Business is not a Badge of Honor

Narcissists need to keep themselves distracted all the time with business. They will accuse others who take breaks or enjoy quiet time of being lazy.

If a narcissist takes the time to relax they would have to self-reflect and this would be unthinkable to them. Since they regard themselves as perfect with a persona that elevates them above others, relaxing would diminish this false sense of superiority.

Business is the food for the narcissist to boast of their continual worth in the eyes of others. What others think of them is paramount to their self-worth, at least in their own opinion.

They believe if they are not busy they are worthless. Continual distraction from self-reflection leaves them unwise. It is self-reflection and medication on the things of God that bring wisdom.

I hear this all the time from Christians when we ask them how they are doing, it is the first thing out of their mouths; "I have been very busy", as though it is a badge of honor. But the things that busy them are not the things of God, they are pleasures and desires being fulfilled.

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 6:33-34

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Rely Only Christ Alone

When someone relies on the approval of others they will become very weak if that approval diminishes as they are aging.

When we trust in Christ alone we will never be without a sense of confidence, but not in ourselves, it will be in Christ.

Because we depend on Christ and not people we will be able to face anything and stand firm for truth with or without the support of people.

Those who depend on people to validate them have a low emotional intelligence based on superficial acceptance. They depend on meaningless social attachments that prop them up.

However, there must be constant interaction with others praising them to have any sense of purpose. The purpose is only felt if others are lifting them up.

With Christ, we need no one else to elevate us in order to feel whole and loved. He loves us more than any person can and will always tell us the truth that is best for us and will enhance what He has for us to do.

For the "people pleaser" there is emptiness when there is not approval or appreciation from those around them.

The Christ-follower has no need of approval or appreciation from others, they have Christ Who lives in them and are able to continue on if no one else supports or loves them. They are loved by other believers and they know it, so the bond between Christ-lovers and one another is so great that there is no need for superficial bravado.

John 13:34

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

This love is not conditional to performance but does encourage one to walk in truth. There is no greater love than that which is motivated by the love of Christ.

Hallelujah!

Walking Away from Human Traditions

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…'

When we compare the attitudes of people and the practices of traditions that are in the modern church there is little resemblance to the first-century church gatherings. There are more man-made traditions than there is the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 7:13 " 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”"

Paul was zealous for the traditions of his forefathers until he became born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, and then he began to leave those traditions to follow Christ.

Galatians 1:14

"I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers."

Mark 7:9 "Mark 7:9

"And he said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

Our modern churches are following many traditions of men that God never commanded in favor of the accolades and money they gain by being in control of the people. And worse yet they are rejecting those who bring the truth through dismissiveness, intimidation, and gossip to ruin their influence.

The good news is that God says to keep on keeping on no matter what they do to you, our mission is clear and nothing should stop us from telling the truth as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

This is happening in the church today just like it was in the days of Jesus Christ and Paul when the Pharisees reviled them.

Matthew 5:10-12 "10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.…"

Because we have been indoctrinated to follow the "churches" and their hierarchy system we have difficulty leaving these systems or even disregarding their foolishness. Even when they are wrong we feel a sense of shame over leaving or rejecting the nonsense. And, to top it all off we have the pressure of those around us to do things and to think the way they do or we are reviled, mocked, and dismissed as rebellious.

Isaiah 41:10

"10 Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, I will also help you,

I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’"

Isaiah 41:13

"13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand,

Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’"

Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Hallelujah!!!!

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The End Times Apostasy in Leadership

We are living in the apostate age when nearly all the churches are following false doctrines and defending things God never said.

The one-man-paid-pastor system is evil and has fostered believers' laziness, making the leader the mediator between God and man.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 ". 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.…"

Those men who teach that only they have the truth and the people in the pews cannot know, they must follow these men are speaking from the devil. Even if they don't say the words, they are sending the message and arrogantly demonstrating a superiority over others that God hates.

Matthew 20:25-26 "25 But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,…"

Calvinism and the Nephilim nonsense have overtaken many famous preachers who love their accolades and awe of people. They are teaching sensationalism and love the false doctrine that elevates themselves in the eyes of the people.

When the believers look to the man instead of Christ they will not bother to seek the Holy Spirit on their own. Many scholars who come out of Bible college are not born again, the very reason they lust after power over others.

Because of the anger toward those who tell the truth I am convinced that most people sitting in the pews at church gatherings have never been born again. They will defend their pastor over false doctrine and wince, embarrassed at the mention of the Holy Spirit.

There are more wrong things in the apostate church today than there is truth. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, no man has authority over us only the Holy Spirit does. Those sitting in pews every week cannot be convinced to follow the Holy Spirit and not a man, they consider it arrogant to say "Don't follow men."

Because the Holy Spirit is seen as a "concept" instead of the Person of the Godhead, the people are ashamed of Him, even doubting that anyone can hear from Him. It makes me believe that no one can be born again and still remain indifferent or embarrassed at the mention of the Holy Spirit.

The question has been on my mind for a long time now; "How can someone be born again with the Holy Spirit living in them and not sense His presence, and not communicate with Him or hear from Him.

I have spoken with many people who are Christians who ask me; "What does it feel like to hear from the Holy Spirit?" I am astounded by this question because I know what it feels like to hear from Him and He has answered many things for me over the years when I was perplexed and desiring wisdom.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

"19 Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject prophecies, 21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil."

Perhaps believers are looking to men and the writings of men instead of the Holy Spirit. In essence, they have placed their trust in men they elevate above God.

The lack of interest in the Holy Spirit does not make sense to the one who is indwelt by Him. So is it possible that most people who say they are born again have never been changed by Christ and do not have the Holy Spirit?

1 Corinthians 2:14

"14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot * understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."

The Holy Spirit will never tell us something different from what God said in His Word the Bible. When someone brings a false doctrine we know they have not consulted with God but have trusted only themselves or other men who claim to be learned.

John 3:4-6 "…4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.…"

If someone claims to be a "Christian" but has no interest in the Holy Spirit or the truth, but follows men and elevates them, it is very likely they have never been born again.

Since we know we are living in the last days of apostasy it makes sense that most people in the church pews were never born again, just as the religious leaders in the time when Christ walked the earth were resistant to Christ while claiming to be godly.

Superiority above others while lacking humility is one of the first signs to watch for when evaluating a "leader" since no one can come to Christ without humility, the fleshly pride of superiority cannot remain when Christ has changed someone into a new creation.

Since the Holy Spirit is our leader and not a man, we are responsible for judging the hearts of those who claim to be over us.

1 Corinthians 2:15

"But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one."

John 7:24 "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Because the people have been indoctrinated that they should never judge and that leaders are authority over them, they remain silent and compliant when a leader speaks untruths from a pulpit.

The pulpit was designed to elevate one man above another, it is a trick of those who love hierarchy to give the appearance of authority over the people

We only obey those in leadership who are obeying God. We must resist obeying those who are leaders when they defy God's Word.

Ephesians 5:21

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

Every believer is to submit to every other believer as they are led by God. They are never to submit to anyone who is disobeying God or teaching heresy.

Often those we submit to have no authority over us, they are equal with us in the faith, however, there are those who have a calling to lead by example and by teaching, never having authority over us, that is the job of the Holy Spirit, He is our Authority.

1 Peter 5:3

"Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

1 Peter 5:2

"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;"

Titus 1:7

"For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,"

2 Timothy 2:15

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful."

God has placed certain people in the gathering as leaders by example and teaching but this is not authority over, it is guidance according to the Word of God. When those who are the leaders will not obey the Bible then we must seek the Holy Spirit and rebuke those who are in rebellion.

Colossians 2:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you."

John 14:16

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever-"

If you have been following any man, whether famous or in your church gathering, repent and begin to follow the Holy Spirit. Seek the Word of God the Bible, and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, you can never go wrong when the Holy Spirit speaks and you obey.

When Christ left He sent the Holy Spirit to live in all those people who trusted in Him. They were not left without counsel or help because there is no better help than the Holy Spirit.

My question to you is this; "How would it be possible for a man to be better than the Holy Spirit when we seek counsel?"

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you."