As a born-again believer have you ever found yourself feeling completely out of sync with everyone around you?
While the world and family members are measuring their worth and superiority based on personal accomplishments and wealth, you are deeply interested in the spiritual matters and character that produce loving relationships.
We are living in a world that is almost completely dedicated to being self-accomplished and appearing exalted above others, to the world only these people are worthy of love.
The prosperity gospel that is being preached to one degree or another in churches today is fostering a selfish mentality in those who attend them.
For many years now school systems and the culture have taught people to love themselves first before loving others. God says the opposite, the devil managed to convince several generations to love themselves above others. Here is what God says about that:
Romans 12:9-11 "9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another. 11 Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.…"
The world thinks love is something you say, but believers know love is how you treat others continually. Love is a heart condition that flows from our hearts to our actions.
The devil has convinced people that if they just say; "love ya", that is what love is, but in my observance of life I see the words replacing the actions. Words are easy, living out what we say is the evidence of the truth.
The love of this world is entirely selfish and conditional to what one person can offer another through adulation.
Because we don't think like the world, we don't process information the way the world does, we will be seen as strange and unworthy of love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
The world only loves if someone measures up to its ideas of grandiosity. It sees itself as perfect while those who love Christ are diminished. The world lacks affection, kindness, empathy and everything that makes for deep relationships, sacrificial to one another and abounding in graciousness. And to top it all off the world is mean and rude but calls the Christian mean and rude for desiring the higher standards of God which leads to wonderful and loving relationships.
The devil always accuses the believer of the very things he is but the believers are not. This is a favorite tactic to frustrate believers. When we know this tactic and can recognize it we are less likely to fall into the trap of becoming like the world around us. We have no need to defend ourselves with those who love themselves more than God and more than anyone else.
We can walk righteously without praise and without encouragement from people because our encouragement comes from Christ Who lives in us.
Satan's goal is to cause us to react so that he can accuse us of the very things he is guilty of but we are not. If he can ruin our witness for Christ by frustrating us into becoming angry he can diminish our faith and our testimony.
The world is ruled by the devil and it loves what the devil loves. The devil wanted to be superior to God and his goal is to make mankind think it should act superior to others. The desire to be special and better is not from God, it is from the evil one.
When someone thinks they are superior to others they will never confess their sinfulness to become born again. Instead, they will continually clamor for self-exaltation to appear superior, it is their life-blood continually.
Philippians 2:3-5 "3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: "
Truth-tellers will be those who love Christ more than themselves, these are the ones who will be hated. To face the truth about the mentality of the world is unthinkable to the one who has been trained by the world to love themselves more than anyone else and more than God.
The entire culture, including most Christians, have been brainwashed and indoctrinated that someone cannot love others unless they love themselves the most. God teaches that we cannot love others as long as we love ourselves more than anyone else, including God.
Every human being is born loving self too much. It is only Christ that can change that human nature of selfish love into one who loves others better than themselves.
Sadly our entire culture is so entrenched in this mentality of "self-love" that it cannot wrap its mind around God's ways. Everything Christians hear in church is interpreted according to this wicked and false mindset. This is the reason "correction" is the new hate speech. Correction is now seen as rude and "unsolicited advice" is the new mantra that is used to shut down helpful and holy communication to cause spiritual and emotional growth.
People are more insecure and immature than ever before but think they are special and superior.
If we are to resist thinking like the world we must be immersed in the Word of God and asking the Holy Spirit to protect us from the false indoctrination of the devil and the world.
The culture has made "self" their own idols.
John 17:14-16 "…14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.…"
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