Where is the Fruit of the Spirit?

Narcissists do more lying by omission and actions than by words. They twist the truth to come out the opposite of what actually happened by their personal spin on everything. They say one thing and do the opposite often.

Since they act superior they must spin everything to their own advantage. If we have said something profound they will negate it and come back two days later saying the same thing as though it was their own idea in the first place.

I have seen this many times! They will even use exactly the words to others that you said as though they were the ones who originated it. They will never give credit to anyone else for a good idea or a good job.

They will even tell you what a bad idea you had and then go off and do the idea as though you never had it, that it belonged to them. If we were to call them out on it they would make us look childish and silly for suggesting that the idea did not originate with them. Narcissists are like devils, they are counterfeiters to elevate self above all others.

When a narcissist says "I am one of the friendliest people you will meet." It just shows us that they have a high opinion of themselves that does not match at all with what others are seeing. They must try to convince others of things about themselves with words that they know are not true in reality.

I know the reason, if they acknowledge you are the good person they are speaking about then they have to feel like nothing at all.

Sadly if they cannot be everything better than others then they are nothing at all, in their own minds. They are pridefully wishing to be superior but in reality, they are deeply insecure or they would not need to make up lies about themselves. It is easier to "say" things than to actually "be" those things.

People who are confident do not have to boast about themselves, they are just happy being what they are and doing what they do without impressing anyone.

This is also why confident people can easily admit flaws because the flaws are not all they are, only a part of them that needs some work. That's why confident people grow and change for the better over the years, they are fixing things as needed.

Narcissists cannot admit the truth about their flaws, the very reason they do not grow emotionally or spiritually beyond the mentality of a bratty six-year-old.

Narcissists lie to themselves constantly, which is why they cannot tell the truth to anyone else. Their father is the father of lies. The devils influence their thinking to make them feel superior just as Satan did in the garden with Eve. He convinced her she could be her own god. The narcissists would melt into a puddle on the floor if they ever had to admit a flaw, the very attitude that keeps them in a state of infancy.

Proverbs 14:2-3 "…2 He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him. 3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them."

It is clear that a narcissist is a fool, one who will continue in foolishness even when that foolishness loses him something. He would rather hang onto his pride and diluted superiority than admit wrong and grow emotionally and spiritually.

Proverbs 18:5-6 "…5 Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice. 6 A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. 7A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.…"

Our culture in this day of apostasy has trained the youth to defend their pride to praise themselves causing them to maintain infantile thinking well into their middle age.

I could be wrong but I am convinced that someone who remains infantile into their middle age will likely never come out of it. There is only one hope for them and that is to admit their sinfulness, repent and trust in Christ. Without this, there can be no change and no salvation. Change only comes after trusting in Christ, sadly, trusting in Christ is unlikely for those who are so deeply narcissistic that they will never admit they are sinful, although I have heard of some who have repented and come to Christ.

If we know a narcissist we can keep praying until God tells us to stop. If someone is a narcissist they have only two choices, admit their sin and trust Christ or remain as they are and go to hell.

No one can be a full-blown narcissist after trusting in Christ. Christ changes our character into a completely different person after the born-again experience. If someone remains a narcissist and claims to be a Christian they are lying and were never born again. These are sobering thoughts in a modern Christian world in which words seem to be enough to convince someone we are a Christian.

Here is the evidence that someone has become born again.

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 is the character qualities of Christ, no one is born again who lacks this fruit, all of the qualities must be present.

Seeking Christ Rather Than Man

"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."

When we have been able to "convince" a person of something through logic rather than faith, it is likely they merely agreed intellectually and never were inwardly converted by faith. 

I fear that most people today who call themselves Christians have been "convinced" intellectually" but have not had a heart change to be born again. 

These people will follow rules, appearing to follow Christ on the outside but have no dedication to His Word. The reason I believe this is because they violate more scripture than they obey, make excuses for their own sinful attitudes, and do not change in their behavior or attitudes, even into old age. 

These people change some of the beliefs that are more interesting to them but retain many sinful attitudes and superior stances without spiritual and emotional growth. 

We are living in a world full of pretenders who are more dedicated to their own ideas and fantasies than they are to the Word of God. We know this because of the way they defend their sin, claiming it is good and Biblical, lying against the Word of God. 

Lying against the Word of God is the same as lying against Christ. Christ is called the Word, He is the very essence of His Own Word. When someone claims He did no say something He did say they are lying against Him. When someone adds to the Word with human wisdom they are lying against Christ. When someone takes away from the Word by omitting important scriptures they are denying Christ Himself. 

John 20:30–31 
"30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

John 1:1
"1, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The modern church is apostate in more ways we can count. The thrust of the lives of these church attendees for the most part is social more than spiritual. When people defend their pastor rather than evaluate him, they are engaging in a popish sort of worship toward a man. I used to say many years ago after leaving the Catholic church that Protestants do not realize they have their own Protestant Popes. These are men who have been trained and educated by Christian institutions rather than by the Holy Spirit. It was supposed by most people that if they were educated in seminary or Bible college they must know the truth and are qualified to teach others. Sadly this was a dilution, those who are qualified are so because they have been trained and led by the Holy Spirit. Many men coming out of Christian institutions are not born again, they lack 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."

Knowledge all by itself is dangerous when it is not enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Many preachers who have been trained by men lack the wisdom to understand the knowledge they have. This is the reason they preach damnable heresies claiming they are from God. 

2 Peter 2:1-2 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."

It was supposed by many churchgoers that anyone educated in these "religious" institutions must be holy men merely by their human degree. This is cultural Christianity based on education, not on Christ. 

Many men coming out of these institutions were never born again, the very reason they embrace a form of Psychology, self-esteem, and other heretical ideologies that defy the very Word of God. 

The entire one-man pastor system purporting to be the authority over their congregations depends on the pew people to see them as elevated above them. They count on their word being law and the people submitting to them. This is Popism based on Catholicism. The tradition of elevating one man above another does not come from the scriptures but from this corrupted system of hierarchy. 

Those who lead are not above others, they serve them and are deeply accountable to God and those they teach. If they are in error the learners are expected to correct them that they do not become elevated in their own minds. 

If a pew person cannot evaluate or correct a teacher or pastor then they have an idol and must repent from idolatry. 

Acts 20:28-31 " 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. "

Elders and pastors are shepherds to protect the flock they are not authorities over them without accountability to them. 

A pew person who will not evaluate the pastor comparing what he says with the Word of God is lazy as well as idolatrous. If we love our pastors and elders we will evaluate what they say according to the Word and correct them if needed to help them grow in wisdom. 

When we have the love of God in us we are more concerned with Biblical correctness and obedience to God's Word than we are about someone's temporary feelings of embarrassment at a correction. 

Proverbs 27:5-7 "…5 Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
7 A satisfied person despises honey,
But to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet."

When we love God our desire is for everyone, including ourselves to grow in holiness and obedience to His Word. This is not common in our day of apostasy, in fact, it is quite uncommon and even rare. Let us seek to please God more than anyone or anything else. 

Who Do You Believe, God or Yourself?