The Devil Attempts to Weaken Believers

The devil attempts to weaken your support by turning family against you. If he can get others to torment you he may be able to control your emotional reactions thereby causing the believer to sin in their responses.

Proverbs 15:28-29 "28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil. 29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.…"

Satan placed evil thoughts in the mind of the Pharisees to discredit Christ. The Pharisees accused Christ of doing His miracles by the power of the devil.

If they will do this to our Lord, you can be sure they will do it to us too.

John 15:18-25

Disciples’ Relation to the World

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also.

21 But all these things they will do to you on account of My name because they do not know the One who sent Me."

A-Muse, the American Condition!

A-muse = "amuse", meaning not to think, think about it! Playing is what children do, pleasure-seekers tend not to think.

1 Corinthians 13:11

"11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [a]became a man, I did away with childish things."

We Americans play far more than we realize. As I get older I like to think of working as my play, at the end of it something got accomplished that we can enjoy for years to come.

The more I am focused on Christ the less I enjoy "adventures" I prefer the small joys in life, friends, relaxing on the front porch in a rocking chair and the like. Perhaps this is what being content looks like.

Philippians 4:11-13

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

What a wonderful place to be, contented in the Lord every single day!!!

Hallelujah!!

When the Narcissist Accuses You!

When the narcissist accuses you of something you know you did not do, they are really telling on themselves.

I heard a daughter-in-law tell her husband, "your mother hates me." Based on the evidence of the way the daughter-in-law was treating her mother-in-law it was clear that the daughter-in-law was, in reality, saying; "I hate your mother. "

When I was searching the internet for articles about daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law I found hundreds of articles by daughters-in-laws who were railing on their mothers-in-law, proclaiming how much they hated them. I could not possibly read all the articles but their titles alone were appalling.

I saw silly statements like; "my mother-in-law just dropped in without calling" as though something was wrong with this. They even decided to cut off the mother-in-law from the grandchildren because they didn't like something they said.

One daughter-in-law complained that her mother-in-law tried to teach her something, she saw this as offensive and rude.

Then I read one article out of many written by a sweet Christian daughter-in-law who proclaimed loudly how much she loved her mother-in-law. I wanted to cry, what a wonderful loving daughter-in-law who valued the mother of her husband.

We live in an age where in-law spouses are working to destroy the relationships between their spouses and their spouse's parents. When I first began to see this 30 years ago I was astounded at the way many young people were acting, cutting the children and grandchildren off from the spouses. I began to pray for understanding. Then the Lord opened my eyes to what was going on, here was what God told me:

Luke 12:52-53 "…52 From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” '

Another passage God gave me was even more clear jumping off the page showing me what is going on.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Notice words like; "arrogant, unloving, gossips, brutal and much more. What is the answer for the born-again believer? God does not want us to become like those who have wicked hearts by responding in kind.

We are to remain Christlike no matter what is going on around us or what people are doing to us.

When we stay grounded in the Word of God and prayer we can maintain our pure hearts without being tainted by the world around us.

Proverbs 26:4 "4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him."

We need not defend ourselves or make sure the foolish person understands, they will not want to understand. The keyword here is "want", even if we were able to explain things clearly the fool will choose not to understand.

Those with wicked hearts never want to hear the truth, they love lies and gossip, this is why God says in verse 5 of second Timothy 3, "get away from such as these."

Be thankful that Christ in us can help us be what we should be no matter what is happening. Keep focused on Him continually.