Sunday, April 9, 2017
Only One
Luke 15:7 " 7 In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent."
The Narcissist and Their Lies
Know the enemy and his tactics to be able to stand against him.
Who is the enemy? The enemy of our soul is the devil and he works in people and relationships to destroy them.
There is a demonic and chaotic mentality among those who have narcissistic personality disorder that is revealed in conversation.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, 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 men as these."
Since they have no conscience about telling lies to elevate self or appear superior, they will know the truth about something and lie to maintain the elevated status in their own minds. They will never admit to any misstep or misunderstanding, when discovered they will remain silent, shutting down all further communication to hide their error.
Some of these people are careful to tell the lie in such a way that it can be denied later. Since the narcissist has no conscience or empathy toward anyone, they are conscience free about lying as long as they believe they can hide it sufficiently. They tend to see everyone else with this problem and not them, when in fact they are the one they should be evaluating.
These people absolutely refuse to admit to anything, even the smallest matter that most normal people would shrug off and forget, they feel a need to lie to defend it.
The narcissist often finds themselves lonely and isolated because of their lying, but are so completely dedicated to protecting themselves against discovery that they will maintain their lies, preferring isolation from others to truth that might afford them the companionship of others.
When the narcissist gets away with their lie, they consider themselves as having won, superior and clever, therefore the cycle continues to grow worse as they grow older.
The narcissist uses this cycle of assumptions and lies to devalue the opinions and accomplishments of others, believing that others they think they have fooled, are stupid. Causing others to appear stupid is their tool to appear superior and entitled.
The narcissist sees anyone who is honest and open as a fool worthy of contempt, as well as anyone with physical illness. The narcissist despises those with illness as though they are weak and less than perfect. Since the narcissist views themselves as the epitome of perfection they cannot endure others they perceive as imperfect. They elevate others they view as perfect, but the perfection is based on whether or not the favored one elevates them continually.
Openness and honesty is avoided at all cost in the narcissists bag of tools. These godly traits irritate the narcissist. It is impossible to engage in meaningful conversation with a narcissist. The conversation must elevate them at all times while the attention must always be on them.
If anyone dares to attempt honest communication for the purpose of discovering truth to fix a problem, the narcissist will sabotage any attempts at reasonable conversation.
Can a born again believer be this entrenched in lies? I have my doubts, since the father of lies is the devil and since he is the one controlling the narcissist. I am convinced that those who are deeply engaged in lying on a regular basis cannot be born again, they lie because they have never been born again. Believers can also lie from time to time, but they will not live in a lifestyle of continual lying.
A born again believer would be convicted of their lying and disciplined by God for it.
Hebrews 12:7-9 "…7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?…"
I have known and know now many people who engage in vitriolic lying continually, especially against those who have "outed" them. The believers who can see the lying, call it what it is and address it, are targets for the narcissist. The narcissist must work to discredit, mock and demean anyone who knows what they are, especially if they cannot seem to get control over their target.
The narcissist is not satisfied with merely arguing with or picking on their target, they must "triangulate", meaning they have to turn others against their target, using others to do their dirty work for them in punishing and isolating the one who will not be controlled by them.
When we discover what we are dealing with, it is best to get away from them as instructed by God in 2 Timothy 3 verse 5. If we cannot get away we must stand our ground, observe their behavior without sucking it into our soul. Seeing them in pity helps to defuse any feelings of anger or hatred. They are controlled by the devil, he is the one we should direct our anger at and he is the one we can pray against.
The narcissist is a pathetic human being controlled by the devil, being led to believe by his lies that they are in control of their own lives. They often even believe they are doing God's will by mocking, demeaning and controlling those who are less worthy of love.
It is pointless and fruitless to attempt any communication with the narcissist. When we want to clear up a problem with a normal person we use honesty, empathy and kindness, unfamiliar traits to the narcissist.
The fruit of the Spirit is what is present in the born again believer. This fruit is present in all believers, when we misstep or sin, we hate it, confess it and continue moving forward to be better than we were before. The narcissist never learns, because they are in opposition to truth, self is on the throne of their life and no one will knock them off of that throne........except God.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Narcissists will pretend to have this fruit, but on examination of their actions we see none of them. Narcissists will be far more invested in "words" than "actions." They believe it is enough to claim something it is not necessary to actually "be" what they claim.
Let's pray that God will show the narcissist their need for confession and a desire to be cleansed of their sin. Without confession there is no healing nor is their change.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Narcissists must first become born again to experience that discipline that is vital to the growth of the believer. Without the Holy Spirit there is no help to be anything but what they, and all of us are born with, that is a fallen and sinful state on our way to hell.
Christ is the answer for the narcissist and He is the answer to the target for safety, help and wisdom as we go through this life encountering more of these people. God told us in 2 Timothy 3 what the end times attitudes would look like, we are warned and equipped to deal with it, but only if we trust Christ for each day. He can and will give us wisdom for every aspect of our lives, including how to deal with devilish and rebellious people.
Who is the enemy? The enemy of our soul is the devil and he works in people and relationships to destroy them.
There is a demonic and chaotic mentality among those who have narcissistic personality disorder that is revealed in conversation.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, 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 men as these."
Since they have no conscience about telling lies to elevate self or appear superior, they will know the truth about something and lie to maintain the elevated status in their own minds. They will never admit to any misstep or misunderstanding, when discovered they will remain silent, shutting down all further communication to hide their error.
Some of these people are careful to tell the lie in such a way that it can be denied later. Since the narcissist has no conscience or empathy toward anyone, they are conscience free about lying as long as they believe they can hide it sufficiently. They tend to see everyone else with this problem and not them, when in fact they are the one they should be evaluating.
These people absolutely refuse to admit to anything, even the smallest matter that most normal people would shrug off and forget, they feel a need to lie to defend it.
The narcissist often finds themselves lonely and isolated because of their lying, but are so completely dedicated to protecting themselves against discovery that they will maintain their lies, preferring isolation from others to truth that might afford them the companionship of others.
When the narcissist gets away with their lie, they consider themselves as having won, superior and clever, therefore the cycle continues to grow worse as they grow older.
The narcissist uses this cycle of assumptions and lies to devalue the opinions and accomplishments of others, believing that others they think they have fooled, are stupid. Causing others to appear stupid is their tool to appear superior and entitled.
The narcissist sees anyone who is honest and open as a fool worthy of contempt, as well as anyone with physical illness. The narcissist despises those with illness as though they are weak and less than perfect. Since the narcissist views themselves as the epitome of perfection they cannot endure others they perceive as imperfect. They elevate others they view as perfect, but the perfection is based on whether or not the favored one elevates them continually.
Openness and honesty is avoided at all cost in the narcissists bag of tools. These godly traits irritate the narcissist. It is impossible to engage in meaningful conversation with a narcissist. The conversation must elevate them at all times while the attention must always be on them.
If anyone dares to attempt honest communication for the purpose of discovering truth to fix a problem, the narcissist will sabotage any attempts at reasonable conversation.
Can a born again believer be this entrenched in lies? I have my doubts, since the father of lies is the devil and since he is the one controlling the narcissist. I am convinced that those who are deeply engaged in lying on a regular basis cannot be born again, they lie because they have never been born again. Believers can also lie from time to time, but they will not live in a lifestyle of continual lying.
A born again believer would be convicted of their lying and disciplined by God for it.
Hebrews 12:7-9 "…7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?…"
I have known and know now many people who engage in vitriolic lying continually, especially against those who have "outed" them. The believers who can see the lying, call it what it is and address it, are targets for the narcissist. The narcissist must work to discredit, mock and demean anyone who knows what they are, especially if they cannot seem to get control over their target.
The narcissist is not satisfied with merely arguing with or picking on their target, they must "triangulate", meaning they have to turn others against their target, using others to do their dirty work for them in punishing and isolating the one who will not be controlled by them.
When we discover what we are dealing with, it is best to get away from them as instructed by God in 2 Timothy 3 verse 5. If we cannot get away we must stand our ground, observe their behavior without sucking it into our soul. Seeing them in pity helps to defuse any feelings of anger or hatred. They are controlled by the devil, he is the one we should direct our anger at and he is the one we can pray against.
The narcissist is a pathetic human being controlled by the devil, being led to believe by his lies that they are in control of their own lives. They often even believe they are doing God's will by mocking, demeaning and controlling those who are less worthy of love.
It is pointless and fruitless to attempt any communication with the narcissist. When we want to clear up a problem with a normal person we use honesty, empathy and kindness, unfamiliar traits to the narcissist.
The fruit of the Spirit is what is present in the born again believer. This fruit is present in all believers, when we misstep or sin, we hate it, confess it and continue moving forward to be better than we were before. The narcissist never learns, because they are in opposition to truth, self is on the throne of their life and no one will knock them off of that throne........except God.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Narcissists will pretend to have this fruit, but on examination of their actions we see none of them. Narcissists will be far more invested in "words" than "actions." They believe it is enough to claim something it is not necessary to actually "be" what they claim.
Let's pray that God will show the narcissist their need for confession and a desire to be cleansed of their sin. Without confession there is no healing nor is their change.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Narcissists must first become born again to experience that discipline that is vital to the growth of the believer. Without the Holy Spirit there is no help to be anything but what they, and all of us are born with, that is a fallen and sinful state on our way to hell.
Christ is the answer for the narcissist and He is the answer to the target for safety, help and wisdom as we go through this life encountering more of these people. God told us in 2 Timothy 3 what the end times attitudes would look like, we are warned and equipped to deal with it, but only if we trust Christ for each day. He can and will give us wisdom for every aspect of our lives, including how to deal with devilish and rebellious people.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Loving Truth
If a "Christian" comes to you angry that you exposed their false doctrine, then we can say that they hate truth.
When someone loves truth they are glad when they are warned about false doctrine, they do not get angry they embrace the truth, confess their wrong thinking and pray to be cleansed of anything they believe that might be false doctrine.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 "…9 The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10 and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11 For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,…"
Those who love the truth grow in holiness and true knowledge. Those who refuse the truth remain ignorant and grow worse in their rejection of truth. They may have lots of knowledge, but that knowledge is twisted to fit their own ideas rather than to come in line with Christ.
They will even quote the Ephesians passage about "speaking the truth in love", claiming that your delivery was not loving. A common tactic to take the focus off of the rest of the verse that says "we are to grow in all aspects."
Those who love truth will not notice the delivery, they will focus on whether or not they are wrong and go to prayer to correct themselves.
Rebellious people almost always divert the attention to the delivery rather than the truth, even if there was nothing wrong with the delivery. And, there is no evidence in the Word as to how the delivery should sound since it is the Holy Spirit Who speaks through believers.
The love that is mentioned in this verse is the speaking the truth to those who need it, and everyone needs it.
Ephesians 4:15
"15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,"
When someone loves truth they are glad when they are warned about false doctrine, they do not get angry they embrace the truth, confess their wrong thinking and pray to be cleansed of anything they believe that might be false doctrine.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 "…9 The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10 and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11 For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,…"
Those who love the truth grow in holiness and true knowledge. Those who refuse the truth remain ignorant and grow worse in their rejection of truth. They may have lots of knowledge, but that knowledge is twisted to fit their own ideas rather than to come in line with Christ.
They will even quote the Ephesians passage about "speaking the truth in love", claiming that your delivery was not loving. A common tactic to take the focus off of the rest of the verse that says "we are to grow in all aspects."
Those who love truth will not notice the delivery, they will focus on whether or not they are wrong and go to prayer to correct themselves.
Rebellious people almost always divert the attention to the delivery rather than the truth, even if there was nothing wrong with the delivery. And, there is no evidence in the Word as to how the delivery should sound since it is the Holy Spirit Who speaks through believers.
The love that is mentioned in this verse is the speaking the truth to those who need it, and everyone needs it.
Ephesians 4:15
"15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,"
Prayers are Hindered, Why?
If the devil can water down the gospel to the level of "friendliness", then many will come, flocking in but few if any will become born again. There are more people who attend church today who are not born again than those who have been changed by Christ into a new creation.
When people are looking for comfort, protection or personal aggrandizement, but not for Christ, they will learn all the right words, keep out of trouble but never know Him or become saved from their sin or hell.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Many people are coming to the church because of the pleasure and perceived safety but are not being broken over their sin and they are not trusting Christ. If they do not hear the real gospel of repentance they will not see heaven, but instead they will see hell.
Romans 10:16-18 "…16 But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”…"
No one is born again by "becoming a Christian", a sort of club mentality. People are saved by realizing they are a helpless sinner who needs a Savior Who can save them from their sin and from hell. Christ did not come to make everyone feel better, He came to offer Himself completely, not only as the sacrifice for our sins, but also as the Helper to live in us to be our righteousness and holiness.
None of this we can do ourselves, only Christ in us can make us what we should be and only if we want Him to. Christ will never force anyone, He offers Himself and the truth, but we do not receive it unless we want Him to change us into a new creation.
Anyone who is trusting in their "methods" to win others to Christ, they need to stop that immediately and begin to trust Christ in them. If they are not born again, they need to ask God to save them, change them and guide them.
If your prayers seem to drop to the ground not being answered, perhaps the problem is that you were never born again.
James 4:3 "3 When you do ask, you do not receive because you are asking for a wrong purpose, so that you may spend it on your fleshly desires."
Isaiah 59:1-3 "1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.…"
All we have to do to hinder our prayers is refuse to listen and obey God.
When people are looking for comfort, protection or personal aggrandizement, but not for Christ, they will learn all the right words, keep out of trouble but never know Him or become saved from their sin or hell.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Many people are coming to the church because of the pleasure and perceived safety but are not being broken over their sin and they are not trusting Christ. If they do not hear the real gospel of repentance they will not see heaven, but instead they will see hell.
Romans 10:16-18 "…16 But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”…"
No one is born again by "becoming a Christian", a sort of club mentality. People are saved by realizing they are a helpless sinner who needs a Savior Who can save them from their sin and from hell. Christ did not come to make everyone feel better, He came to offer Himself completely, not only as the sacrifice for our sins, but also as the Helper to live in us to be our righteousness and holiness.
None of this we can do ourselves, only Christ in us can make us what we should be and only if we want Him to. Christ will never force anyone, He offers Himself and the truth, but we do not receive it unless we want Him to change us into a new creation.
Anyone who is trusting in their "methods" to win others to Christ, they need to stop that immediately and begin to trust Christ in them. If they are not born again, they need to ask God to save them, change them and guide them.
If your prayers seem to drop to the ground not being answered, perhaps the problem is that you were never born again.
James 4:3 "3 When you do ask, you do not receive because you are asking for a wrong purpose, so that you may spend it on your fleshly desires."
Isaiah 59:1-3 "1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.…"
All we have to do to hinder our prayers is refuse to listen and obey God.
The Deception is Growing
We are living in an age when so many people are using extra-Biblical evidences, other books written by modern men to justify believing something that is against the Bible.
Satan is very clever, he will come as an angel of light to appear to be wonderful, pleasing and comforting, when in fact he is attempting to draw believers away from truth. If he can discredit God, while claiming he is from God, then he can fool and has fooled many believer to indulge in pagan practices that God hates.
Satan hates God, he will do whatever he can to destroy the faith of believers, causing them to place their trust in the physical world while negating Christ.
When a believer warns another believer about a book, movie or action, the response ought to be to go and pray about it. Most often we see those who claim to be believers become agitated and vengeful to discredit and mock the one who is seeking truth.
Psychology has been in the churches and Bible schools for more than 60 years now without very many noticing it. It comes under the guise of loving but in fact it is not loving at all. Love never diverts another person from Christ toward pagan practices. Love always directs people to the truth of the Bible and the principles of Christ.
It is the principles of psychology that brought the idea of "Lifestyle Evangelism" into the church. Other forms of psychology include, "we must present the gospel in a way that it will be received." This teaching is not from God but from secular humanism. God never said to be careful what we say so people will listen. Here is what He did say;
Luke 12:12 "12 For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”
We are to know the word of God and let the Holy Spirit use our mouth as we submit to Him.
He also said this;
1 John 2:27 "27 And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught. "
Matthew 10:21-23 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.…"
No where in the Word does God say, if we say it just right the people hearing will automatically accept it. In fact, when Jesus Christ spoke to the people they rejected it. Are we to infer from this that Christ said it wrong? NO, Christ also rebuked the Pharisees and called the "white washed tombs", was this not very nice or wrong? Christ never did or said anything wrong, there were no formulas written in the Word about our delivery, there were only admonitions to obey the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:14-15 "14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”…"
Romans 8:26-27 "26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.…"
If we are being careful what we say, figuring out the best way to say something, then we are walking in the flesh. It is Christ in us Who speaks through us, if we are still walking in the flesh, full of fear about sharing the gospel, then we are more concerned about the acceptance of men than obedience to Christ.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
When being accepted and loved by man or "appearing" to be spiritual is more important than Christ or "actually" being righteous within our soul, then we have lost the battle to the devil.
We ought to be seeking Christ no matter how much we lose because of our dedication to Him. We hope than others will listen, we love them and want them to submit to Christ, but if they will not then we must be willing to let them go and move on to someone else who will listen.
Mark 16:15-16 "15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.…"
Satan is very clever, he will come as an angel of light to appear to be wonderful, pleasing and comforting, when in fact he is attempting to draw believers away from truth. If he can discredit God, while claiming he is from God, then he can fool and has fooled many believer to indulge in pagan practices that God hates.
Satan hates God, he will do whatever he can to destroy the faith of believers, causing them to place their trust in the physical world while negating Christ.
When a believer warns another believer about a book, movie or action, the response ought to be to go and pray about it. Most often we see those who claim to be believers become agitated and vengeful to discredit and mock the one who is seeking truth.
Psychology has been in the churches and Bible schools for more than 60 years now without very many noticing it. It comes under the guise of loving but in fact it is not loving at all. Love never diverts another person from Christ toward pagan practices. Love always directs people to the truth of the Bible and the principles of Christ.
It is the principles of psychology that brought the idea of "Lifestyle Evangelism" into the church. Other forms of psychology include, "we must present the gospel in a way that it will be received." This teaching is not from God but from secular humanism. God never said to be careful what we say so people will listen. Here is what He did say;
Luke 12:12 "12 For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”
We are to know the word of God and let the Holy Spirit use our mouth as we submit to Him.
He also said this;
1 John 2:27 "27 And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught. "
Matthew 10:21-23 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.…"
No where in the Word does God say, if we say it just right the people hearing will automatically accept it. In fact, when Jesus Christ spoke to the people they rejected it. Are we to infer from this that Christ said it wrong? NO, Christ also rebuked the Pharisees and called the "white washed tombs", was this not very nice or wrong? Christ never did or said anything wrong, there were no formulas written in the Word about our delivery, there were only admonitions to obey the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:14-15 "14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”…"
Romans 8:26-27 "26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.…"
If we are being careful what we say, figuring out the best way to say something, then we are walking in the flesh. It is Christ in us Who speaks through us, if we are still walking in the flesh, full of fear about sharing the gospel, then we are more concerned about the acceptance of men than obedience to Christ.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
When being accepted and loved by man or "appearing" to be spiritual is more important than Christ or "actually" being righteous within our soul, then we have lost the battle to the devil.
We ought to be seeking Christ no matter how much we lose because of our dedication to Him. We hope than others will listen, we love them and want them to submit to Christ, but if they will not then we must be willing to let them go and move on to someone else who will listen.
Mark 16:15-16 "15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.…"
Gospel in the Stars Heresy
2 Timothy 4:3 "…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.…"
https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/a-further-examination-of-the-gospel-in-the-stars/
https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/a-further-examination-of-the-gospel-in-the-stars/
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Heroes Will Stifle Growth
We don't want to abuse others by pretending their abusive behavior is alright.
When there is continual emotional or physical abuse and we do not object to it, we are ultimately accepting the abusive behavior and showing the abuser that he doesn't have to change and that others should put up with him. This abusiveness is in the church today as the pressure increases to forgive the unrepentant evil person, while the abused one is left without advocates or comfort from the brethren.
If we have God's love, we warn those who walk disobediently, if they do not listen and change their behavior, then we walk away to protect ourselves and to allow them to reflect, perhaps God will work on them without us.
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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.…"
The gospel is not to make people feel happy about themselves, but to convict of sin so that the abuser will see their need for Christ, be cleansed by Him and on their way to heaven.
Today's love is not based on truth, but on lies to manipulate people into feeling good about themselves. If we cause people to feel good about themselves then we are disobeying God.
Proverbs 26:24-28
"Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."
Our love does not seek to make people happy nor to cause them to like us, it is designed to bring the sinner to the end of themselves to seek Christ and be healed of their sinful nature.
Proverbs 29:5
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."
We love people too much to work to cause pride in them. Encouragement to obey Christ is the greatest help we can be to anyone, anything else is self serving and destructive to both the preacher and the offender.
Jude 1:16
"These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage."
There are many people who seek to praise those they wish to elevate, growing in pride and self indulgent thinking, those they praise are their gods. When we see this happening we know their god is no longer Christ, or they would elevate no man.
We love all people but we elevate no one. Everyone is a sinner in need of salvation, even those who have become born again are not special, only Christ in them is special.
When someone has an idol in the form of a hero, speaking of them more than they do of Christ, it is a clue of where their heart is, the need to have an idol is deeply in their heart. Associating with "special people" is a way of living life vicariously through that special person, it manages to elevate self to have heroes.
When we are completely invested in Christ every day, we have no need for human heroes, Christ is all that we need. Love people, yes, but do not put anyone on a pedestal as if they can do no wrong.
Many people these days have heroes, they actually believe these heroes are perfect, sadly though, these same people act as if, since someone is a special person, all others who don't live up to their idea of a hero are worthy of contempt.
It reminds me of the flawed thinking that if someone has a perceived flaw, imagined or real, they are all bad, but if someone has a good trait, they are perfect without any flaws.
This black and white thinking causes favoritism that is damaging to relationships as well as destroying the Christian witness. People who think in these black and white terms can never love people, they will only love the ones they think are perfect and even then when that perfect person disappoints them, they turn those people into "all bad" in their own minds.
The "special people" get praise and attention, while the "imperfect people" are treated with contempt in various ways, through subtle ignoring, devaluing them, mocking everything they do to make sure they know how inadequate they are. The terms for this in our generation are the "golden child" who can do no wrong and the "scapegoat" child who can do no right.
The term child does not refer only to children, it is a term used for adults as well as children. In families, however there is often the scapegoat child who is ignored or abused, while the golden child is praised and given all the attention.
Abuse comes in many forms, even in devaluing the scapegoat through subtle ignoring, pretending they are not in the room or never praising them when they do well, even denigrating everything they do. The children or adults who are treated this way, often move through life believing no one has any reason to love them, while the golden child feels love and attention is owed to them, even raging when they don't get it.
The scapegoat child is better off in some ways because they expect to be treated with contempt, they learn to live with it and even become stronger because they must make their own way. Scapegoats often do better than golden children because they know they must work harder to obtain affirmation.
The golden child is continually in bondage to their insatiable need for attention and validation, they do not seem to be able to progress in life. They are always seeking those they can mock and demean to maintain their sense of superiority, love of self comes above everyone and everything else.
Golden children can be productive in work and career, but they leave a wake of devastation behind them in relationships. Unless they are above everyone else, they are unhappy.
Welcome to our world, the increase in narcissism, self love is growing exponentially, unabated by lack of rebuke or correction by others. In fact in our culture today these devilish traits of self worship are being encouraged and validated by nearly everyone in the culture with few exceptions.
2 Timothy 3
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, 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 men as these.
6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.
9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.
10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,
11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
When there is continual emotional or physical abuse and we do not object to it, we are ultimately accepting the abusive behavior and showing the abuser that he doesn't have to change and that others should put up with him. This abusiveness is in the church today as the pressure increases to forgive the unrepentant evil person, while the abused one is left without advocates or comfort from the brethren.
If we have God's love, we warn those who walk disobediently, if they do not listen and change their behavior, then we walk away to protect ourselves and to allow them to reflect, perhaps God will work on them without us.
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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.…"
The gospel is not to make people feel happy about themselves, but to convict of sin so that the abuser will see their need for Christ, be cleansed by Him and on their way to heaven.
Today's love is not based on truth, but on lies to manipulate people into feeling good about themselves. If we cause people to feel good about themselves then we are disobeying God.
Proverbs 26:24-28
"Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."
Our love does not seek to make people happy nor to cause them to like us, it is designed to bring the sinner to the end of themselves to seek Christ and be healed of their sinful nature.
Proverbs 29:5
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."
We love people too much to work to cause pride in them. Encouragement to obey Christ is the greatest help we can be to anyone, anything else is self serving and destructive to both the preacher and the offender.
Jude 1:16
"These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage."
There are many people who seek to praise those they wish to elevate, growing in pride and self indulgent thinking, those they praise are their gods. When we see this happening we know their god is no longer Christ, or they would elevate no man.
We love all people but we elevate no one. Everyone is a sinner in need of salvation, even those who have become born again are not special, only Christ in them is special.
When someone has an idol in the form of a hero, speaking of them more than they do of Christ, it is a clue of where their heart is, the need to have an idol is deeply in their heart. Associating with "special people" is a way of living life vicariously through that special person, it manages to elevate self to have heroes.
When we are completely invested in Christ every day, we have no need for human heroes, Christ is all that we need. Love people, yes, but do not put anyone on a pedestal as if they can do no wrong.
Many people these days have heroes, they actually believe these heroes are perfect, sadly though, these same people act as if, since someone is a special person, all others who don't live up to their idea of a hero are worthy of contempt.
It reminds me of the flawed thinking that if someone has a perceived flaw, imagined or real, they are all bad, but if someone has a good trait, they are perfect without any flaws.
This black and white thinking causes favoritism that is damaging to relationships as well as destroying the Christian witness. People who think in these black and white terms can never love people, they will only love the ones they think are perfect and even then when that perfect person disappoints them, they turn those people into "all bad" in their own minds.
The "special people" get praise and attention, while the "imperfect people" are treated with contempt in various ways, through subtle ignoring, devaluing them, mocking everything they do to make sure they know how inadequate they are. The terms for this in our generation are the "golden child" who can do no wrong and the "scapegoat" child who can do no right.
The term child does not refer only to children, it is a term used for adults as well as children. In families, however there is often the scapegoat child who is ignored or abused, while the golden child is praised and given all the attention.
Abuse comes in many forms, even in devaluing the scapegoat through subtle ignoring, pretending they are not in the room or never praising them when they do well, even denigrating everything they do. The children or adults who are treated this way, often move through life believing no one has any reason to love them, while the golden child feels love and attention is owed to them, even raging when they don't get it.
The scapegoat child is better off in some ways because they expect to be treated with contempt, they learn to live with it and even become stronger because they must make their own way. Scapegoats often do better than golden children because they know they must work harder to obtain affirmation.
The golden child is continually in bondage to their insatiable need for attention and validation, they do not seem to be able to progress in life. They are always seeking those they can mock and demean to maintain their sense of superiority, love of self comes above everyone and everything else.
Golden children can be productive in work and career, but they leave a wake of devastation behind them in relationships. Unless they are above everyone else, they are unhappy.
Welcome to our world, the increase in narcissism, self love is growing exponentially, unabated by lack of rebuke or correction by others. In fact in our culture today these devilish traits of self worship are being encouraged and validated by nearly everyone in the culture with few exceptions.
2 Timothy 3
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, 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 men as these.
6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.
9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.
10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,
11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)