The fruit of the Spirit is the character qualities of Christ within every born-again believer.
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 devil is a master manipulator accusing the believer of the things the devil does and we do not do. This is also the tactic of the narcissist because the devil is behind how the narcissist thinks and acts.
We meet many people today who think their words are all that is needed without evidence of the Holy Spirit fruit or godly actions. When a culture is "feelings based" it will care more about false appearances and words than substance and truth.
Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was its fall.”
When people seem to say all the right things but their life is full of hypocrisy we must ignore them. Sometimes they become angry because we are not excited about what they say because their life demonstrates they do not believe their own words or they would act differently.
We live in a world full of hypocrisy and lies all the time. If someone's life seems to be pleasure oriented, disobedient against most of God's Word, and hostile to correction we know we are dealing with a pretender. Someone who pretends cannot be trusted about anything.
Fake people are quick to judge things they have little to no information about, they are know-it-alls.
Fake people are rude, even if only covertly to be able to deny how they were rude.
Fake people do not listen to hear the whole matter, they refuse to listen and sometimes refuse to respond when proven wrong.
Fake people are often people pleasers toward those whom they wish to impress, but rude to those they think are beneath them.
Fake people often have a group of people that elevate them. They are not happy with those who do not treat them as though they are special. They move on to a new group when the clique they are in figures out their narcissism.
Fake people make guesses about others and spread gossip as though their desired belief about someone is the truth.
Fake people do not have real friends they only have people around them that they use and manipulate.
Fake people are never consistent, they are friendly one minute and angry the next over silly things.
Fake people never apologize for anything, they make excuses or play the victim but will never admit their own faults or flaws.
Fake people are hypersensitive to any form of criticism or correction.
Fake people are terrified of failure, they must always be seen as perfect and successful.
Fake people lie frequently, they embellish the truth to make it sound better than it was or they make a perceived wrong toward them seem way worse than it was. They even refuse to acknowledge the good deeds of others while boasting of their own.
Fake people do their good deeds to be seen by others, there is only one reason to do a good deed and that is praise for them. They cannot do a good deed without making sure others hear about what they did.
Fake people are highly sensitive to suggestions from others, even in the smallest matters. They have to be the one who thought up the idea or it is worth nothing to them.
Fake people are easily embarrassed when they are not seen as special or perfect.
Here is a description of the end times fake person that we see all the time and is growing in our culture of the last days;
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"1 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."
It is so easy to be influenced by a culture that acts in these phony and destructive ways when we see it all the time. It is vitally important that we recognize it, avoid them when we can, and refuse to become like them when they are in our lives regularly. We are in danger of becoming like the people we spend the most time with because we are vulnerable, this is why we must choose our friends wisely.
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”"
We are in the world, we witness to the unsaved but they cannot be our close companions and we ought never to tolerate these attitudes in those who claim to be Christian. We must rebuke it and if they will not listen then we are to walk away and leave them alone.
When being accepted by the world becomes important to us we have lost our witness and regress in our walk. We must stay focused on Christ and His principles to avoid becoming that which dishonors God.
The people described in this article are angry people, they harbor bitterness and resentment as well as jealousy deep within their hearts. Only God can present problems to them that may cause a crisis of heart that would turn them to Him, but we can do nothing to help them.
Proverbs 22:23-25 "…23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them. 24 Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25 or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
We are in danger of becoming like those people when we tolerate their attitudes and actions. We must speak the truth and walk away if they do not listen. If they listen we have won them to Christ and can fellowship with them.
Matthew 18:15 "And if your brother sins against you, go reprove him, between you and him alone. If he will hear you, you have gained your brother."
We must never stop praying for God's will and protection as we navigate through this ugly world of deep selfishness and hatred of God and His truth. God can keep us safe if we keep our eyes on Him.
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