Many Christians today have a devil whispering things in their ear just like he did to Eve in the garden. Because they are not reading their Bibles and praying, they believe the lies the devil is telling.
Since so many are basing their beliefs on emotions, their feelings are dictating their actions, rather than reason, rational thinking and truth.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Growing is the Goal
"I will not stay silent so that you can remain comfortable in your sin."
It fascinates me that toxic people are allowed to be as mean spirited and superior as they choose but the one who calls them out on their behavior, is chastised or rebuked as the trouble maker.
This is the world we live in, we see it in the media and in politics. The ones who are criticized the most are those who call sin what it is.
Yes, with narcissists the best course of action is to stay away from them once we discover what they are, however there are some rational people out there who will benefit from a mild rebuke or instruction, these are the people with whom we can be honest and open.
Our goal is not to dominate or control as it is with the narcissist, our goal is to help people learn something as much as we should want to learn things from others.
Without correction and chastisement no one grows and changes into better human beings. Those who take offense at correction remain spiritual and emotional infants. Until they can learn to accept a criticism, they will remain such.
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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.…"
It fascinates me that toxic people are allowed to be as mean spirited and superior as they choose but the one who calls them out on their behavior, is chastised or rebuked as the trouble maker.
This is the world we live in, we see it in the media and in politics. The ones who are criticized the most are those who call sin what it is.
Yes, with narcissists the best course of action is to stay away from them once we discover what they are, however there are some rational people out there who will benefit from a mild rebuke or instruction, these are the people with whom we can be honest and open.
Our goal is not to dominate or control as it is with the narcissist, our goal is to help people learn something as much as we should want to learn things from others.
Without correction and chastisement no one grows and changes into better human beings. Those who take offense at correction remain spiritual and emotional infants. Until they can learn to accept a criticism, they will remain such.
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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.…"
Rage is the New Normal
Winston Churchill
"You can measure a man's character by the choices he makes under pressure."
We can also measure a man's character by his responses to the mildest challenges.
How many times have we experienced someone who explodes over the slightest disagreement or a perceived slight. It has been many in my lifetime.
We live in a region of the country that is deeply narcissistic, manners are few here and often nonexistent in entire families.
Disagreement is the new evil, the culture that elevates personal choices based on feelings above rational thinking, will be easily angered and often enraged.
When we find ourselves walking on egg shells to avoid fights, we can be sure we have encountered narcissism. The culture as a whole has learned through the self esteem teaching that to disagree or tell someone "no", is equivalent to abuse and must be squashed immediately.
We also encounter those who accuse us of making them walk on egg shells when it is they, through their responses that intimidate others into silence. More than anything else the narcissist fears being seen as wrong. They don't care if they are right or wrong, only that others see them as always right.
Rage has become the new normal in our region, as long as someone does not like something they are allowed to go off the rails without challenge. The one who defends themselves from the rage is the one who is the bad one.
If you ever say to a narcissist, "no, I think that's wrong", or "I don't agree", the rage emerges and no one defends the challenger, even if they are right, the one who is defended is the one who rages. SO!!!, the rage and disrespect grows throughout the culture.
Agitators are those who use intimidation to silence anyone who might cause them to appear wrong.
I am reminded of the account in Sodom and Gomorrah when the Sodomites demanded to have the angel that came to Lot's house. Lot even offered his daughters to them to protect the angels, but they would not have it, they wanted the angels they thought were men.
Notice something in that account in Sodom, even after the perverted Sodomites began to rage, the angels who came to Lot, struck them blind because of their wickedness, but they continued to grope for the door to get in to ravage the angels.
Genesis 19:10-12 "…10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. 12 Then the two men said to Lot, "Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place;…"
The point of this is that there is no reasoning with those who are deeply wicked and given to rage. When we see this happening we know any explanation or reason will be ignored while the "feelings" of being wrong are elevated to highly important status.
Narcissists cannot ignore feelings to do what is right, they believe their feelings are right and will lean into them rather than seeking an answer based on truth.
John 8:31-32 "31 So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”"
There is great bondage in depending on changing feelings. It is only truth that sets us free from that bondage. The devil manipulates feelings, his purpose is to keep those who elevate feelings above facts, in complete bondage. The more we are in bondage to feelings the more tormented we become.
2 Timothy 2:26
"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
"You can measure a man's character by the choices he makes under pressure."
We can also measure a man's character by his responses to the mildest challenges.
How many times have we experienced someone who explodes over the slightest disagreement or a perceived slight. It has been many in my lifetime.
We live in a region of the country that is deeply narcissistic, manners are few here and often nonexistent in entire families.
Disagreement is the new evil, the culture that elevates personal choices based on feelings above rational thinking, will be easily angered and often enraged.
When we find ourselves walking on egg shells to avoid fights, we can be sure we have encountered narcissism. The culture as a whole has learned through the self esteem teaching that to disagree or tell someone "no", is equivalent to abuse and must be squashed immediately.
We also encounter those who accuse us of making them walk on egg shells when it is they, through their responses that intimidate others into silence. More than anything else the narcissist fears being seen as wrong. They don't care if they are right or wrong, only that others see them as always right.
Rage has become the new normal in our region, as long as someone does not like something they are allowed to go off the rails without challenge. The one who defends themselves from the rage is the one who is the bad one.
If you ever say to a narcissist, "no, I think that's wrong", or "I don't agree", the rage emerges and no one defends the challenger, even if they are right, the one who is defended is the one who rages. SO!!!, the rage and disrespect grows throughout the culture.
Agitators are those who use intimidation to silence anyone who might cause them to appear wrong.
I am reminded of the account in Sodom and Gomorrah when the Sodomites demanded to have the angel that came to Lot's house. Lot even offered his daughters to them to protect the angels, but they would not have it, they wanted the angels they thought were men.
Notice something in that account in Sodom, even after the perverted Sodomites began to rage, the angels who came to Lot, struck them blind because of their wickedness, but they continued to grope for the door to get in to ravage the angels.
Genesis 19:10-12 "…10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. 12 Then the two men said to Lot, "Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place;…"
The point of this is that there is no reasoning with those who are deeply wicked and given to rage. When we see this happening we know any explanation or reason will be ignored while the "feelings" of being wrong are elevated to highly important status.
Narcissists cannot ignore feelings to do what is right, they believe their feelings are right and will lean into them rather than seeking an answer based on truth.
John 8:31-32 "31 So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”"
There is great bondage in depending on changing feelings. It is only truth that sets us free from that bondage. The devil manipulates feelings, his purpose is to keep those who elevate feelings above facts, in complete bondage. The more we are in bondage to feelings the more tormented we become.
2 Timothy 2:26
"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
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