Once a person realizes how sinful they were before they were born again, they cannot hold an elevated opinion of themselves.
We do have confidence but it is not in us, it is in Christ and the joy we exude does not have to do with how good we feel about ourselves but rather how good is Christ.
The greatest freedom anyone can experience is the freedom to be who we are, admit our failings while trusting Christ for any needed changes.
Those who cannot admit their sinfulness are in bondage to a false self that they are continually having to show to others, the hiding is stressful. Often the stress comes out in attacking others for things that most wouldn't even think were wrong.
When someone has a false self, they must squash anything in others that might expose that false self. Others may be living a life that shines it's light on the false self, then the objective of the narcissist is to find something wrong with their target to darken them so the light is dimmed.
One way to darken one who lives their true self is to provoke them with irrational words or anger, causing them to become irritated or angry. This "weakness" in us as they would see it, is their excuse that we are the problem and they are the victim. The narcissist always focuses on the actions of others, real or imagined, as though they are never the fault, always the victim, even though they provoked the whole mess.
Innocent comments are twisted to seem mean or hateful, this is the way narcissist process information about those they seek to ruin. They often use half truths and out and out lies to justify their own contemptuous behavior.
No one can dim our light if we don't let them. When we are innocent, have not committed any sin, then we don't have to agonize over the misguided reactions of those who choose to view us as evil in their own minds.
All the apostles and Christ Himself were lied against by those who didn't like the message they brought. Narcissists always hate those who shine the light of Christ on their evil spirit.
Often we don't even have to say or do anything, just our lifestyle and our joy is enough to enrage the devil that lives in these people. Even if the devil does not possess them, he deeply twists their thinking to believe what is not true.
Just as he deceived Eve in the garden with sinful thoughts, he does today in the minds of many around us. When we walk with Christ we can see when he is attempting to twist our minds and resist him with Scripture, just as Christ did when He was tempted in the desert.
When we know what is going on, we can detach ourselves from the antics of the narcissist and still love them enough to give them the gospel. If they resist, we do what Christ did and that is to walk away.
The devil has many tactics in his bag of tricks, if we are not awake, know the Bible and walk with Christ, we could be sucked into the nonsense.
Thankfully our solution is really quite simple, know God's Word, ask Him for wisdom and understanding and then do whatever He tell us.
John 14:29-31 "…29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31 But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us go on from here.…"
Christ taught us that the devil has no power over us unless we let him, through stubbornness and ignorance.
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