
This young woman didn't stop to consider what was being said at all; she immediately reacted to the challenge in defensiveness. Because there was no sorrow over her bad behavior, the stance of defensiveness over the years grew stronger than ever, causing a total breakdown in the relationship.

 
When a born-again believer has been confronted with a wrong they have done, their first response ought to be, "I am so sorry, help me understand what happened so I can make it right."

 
When there is an immediate rejection of the challenge with justification or denial, we know that intense pride is involved. Often, not only is there justification and denial there is also the subsequent punishment for confronting them, and next is the gossip to others their version of events.

 
This same person consistently demonstrated over the years an inability to say she was sorry to anyone; there was always an excuse, but never an apology. And, any attempt to resolve something was met with accusations and gossip to others.

 
When we encounter someone who will not resolve a problem with love in their hearts and a desire to build their own character through acknowledgement of sin and sorrow over the act, there is nothing more we can do to reconcile.

 
When there is no repentance for wrongs done, the heart grows harder and less likely to be able to humble themselves to admit the change needed in their behavior.

 
In my experience, those who love Christ and walk with Him daily rarely do mean things to others. If they make a mistake that harms someone else, it is not deliberate, and they quickly confess it because their heart loves the one who was harmed.

 
Born-again believers hate harming others even in the smallest ways. They live in a continual mindset of Christ likeness, desiring to be kind because they have the fruit of the Spirit of Christ.

 
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."

Is the offended party forgiving of the one who did them harm? Since forgiveness is for the purpose of resolving a relationship when someone displays sorrow over the offense, the forgiveness in the heart of the offended party cannot be expressed to the offender. The offender is not expressing sorrow over the offense, so neither can forgiveness be expressed.

 
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

 
However, when we love others who offend us, we treat them with the kindness and respect they never gave to us, this is not forgiveness. The relationship is not restored, and there may be a distance required to avoid being continually reoffended. Those who are not sorry are always repeat offenders because their mindset is one of control over others, never about reconciliation. Those who walk in sin, justifying it, will grow worse over the years until they realize their stubborn heart and repent to be born again.

 
Those who are confronted about sinful behavior and reject the one who is attempting to resolve things cannot be convinced by frequent or continual presence in their lives. We must walk away and leave them to God; He knows better than we what the offender needs to come to repentance.

 
Our goal and hope are always reconciliation, but this is not always possible with those who have elevated themselves above others. They have a drivenness to remain superior, which does not allow them close relationships and a repentant nature.

 
All of us must evaluate ourselves to see if we have any wicked ways in us. Those who do this will grow in holiness as they confess to God and those they offend regularly sinful thoughts before they become actions.

 
May every born-again believer pray for humility to walk in love and all the fruit of the Spirit continually.

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."

Anger from those who live in Fear!

Those who are easily angered live under the bondage of fear. They fear loss of control over others. They fear being exposed for what they know is their real character. They fear being rejected by men and they fear not being respected. They do not care about being loved as long as people elevate them. They love it when others dread their disapproval.

Why do they fear all these things? They fear all this because they know how much they reject others, judge others, demean and mock others, and their attempts to dominate and control others give them special status in their own minds.

Those who walk in fear cannot feel whole or full of purpose unless others are fawning over them, elevating them to a level above everyone else.

Those who are like this do not love anyone and cannot stand for others to achieve something they cannot do. There is no appreciation for others, whether it be their God given personalities or their unique talents and qualities.

There is a complete lack of obedience to God's Word, leaving doubt that they were ever born again.

1 Corinthians 13:4-84 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

If we are to walk with Christ in authenticity, we will desire to be like Him. Valuing others' freedom to choose their path, even embracing the way God made them. We will love them, concerned about their walk with Christ, but never making rules for them that God never made, and never judging the small matters that are not sin, and that are none of our business.

Fear drives hate, it dominates and ruins the lives who are controlled by it as well as other relationships. Satan loves to instill fear and foster rebellion against God through busybodies and prideful self-promoters.

When our focus is Christ, we have little time to evaluate every nuance of the lives of others to diminish them to elevate self. No one who loves Christ with their whole heart seeks to elevate self, they are too busy elevating Christ.

Noah Obeyed God No Matter What

Notice that Noah didn't disobey God's plan by trying to save those people. He must have had lots of relatives in the water below, but he obeyed God and left them where God wanted them to be.

Carolyn Wolf

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Shared from sister @Katie Rae Goodwin

I took this picture last weekend at a museum because it broke my heart.

It wrecked me actually.

You may not be able to tell, but this is from a display of Noah and the Ark.

The boat was in place.

Noah and his family were inside.

The waters were rising.

And there were people on the highest points, crying out for entry.

And that's really what it must have been like.

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine watching a life boat float away and realizing you had completely missed it.

Can you imagine standing on a high mountaintop, holding your babies while water continued to come towards you.

Can you just imagine?

One of my students asked me, "why didn't Noah just open the door and let them in?"

And I had to give her this sobering answer:

The word of God says that the Lord sealed them in.

God said enough is enough and time is up.

And He literally SEALED the door.

No getting out, no coming in.

People mocked Noah for building the ark.

They continued on with their lives, not realizing how close eternity was for them.

They were eating, drinking, and marrying.

They were birthing children.

They were living their lives, and they didn't realize how serious it was.

They didn't realize there was salvation if they would only listen and believe.

And that's where we're at today friends.

Time is running out and the Lord is about to seal some doors.

But you don't have to perish- just call upon His name.

If you are in bondage, He can break it.

If you are in sin, He can cleanse you.

If you have a bad past, join the club.

God is no respecter of persons.

But you must repent.

Oh, if you don't know Him you are in serious trouble!

Call out to Him tonight and surrender your life to Him.

He will take you as you are, but you must surrender.

We never know when our last breath will happen, and what a terrifying thing to enter into eternity without the blood of Jesus as your covering.

This is serious.

Time is short.

Today is the day of salvation.

And PS. He really, really, REALLY loves you and wants you with Him.

It's not too late to cry out and let Him cover you

Katie Rae Goodwin

Ignore the Lies and Gossip to Follow Christ

Is Your Salvation Real or a Pretense to Impress Others

It is possible for someone to believe in vain the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Believing in vain means a person claimed to believe, expecting to walk their own idea of Christianity in their own flesh without the help of Christ, while claiming to be a Christian. These people are invested in appearing to be something they are not to be accepted by the club they wish to join, that is the Christian church. Judas was one of these, knowing Christ but not being known by Christ.

 
Matthew 7:21-23 "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.’"

The mindset of those who believed in vain, (vanity) is that they will join the Christian club and be accepted for merely showing up, even though there has been no change in their heart and no desire to repent or know the heart of God.
Christ will not change the heart of someone who pretends to love Him while defying His commands and principles.

 
The biggest clue as to whether or not someone has been changed into a new creation by Christ is their completely changed way of thinking.

 
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."

Those who have been changed by the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, will be evident to those who possess the Holy Spirit in their bodies..

 
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law."
Matthew 7:16-18 "…16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit."

1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"

May we love others too much to withhold correction and warning from those who may not be born again but believe they are going to heaven.

 
Withholding correction and warning is to care more about being liked by them than it is about their well-being.

Authentic Salvation or Cultural Pretense

I knew of a brother who was treated like the golden child and was rude and mean, claiming everything was a joke. The parents thought it was funny and did nothing to train him differently because he was their first, they pampered him, and rarely, if ever, disciplined him.

 
He used his mouth to anger people. One day on the high school bus, he worked his mouth until another guy on the bus lunged at him, and this spoiled brother beat him up.

 
The story he gave, that the parents believed, was that he beat up a bully on the bus, and they were all proud of him. They told this story for years. It was only when the younger sister realized his ability to use his mouth to upset people that she knew he probably did that on the bus with that guy he beat up, and her brother provoked it. To this day, the other brother doesn't realize this; he still thinks the other guy was the bully.

 
The older brother used to call the middle brother an Orangutan because he had red hair. One time, he egged the other brother into acting like a monkey so he could laugh at him.

 
The middle brother's wife told him not to do it because she saw that he was being mocked. Sadly, the middle brother did it to get a laugh. The younger sister wasn't there, but in her heart, she wanted to punch her older brother in the mouth for this bullying, and she was not a violent person.

 
The younger sister had seen him call her middle brother an Orangutan in the past, and it angered her. She heard the older brother on many occasions tell the siblings, "You're too sensitive" to justify his rudeness. And, weirdly enough, the older brother's real name was "Rudy." He is in his 80s now and has not changed one bit. I guess he wanted to live up to his name.

The mocking, demeaning, and rude behavior continues to this day, and the refusal to admit the harm that was done negates his claim of being a Christian.

 
There has never been any repentance for the disobedience to God's word to love others. In fact, on the one occasion that he was confronted, he was not ashamed, but raged and refused to listen.

 
This older brother fishes for information about the siblings in order to have something to judge. When he has no information, he makes up a lie he thinks might be happening and shares it with others.

 
When we encounter bullies who refuse to be corrected and even rage without repentance, we have our clue that they may not have ever been born again.
When Christ changes us into a new creation our heart is not the same. Our heart has been replaced with the Spirit of Christ and is ashamed when we mess up. When there is no conviction of sin and no concern about harming others then there has not been a change.

God told us that born-again believers have the fruit of the Spirit of Christ. They do not walk consistently in a stance of arrogant pride that diminishes others. If they fall they are ashamed and quickly apologize. There is no lifestyle of rudeness toward others just to elevate oneself, in those who have been made into the likeness of Christ.

 
Those who enjoy hurting others never make a disparaging joke about themselves; it's always about others. This is how we know they are deeply self-absorbed without a conscience and probably never changed by Christ.

 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"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."

The sad thing is that this brother believes he is saved and superior to everyone around him. The habit of diminishing others to elevate himself is evidence that he never repented of his own sinful nature, even believing he never sinned himself.
If the sister is wrong about this assessment, then the brother presented himself in such a way that he denied Jesus Christ through his lack of empathy and love to confess his sin and ask forgiveness of those he has harmed.

The command from scripture to go to your brother if you have sinned against him has been ignored completely.

 
We are commanded by God to confront those who sin against us.

Luke 17:3
"Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him."

1 Timothy 5:20
But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.

Titus 3:10-11
Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, / knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.

This discussion has nothing to do with someone who has past forgiven sins; this is for those who remain in their sin and pride and refuse to repent.
Our hope is that one day the one who thinks they are saved will repent, realizing their pretense all these years was a sham, and they will be lost if they do not repent and submit to 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.’"

We are to comfort and grieve with those who are repenting, to help restore them or to help them learn the way of salvation. If they have never been broken over their sinful heart, then they are not saved. All who repent grieve at their offenses against God. No grief, no salvation.

 
The following passage applies to discipline within the church gathering when someone has repented, but it can also apply to those who thought they were saved but were not, when they finally realize they were never saved to begin with.

 
2 Corinthians 2:6-8
"The punishment imposed on him by the majority is sufficient for him. So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him."

The sister grieves more over the state of the heart of her brother than she did over his offenses. The offenses demonstrate a prideful heart of evil that needs to be broken; without that brokenness, this brother will never be saved from hell.

 
A good lesson and take away from this story is that so many people join a Christian gathering thinking they are "in like Flynn" on their way to heaven, merely because they say so, but have never been cleansed and changed by Christ.

 
This is the cultural Christianity we see every day among most people who attend gatherings. Their pride of how good they think they are is the first clue.

2 Corinthians 13:5 " 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test? "

God gave us what to look for in assessing whether or not someone is a brother or sister in Christ, we are to look for the fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Matthew 7:17-19 "17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.…

The Coming Plight of America

On another thread, someone was lamenting the political problems of our day as though there might be a fix! Here's what I said about that!

None of this matters; God is going to punish America because of the wickedness that dominates it. He has already done that to some extent by allowing the consequences of ignoring Him and His commands and principles. America's families are a mess, and children are arrogant and disrespectful.

 
Here is what America looks like to the discerning Spirit.

 
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"Perilous (ragingly insane) Times and Perilous Men
3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"