We all have a tendency to interpret what others say to us based on our history with them as well as our own mindset, and how we tend to think all the time.
If someone is a kind loving person and someone else instructs them or corrects them to help the kind person tends to listen with interest and even take their advice if they agree with what was said. The kind loving person will even be grateful for the input.
If someone is an angry arrogant person on the inside, they will rage at anyone who corrects them, they will see any correction or advice as a personal attack. It's not about what the person said or even how they said it, it's that they said it at all. The reason they see advice as an attack is because if they ever give advice they would be attacking to demean. They think everyone is like them.
When we see someone raging because they have been corrected or disagreed with, this is an angry person on the inside. Those who are not angry don't ever rage, they may strongly disagree but they never attempt to intimidate another human being to make sure they win over them. There remains love in the heart of Christ-followers.
This is what raging is all about, it is an attempt to control another person through intimidation. Narcissists hate when others make their own decisions apart from them.
Because the narcissist is so deeply insecure they cannot abide someone who is strong enough to stand without them or anyone else. They must find a way to break them down and when they cannot break them down they continue their attacks by undermining how others view the target of their hatred. They gossip, lie, and accuse their target of things that never happened and will rage at anyone who will not believe them.
Many of you will recognize these dynamics because you too have been victims of these demonically inspired people. And, the number of these kinds of people is growing every day as we march toward the tribulation.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult (ragingly insane) 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."
One of the things to watch out for is the continual attempt to force you into their mold, through intimidation, mocking, subtle ignoring, excluding, and gossiping with others.
When we see these things happening we can calmly and confidently walk away leaving these people behind in favor of spending time with godly people who will love us His way.
We must be diligent to spend time with those who will be supportive of our desire to walk with Christ. We will grow in holiness if we have godly companions. If we walk with narcissists regularly they will infect our walk, distract us from God and cause continual conflict. This is why God said, "Avoid such people." There is plenty of scripture to support our rejection of those who refuse to love Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”…"
We become just like those whom we admire and spend time with. If we spend our time with those who love Christ and desire to walk with Him, then they will enhance our own walk with Him.
If we spend time with those who are rude, arrogant and self-willed, our walk will be diluted because we will fear the arguments that these god-haters demonstrate all the time. We will continually be dodging the devils arrows distracting us from Christ.
Isaiah 52:11
"Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD."
Jeremiah 15:17
"I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation."
We ought to hate the attitudes and actions of narcsisists to the point of avoiding them. God hates what they do and so should we.
Ezra 6:21
"And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,"
One might say "but aren't we suppose to evangelize people", the answer is yes. However, when we see that someone has rejected Christ and will not listen to us we are to move on, we are not to remain friends with them.
Revelation 18:4
"4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;"
If we do not stay away from Christ rejectors we are endorsing their decision to reject Him. God never said to hang out with those who hate Him. We are to give them the gospel and walk away if they will not hear us.
Matthew 10:14 "
"And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet."
