Navigating Through These Mean Streets

Someone might ask why I write so often about the "negative" aspects of this life and the trials for the Christian.

I do it because the positive does not need fixing. When we see the ugliness of the world around us it ought to drive us to God's Word. And, the word of God ought to release our fears, calm our minds to resume life without the burden of these encounters with ungodly people.

And, most of all, it encourages us to know that when we are reviled for walking with Christ it isn't about us at all, it is a demonstration of the character of those attacking us spiritually and emotionally to diminish our faith.

Satan is hard at work in our day to discredit the born-again believer so their witness will be ruined. He is using arrogant and prideful people to gossip against us so that no one else will listen to us.

What we know is that if a person listens to the gossip they too have a spiritual problem. Desiring to believe terrible things against a person we do not know well, is to enjoy what we hear wishing it were true and to remain friends with the gossiper.

Who is a reviler? "A "reviler" is someone who speaks abusively or contemptuously to or about another person, essentially a verbal abuser or someone who uses insults and slander."

Sometimes the reviler is very clever in cloaking their language as though they have not reviled, in their mind they are able to deny it and feel safe with their own lack of conscience.

Often those who revile are devising in their own minds what they wish to believe about someone that has never been proven to be true. In other words; revilers are liars and minions of the devil.

The word "revile" itself means to subject someone to verbal abuse, use abusive language, or speak to or about someone in an insulting way. This person has no respect for those they treat in this manner whether or not they claim to be a Christian.

When I hear someone reviling others to elevate themself I automatically question their motive. And, I find it always to be seen as the victim to gain followers who will not only keep their version as their go-to belief, also to pass it on to as many people as possible. The goal of the reviler is to gain their happiness through others who will hate their target as much as they hate them.

Isaiah 41:10-11 "10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.11 Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.…"

This passage in Isaiah was not written to us but it was written for us. The principles God used with the Jews and the prophets pertain to everyone who belongs to God.

God's Grace is for the Humble

Pride is being pleased with oneself and Arrogance is the a feeling of superiority to others. Believers ought not to indulge in either one of these flaws.

Those who are full of arrogance are not satisfied with feeling good about themselves they must demean others to feel superior.
This is the world of the end times that we are experiencing right now. It is vitally important that we keep focused on Christ to avoid being influenced by the world while remaining faithful to God's principles and commands.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult (ragingly insane)Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult 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."

Sadly the modern churches are full of those who are so enamored with themselves that they rage, at least inwardly if not outwardly, when confronted with their flaws that keep them stuck in childish and meaningless drama.

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."

Proverbs 29:23 "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate."

Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

James 4:6 "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

God's grace is not extended to the prideful, it is only given to the humble, who love Him more than their own life.

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

People Who Look for Problems to be Able to Gossip

Amen! I know of many people who are looking for problems where none exist because some how it elevates themselves in their own minds!

"The Bible is a mirror, not a window. Stop using it to evaluate everyone else and examine yourself." Felix Masesi

I have had people judge my wall hangings, whether or not I purchased a particular cell phone holder, my boldness about the truth, the way I dress, which food I eat, and much more in their effort to make me seem foolish. But it didn't stop there, they passed on their judgments to others who believed them. This is the plight of the born-again believer, those who love their own ways and do not trust Christ will attack overtly and covertly those who love the principles and commands of Christ.

These same people who say they follow the Bible but ignore most of it will accuse us of things that are not true, and causing others to follow their lead, but will not judge themselves and will never expose their own sins and flaws.

When I warned people about the truth out of love for them, I was gossiped about and demeaned as though I had done something wrong.

Ezekiel 3:18 "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand."

This principle applies to believers who are about to defy the word of God. The believer will not lose their salvation but they will bring upon themselves trials they never thought of, for disobeying God. Or, for not seeking Christ preferring their own thoughts and ways above God's

The mind is the devil's playground for arrogant and self-righteous people. He places thoughts in the mind convincing them of things that are not true just as he did in the garden with Eve. He gossiped to Eve that God was bad and that she did not have to respect Him. She listened to the gossip and began disrespecting Him without regard to Who He was, the very God Who created her.

1 Peter 5:8-9 "8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"

Do not become agitated by this mistreatment, walk on down the road and leave behind those who do not love you. These people want you around so they can further abuse you.

Remember the saying; "they invite you to the party so you can see them ignoring you?" Be satisfied to be ignored from afar, no need to go where sinful people gather to disrespect you. 

What is Love and Where Did it Go?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"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."

It is not possible to have love without empathy; they are two sides of the same coin. We live in a culture now that does not understand basic love. The culture loves things and performance, while using people.

 
In a love-based culture, we love people and use things. But in a selfish culture, we love things and use people.

 
When I ponder the love of Christ willing to die for those who hated Him, it puts to shame the cultural love that only serves itself and blesses people when we think they are worthy of love an respect.

 
Sadly the idea of love and respect in our culture is performance-based and not love at all.

 
Just like the love of Christ toward mankind, it is not earned or worked for, it is selfless.

Those who love others empathize with them, they engage in the joys of their friends as well as their heartaches.

 
In a narcissistic culture, those who are self-absorbed become jealous of the joys of others and disappear when the difficulties come. They are so completely self-involved and self-centered that no one else matters unless their friends can enhance them in some way.

The Lord continues to remind me of the mentality of the last days' generation in 2 Timothy 3. The attitudes are so wicked and hateful that love becomes almost entirely absent or at least distorted so that love is not love at all but manipulation to serve self.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult 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."

What is the answer for us as believers? The answer is clear we are to avoid becoming like this by seeking Christ every day to know Him, His principles and be what He wants us to be. And, we are to avoid those who walk in rebellion to Christ so that we will not become like them.

God said; "bad company corrupts good character." This can mean two things, that we are influenced by those we keep company with and will eventually respond in fleshly ways to their rudeness or it can mean that we will continually be battling in our own soul the temptation to respond as they respond to combat their ways.

 
Galatians 6:9
"9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary."

When seeking to be Christ-like it can be a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, let's not make that struggle harder by being in the presence of those who desire to cause frustration in us, who enjoy arguing and fighting, who love drama to manipulate others.

 
Romans 16:16-18 "16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings. 17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."

When the narcissist as described in 2 Timothy 3 attempts to cause division, continually uses tricks to bring about wrong judgments and wrong responses, and seems to enjoy it like sport, then is when we must remove them.

 
Those who are "religious" and full of self-love will bring division without remorse for it. This is when we know they have a form of religion but deny Christ in their attitudes and actions.

 
2 Timothy 3:5 "holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Those who are "religious" but not godly, will demand things from others while having no expectations of holiness for themselves. Their version of holiness has to do with their outer performance that others can see but inside they are full of anger. These people judge small matters in others and deny Christ through disobedience to His Word in the weightier matters.

 
Matthew 23:26-28 "…26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.…"

All these principles from God's Word apply to all of us. If anyone becomes angry thinking that I targeted particular people, perhaps those who think like this are guilty of something or they would not come against it but rather agree with it.