Glory Goes to God Alone

No person including the apostles deserves more honor than any other born-again believer. We can learn from the apostles and appreciate them, but they are merely men who brought a message. The same message that we bring to those in our modern age.

The day we stop focusing on one person more than any other person is when we are developing an idol. Only the Holy Spirit is our guide, He deserves the credit for anything we hear that comes out of a person's mouth that was from the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:3-15 "3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people?

4 For when one person says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not ordinary people?

5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

8 Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it.

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work.

14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.

15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire."

Confession of Sin is Strength

Confession of sin for Spiritual growth is so important, no one can grow spiritually and emotionally without it. Many people remain weak and easily offended because they have so much unconfessed sin baggage that they are burdened constantly with the fear of it being exposed.

When we are humble enough to say; "that thing I did was wrong, " we are strong. It strengthens us in two ways. It helps us avoid that same sin again and gives us confidence that nothing needs to be hidden from others. There is no one so vulnerable as those who have unconfessed sin.

Those who walk in pride and offend others regularly fear constantly being discovered. However, those who walk openly and honestly do not worry about someone finding out their forgiven flaws and sins.

Weak people are fearful, they rage and defend sin because they think the appearance of confidence is strength, but it is superficial and easily demolished when exposed.

If you are a strong person you can boldly admit your flaws and your sins to be cleansed by God. When this happens you are free to carry on without guilt and without messes that are hidden.

1 John 1:9 "

"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God's way is always the best for us and for others around us. Narcissists will use against us our forgiven sins, but even that does not have to intimidate us when we realize they are wicked and God has already buried our sins in the deepest sea. The sin of the narcissist using our past forgiven sins against us remains until they repent from their need to ruin the lives of others to elevate themselves.

As born-again believers we are free, not to sin, not to act badly, but to admit our flaws to be cleansed and spend a lifetime of Spiritual growth and emotional maturity.

Narcissists are emotional infants with much sin baggage, we do not want to become like this through denial of sin. Nor do we want the narcissist to goad us into sin through rage responses. Their goal is to cause us to sin so they can say; "see you are no different from me." This is the devil's ploy always, to get us to sin diminishing our witness to others.

The devil hates us and he hates Christ, if he can make us look no different from the world then he might be able to cause people to resist Christ.

Do not envy the narcissist and his perceived power, it is an illusion. Desire the pure love of Christ to dwell in you, this will make some wonder what we have that is so special.

1 John 2:15-17

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

Romans 12:2

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."