No One Has to Be Arrogant and Weak it's a Choice

The mask that someone is wearing is usually the opposite of what is under the mask. Arrogance shows us that under the mask is fear.

Those who think they are hiding their fear by raging at us gives us a clue about their emotional intelligence.

Raging is a demonstration that someone feels out of control of others so they think anger will bring them back under their thumb.

Those who need to control others to feel whole are the weakest people of all. Those who are confident are those who do not have reactions to provocations and do not rage when they are challenged. They either know what they have done or are willing to learn what they may have done that needs adjustment.

Those who are confident grow and change over the years, experiencing great joy and peace about their continual movement toward wisdom.

James 1:5

'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.'

Those who refuse to admit they are in need of correction will never be wise they will only thing they are and they will regress in what they have over time.

Matthew 13:11-12 "…11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

The reason we are seeing fewer people with wisdom in our day is because it has become the new normal for the culture to wallow in defensiveness because of their lack of confidence. They often mistake confidence with arrogance, but they are two different things.

Arrogance is rooted in fear and confidence is rooted in self-reflection to improve.

Luke 8:18

"Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Proverbs 9:9

"Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning."

Proverbs 1:5

"let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel"

No one has to be arrogant and weak, they can confess their sin of pride, resolve to ask God to show them the truth about themselves and they too can become wise.

Do Not Engage with a Fool (Narcissist)

I notice how narcissists in my life can never ever admit a flaw, they want people to believe they are confident and perfect, hiding their real selves and becoming enraged when they are caught. More concerned about being caught than they are about what they did, they think they are hiding something.

We know they are not confident but are shame-based because of the tactics they use on us to create shame over things that have no shame. They want us to feel shame because they are full of shame over their own rudeness and willfulness.

A confident person can say things like; "I shouldn't have done that" or "I could have done better." Our confidence is not connected to our performance but to our belief in what is right and what is true. We are not devastated when we have to admit a flaw, it actually cleanses those who obey Christ.

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."

Those who do not confess flaws regularly are building up shame upon shame day after day as they resist confessing. They often regress into child-like responses because of the mountain of shame they carry over their own decaying personality and faltering strength.

Narcissists do not grow emotionally or spiritually, they remain infants in their responses to life because they cannot face the truth if it does not elevate them. Their need to be elevated above others decays their inner soul.

We can only grow in maturity when we can tell the truth about ourselves, and even laugh at our own silly mistakes while being convicted by a wrong attitude. A confident person knows they are not perfect and can confidently say so.

The narcissist wants their targets to be ashamed of things that are not worthy of shame but refuse to admit anything about themselves.

In my personal experience I have seen narcissists make a fight over an innocent comment that most normal people would chuckle over and even agree with.

A narcissist can pick a fight over nothing and blame the other person for it.

Proverbs 19:3 " 3 A man’s own folly subverts his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD."

The fool causes his own downfall, ruins his own relationships and blames those he harmed.

Proverbs 18:6

"6 A fool’s lips bring strife,

And his mouth invites beatings."

I have known men who poked and poked at others with their mouths and were attacked physically by the person they tormented. Afterward, they blamed the person who physically attacked them but took no accountability for the words that started the whole thing.

I have seen women deliberately poke at other women with their mouths and blame the person who dissolved the friendship for walking away.

This phenomenon of poking with one's mouth to demean seems to be a growing concern. Those who think their rude comments and haughty demeanor can be denied are fooling themselves. Yes, they can deny what they did in front of people and even get others to side with them but they can never hide from God.

Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

James 3:5-6 – “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.”

WHY DO PEOPLE THINK BECAUSE THEY CAN HIDE FROM PEOPLE THEY CAN ALSO HIDE FROM GOD? My guess is that they can't really believe in God as they say or they would be more concerned about Him seeing them than they are about what people can prove.

Matthew 12:36-37 – “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.”

May the Lord give us strength to resist the prods and polks of the devil's minions. They would like nothing better than to provoke us into fear and frustration ultimately becoming just like them.

Proverbs 26:4-5

"4 Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness,

Or you will also be like him.

5 Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,

So that he will not be wise in his own eyes."

A fool deserves no answer at all, to answer a fool is to feed their appetite for argument and folly.

Proverbs 16:24 – “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

No Partiality with God

Romans 2:11-16
"11 For there is no partiality with God."

"Partiality" means showing favoritism based on someone's social standing or identity.

 
No one holds a higher rank than anyone else in the kingdom of God. There are designated roles for His purposes but no one is beneath another.

 
Those who hold some people in higher regard than others are sinning. These same people violate many other principles of Christ written in His Bible. Whenever someone is elevated above Christ it follows that many other violations of Scripture occur leading the group away from Christ.

 
When we love we love all the time, even when we are telling the hard truth that rebellious ones do not want to hear, it is out of love that we do it, but they do not recognize the nature of love.

 
Those who wish to be seen as superior isolate those they dominate to keep them from learning the principle of seeking Christ. Cult leaders always discourage and punish those who think for themselves with the mind of Christ.

The way to intimidate others into following a man is to demean, mock or pressure those in the group to abide by the unspoken rule of the leader instead of Christ. Those who question the leader are ignored and rejected, not only by the leader but those who follow the leader.

 
When a leader wants to force the group to follow Him instead of Christ the group has become a cult. When the leader does not allow anyone to question his leadership he is acting as a god, not as one who protects the sheep.

 
1 Timothy 2:5
"5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"

Those who protect the sheep out of their Christ-like love never punish those who question them. True leaders of the word speak the truth and welcome questions and have questions others can answer. They love discussion that helps edify them and one another.

 
Those who love Christ love discussion around His principles. They have no fear of expressing themselves because there is no dominant one in the group who lords it over others.

Mark 10:42-45
"42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them.

43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant;
44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

1 Peter 5:2-3
"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; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock"

 
Philippians 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others"

 
Titus 2:7
"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness"

 
John 13:13-17
"You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you"

 
Anyone who desires to be above anyone else, having a sense of superiority is arrogant and self-willed this is a sin!

Titus 1:7
"7 For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, not greedy for money,"

Those who dominate others are bullies and have only their own interest in being superior, these are those who are easily irritated, using anger to control others and yet they will not submit to anyone.

 
Psalm 75:5-7
"5 Do not lift up your horn on high,
Do not speak with insolent pride.’”

Keeping ourselves from insolent pride is vitally important as we seek Christ. Insolent pride has ruined many relationships for no other reason than to elevate self.

 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

When we walk with Christ we will walk in love without insolent pride or self-exaltation.

Knowing About Christ and Knowing Christ are Two Different Things

Sadly many people know about Christ but want to change Him into what they personally like. They really don't like the real Jesus Christ they prefer their false Jesus.

We have much false doctrine today, people are interpreting the scriptures the way they want deliberately because they don't like the principles of the real Jesus Christ.

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.…"

Those who love their false doctrine will make up excuses not to listen to those who love the Lord. They will say "you don't have a seminary degree so you can't know." They will say "you are a woman and should not say." They will say you are not smart enough, or old enough or educated enough, so you should not speak."

Whatever excuse they can find they will find it to negate anything the born-again believer shares by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, one thing they will not do is go to prayer and ask God. They will dig their heels in and become more staunch in their false system and doctrine to make themselves feel "right."

1 Timothy 4:1-2

"Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."

Those who become stubborn and resistant to the truth will regress in maturity as they fight bitterly to defend what offends God.

2 Peter 2:1-3

"Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep."

Acts 20:29-30

"I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them."

These are difficult times for those who love the Lord, Christ must be enough for us as we endure the apostasy while speaking the truth.

1 John 4:1

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

The peace and joy of knowing that soon we will be out of this world and with the Lord, keeps me full of tranquility and rejoicing as we wait for Christ in the air.