Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Gaslighting a Common Tactic in our Day
If someone does not want to hear the truth they will "gaslight" you to think you did something wrong in sharing the truth to bring them back to thinking about God.
Matthew 11:16-19
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children,
17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not ]mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
No matter what you do, no matter how good or how true, if a rebellious person does not want to believe the truth they will accuse you of something that is not true so they don't have to listen to you.
Get used to this, we live in a world in which the church has placed friendliness above truth.
Luke 12:51-52 "51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.…"
It is not the truth that divides, it is the lie that is exposed that divides. The truth believed always brings greater unity, the truth denied is what brings the division.
The typical tactic of the devil is to accuse the believer of being divisive when it was the devil who was causing the need for exposing the lie.
The devil is a gaslighter, he tells us we were unkind by speaking the truth of God's Word. Anyone who is being used by the devil to cause division will accuse the truth-teller of the very evil the divisive person is doing.
The devil will say we ought to be able to say and believe anything we want, except the truth-teller, that person is attacked when speaking they are not allowed to speak.
There is nothing new here, life has always been like this, the devil's attempts at silencing the truth-teller through intimidation, gaslighting and manipulation.
If you are led by the Holy Spirit to speak the truth do not be ashamed when attacked. Do not worry that you caused a problem, do not suck into your soul the tricks and demeaning words and actions of the devil.
John 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
The devil comes to steal away your peace, your conviction and your devotion to Him by diverting your attention to worldly things. He steals away relationships by turning one person against another. He steals your peace when he is able to cause fear over things that should be left in God's hands.
Christ builds peace in us through our faith and trust in Him. Christ builds relationships between like-minded people so they are in solidarity about the truth.
Those who love Christ understand the need to remain squarely focused on Him, they do not fight to defend their sins or wrong focus.
May the Lord bring born-again believers back to trusting in Him rather than trusting everything other than Him.
The Spirit of Divisiveness Comes in Many Forms
We think of divisiveness in the body of Christ as being those who bring a false Jesus. But there is a much more subtle form of division and that is the one that takes our focus off of Jesus Christ and onto other things in a more dramatic but covert way when more attention is paid to these things than to Christ Himself.
Beware of those who are easily offended by correction. Beware of those who talk more about the things of the world than they do about Jesus Christ and His principles.
Remember that what we talk about the most is what we love the most.
As a seasoned born-again believer, I am aware that as we grow in holiness we interpret all things in terms of His Word, His principles, and the way He thinks.
We cannot know the way Christ thinks merely by knowing His Word, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to understand His mind. Many people know the Bible but disobey much because they interpret His Word according to their own mindset not the mind of Christ.
John 16:12-14 "…12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 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.…"
When we are consumed with the Holy Spirit everything that happens will be interpreted according to the mind of Christ. We will be far less impacted by the world and more impacted by the Holy Spirit leading.
When we are consumed with Christ we think very little about where our food comes from, who is leading the country and about the things that happen to us, except in how Christ works through these things.
He is the One in control of all things. There is not one thing that escapes His notice.
John 14:17
"the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you."
Do not expect to get your wisdom from the world, it must come from Christ Who dwells in every believer.
Do not allow worldly people to entice you into fear or acting rashly to protect yourself. Christ in us tells us what and when His way, we have no need to fear or act independently of His Word.
Hallelujah!!!!
The Holy Spirit Speaks through those who love Him!
Have you noticed that the group endorses everyone to speak their mind, except the person who disagrees? That person is chastised for being "divisive or causing trouble."
Keep in mind the person who is divisive is the one who sins, not the one who points out the sin.
A group cannot grow in holiness when they walk in fear of whether or not someone becomes upset at correction.
So many churches today are full of enablers who defend the divisive person while chastising the one who points out the sin in the body.
Those who are divisive do not think about the pain they cause others, they only think about controlling situations and people.
Many kind people are afraid to confront the one who is causing division out of fear of being seen as the bad one. In short, most people are fearful of what others will think of them and not so interested in what God thinks or even the well being of the divisive one.
The divisive person is allowed to be abrasive and rude while the others shrink back in fear of the person, placing that person on a higher level than God.
2 Timothy 4:2
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
Hebrews 3:12-13 "12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13 But EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
If we love the body, if we love the sinner who is not living correctly, then we will tell the truth. Whether or not they receive it is up to them and not on us.
Ephesians 4:22
"to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;"
Hebrews 10:24
"And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds."
Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."
If we are trusting in our own ability to control our own lives then we are walking sinfully, full of rebellion and not by the Holy Spirit of God.
Proverbs 3:6-8 "…6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones."
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