Don't Let the Devil Silence You

This country has a propensity to cater to the law breakers, the illegals and the terrorists, as though being friendly will make them like us. Christians do this too, thinking it is evangelism. It is not evangelism just to be friendly and wait for the right moment. We must speak the truth to be evangelizing and the truth will make most people mad.

Romans 10:17
"17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

The evil man gets the attention and kindness while the truth teller is chastised for telling the truth. The evil person gets mad and others judge the truth teller as the one who made them mad by their speaking.

No one makes another person mad, those who get mad use it as manipulation to intimidate others into silence.

Never feel guilty about telling the truth simply because another person got mad at your words. Remember Christ was hated and He did no sin at all toward anyone.

Perhaps its those words He used; "you white washed tombs", that inflamed them? We only become angry when our pride is tickled and the real us is exposed.

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

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

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

Make your boundaries based on truth and righteousness, speak the truth as led by the Holy Spirit and leave the conversation guilt-free no matter how others respond.

When we are led to believe we did something wrong by speaking truth, we have allowed others to control our emotions. Ignore emotions based on false guilt, it is a reaction to a spirit that values people more than God. If we love God above everyone else, then no reaction to truth will cause us to feel guilty.

Proverbs 29:25-26 "25 The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD will be set securely on high. 26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.…"

Rebellious people will attempt to control us through emotion. Don't let them, the way to avoid it is to focus on truth, eventually we will not feel those sensations of guilt when we know the devil is the culprit who is trying to silence us.

Trump's Art of the Deal!

President Trump has an old fashioned cultural Christianity. He has stated that he loves Norman Vincent Peale, that he was inspired by his books that promote the power of positive thinking. This is how Trump got rich.

He is surrounded by prosperity preachers who are sold out to "success", as Trump has always been. If he sees Christianity as a way of succeeding he will use it. He also has written a book called, "The Art of the Deal", he has been working manipulation all his life.

The mainstream Republicans would not support him so he was determined to try the last thing on his bucket list, that is to become the president of the most powerful nation in the world, without the help of the two major parties. His manipulation of people is masterful.

I have doubts that our president has become a Christian, strong doubts. However I do know that God put him in power, perhaps to show us how clever the deception will be when the anti-christ comes on the scene.

I have had vast experience with manipulators in my life, they look just like him. They say all the right things to gain support but are "working the deal."

Having said all that I have to say that I hope our president becomes born again, I hope that "this time", he is sincere and I do like some of the things he is doing. He has shown leadership far more than any president since Reagan.

Now after all this I have to say that our nation as a whole will and is fighting against our president because they believe he represents righteousness. Whether or not he does is irrelevant, they think he does so they fight against what they believe he stands for, that is Christianity.

When half the country is hostile to the gospel and the other half are conservative, caring more about borders and taxes, then we have lost the country.

We do we gain by having secure borders, lower taxes, greater building power and more freedom, if the majority of the country is going to hell because they were either hostile toward God or because they used God as a cosmic puppet to get their desires met, either way we are lost as a country.

As believers we must bring our focus back to Christ, the great commission and prophesy, there is where our hearts should be.

Twisted Thinking!

Most of our presidents including the last three believe that Christ is not the only way. Those who say they are Christians believe in all ways but happen to choose for themselves Jesus Christ, except for Obama, he clearly denied and mocked Jesus Christ.

Don't be overwhelmed with excitement these days when a public official says they are a Christian, their meaning may be, that it happens to be their personal choice but also embrace the idea that everyone has their own reality.

The language is so clever these days it will fool even the elect if possible.

A Catholic will tell you they are saved by grace too, just as we are, however its a different kind of grace.

When we say we are saved by grace through faith in Christ we mean that we do not deserve it but God extends it to those of us who place their faith in Him.

The Catholic will tell you that they obtain more graces by doing more good deeds. They never know for sure if they are saved, but are working hard to pile up points in heaven to have a greater chance of making it. In other words it all depends on them to get to heaven, even though they never know until they die if they will make it.

The born again believer knows they are secure in their salvation, through the promises of God.

Ephesians 1:1315 "…13 And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 14 The Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,…"

Those who say they are Christians but believe one can lose their salvation are following in the footsteps of the Catholic faith. A faith based on their own performance, a sort of ....."we need to help Christ out, because His sacrifice was not enough."

Beware of those who say you can lose salvation, they do not understand the gospel message, nor do they trust Christ. He said we are secure, therefore we are, it was all finished on the cross. The passages they use to justify faith in self effort are misunderstood and twisted to make them fit their belief system.

The confusion comes because some appear to walk away, back into sin even defending their sin. These who love their sin, have not walked away from God, they never belonged to Him to begin with. These people are pretenders, they are in the gathering, they say the right things and even do good works but they never belonged to God.

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

Notice the phrase in verse 23, "I NEVER knew you." It was not that He knew them as His children but now they are not, its that they were never His, they were pretenders.

Those who trust Christ trust Him for everything, their salvation, their cleansing, their growth and for their going home when His time is right.

1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Notice that HE cleanses us as we grow in holiness.

1 Peter 2
2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
3. if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the very corner stone,”
8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

Notice in these passages that we are precious to Him, God never throws away those who are precious to Him. Instead He disciplines those who are His to cause growth in holiness.

Proverbs 3:11-12 "…11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not loathe His reproof; 12 for the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights."

Even earthly fathers who love their children discipline them, those who do not discipline do not love their children.

The principle God gives us for disciplining our own children is the same principles He uses with His children.

Proverbs 13:24 "24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. "

God does not hate His children who disobey and He does not leave them. His love is greater than man's, man would reject their children without discipline for not measuring up. God is not like that, He does not leave us to our own devices, He works with us day after day until we come back to obedience. He sends us consequences and illnesses to get our attention.

Just as the Holy Spirit remains silent within us when we refuse to listen to Him, so does the earthly parent remove himself to allow the world to teach them through life experiences. If we love our children we will withdraw from them when they are rebellious and disrespectful. Withdrawing allows them to be taught and trained by God without their ability to blame their parents or anyone else for their own consequences.

When we are being obedient we may still have difficulties because God is strengthening us. The same way an weight lifter has to strain hard day after day to build strong muscles, the Lord is straining our spiritual muscles to become strong.

Romans 5:1-5 "5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Keep looking up brothers and sisters, the Lord is never far off, His Spirit lives in us and He is returning soon to take us home. Hallelujah!!!

The Narcissist is Used of the Devil!

One of the most used tactic of the devil is to use wicked people to keep us distracted by foolish arguments over nothing important.

Trudi Gretsinger

6 mins

Beware! There are demons of engagement and distractions!
They pick you on debates, arguments,
They're reprobate minds!
Walk🚶away!

In running your race, fulfilling your assignment, don't waste precious time, stopping by to throw stones at every dog that barks!.....

The "Liberal Left" are Narcissists

The reaction of the "liberal left" today and even some conservatives is one of self aggrandizement over truth.

The liberal is like the bully brother who is are hitting his little sister in the arm while shouting at the sister to stop hitting him, while laughing. The sister is not hitting she is being hit but the narcissist claims she is the one doing it. This is designed to cause frustration with the intent of fostering anger and eventually a blow up. If the narcissist can get their target to blow up in anger, they can point the finger at the anger while ignoring the bullies actions.

This is the state of our irrational world today. The liberals claim the conservatives are abusive for spanking their children so they will learn to be decent citizens. While the liberals are defending the murder of innocent babies in the womb because they are inconvenient.

Does anyone else see the irrational nature of the WAY narcissistic people think?

They do whatever they want, whine, cry and carry out revenge on others while raging at those who wish to protect and defend the innocent babies.

Liberal who are lovers of sinfulness will always accuse others of evil when they are the ones perpetrating it every day of their life. We know who is at the bottom of this mess, its the devil. Many people who act irrationally are controlled by the devil and his minions.

Narcissistic liberals think they are free while remaining in bondage to the evil one .They claim Christians are in bondage when the Christians remain free from guilt, shame and mean spirited actions.

Freedom to sin and live selfishly as the narcissist does, keeps them child like in the way they think. When someone processes information in terms of their own selfishness, they will not see truth, they will twist what they see to fit their desired belief.

The one who hates the believer will claim they are mean for preaching righteousness and obedience to God. They will claim the believer is forcing others to comply when it is the narcissist who forces and punishes when they don't get their way.

The born again believer speaks truth from their heart according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The narcissist speak lies from their heart that is led by satan himself.

When one resists God long enough their thinking becomes distorted, the WAY they process information will determine their attitudes and actions. If they do not like someone because they have been corrected by that person, they will seek to frame the events they see in a negative light, even when the event was good and righteous.

This is happening everywhere all the time now, in politics, in churches, in schools and in families. The devil is busy, but he does not have to have sway over born again believers.

James 4:6-8 "6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.…"

Never respond to a fool, if you can avoid them, do so as commanded in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. We know what these people look like, if we obey God we will remain innocent in our interactions with wicked ones without reaction and free from guilt.

They will attempt to make you feel guilty, do not take on false guilt, it makes you an easier target.

Ephesians 6:11
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil's schemes."1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6-8 "6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Proverbs 26:4-6 "…4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes. 6 Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.…"

Only Five Virgins Were Saved

Five of the ten virgins went out to meet the Lord, but they had no oil, they were not born again and they did not have the Holy Spirit, but thought they were saved.

https://articlesforthechristianreader.wordpress.com/

The Scapegoat is Assigned all the Contempt

The scapegoated person in the family is the one who is assigned all the contempt of the family. If you were to tell the narcissist they were acting in mean ways, they would further mock and demean in an attempt to gain you back under their thumb. Denying what you have experienced is a favored tactic of the narcissistic family.

When mocking demeaning and isolating you from the pack doesn't work, then they employ another tactic, that is to use half truths in gossip as well as judging things wrongly about you while then passing them on as fact to others they wish to turn against you.

As a scapegoated child grows into an adult they have old tapes that play in their heads. Tapes that say, "you are stupid", "you don't know anything" and "no one really likes you."

Having lived in a narcissistic family as the scapegoat, I can tell you that it is my assertion that the devil is in control of the minds of these people. They are actually convinced that something is wrong with you, while they play their irrational games that come out of deep jealousy and contempt. When asked what they hate about you they refuse to answer and further mock to distract from the question.

The jealousy does not have to be over money, status or accomplishment, it can merely be that you enjoy your own life as it is. Narcissists are unhappy people clamoring continually to be special and better than others. It is a threat to them when someone is strong in their beliefs and cannot be controlled by others.

The narcissist must be in control of the emotions and actions of their scapegoated target in order to feel whole. They cannot feel whole without dominating others. But they don't attempt to dominate those they admire, based on their accomplishments or fame, only those they perceive as beneath them.

The scapegoat is often the one who is an empath, one who feels and cares deeply about others, this is a threat to the narcissist since their soul is inwardly selfish. They cannot tolerate anyone who is kind, kindness to the narcissist is for the purpose of self elevation, not actually for the person they are showing friendliness toward.

The confident one is a threat to the narcissist. Those who are confident, one who knows what they believe and tells the truth about it, cannot be tolerated by the narcissist. The entire world of the narcissist is based on pretension, phony kindness and good deeds designed to glorify self.

I have met abused women who told the truth about the abuse they experienced, who were rejected by the entire family for outing the narcissist, but the narcissist continued to be loved and fawned over as though they had done nothing wrong.

The narcissistic family system always defends the abuser and negates the victim. Our entire culture is operating this way often!

We see this in school when there is a bully who picks on a child all the time, finally the bullied child fights back and both children are taken to the principles office and punished as though both were at fault.

Sadly there are many people who believe if there is a fight, then both are at fault. I do not subscribe to this faulty thinking. I am an advocate of the principles sitting down and talking with the students to be able to come to the truth. After it is discerned that the bully started it all and the victim was just attempting to defend themselves, then the bully should be punished and the victim should be admonished to run away and tell on the bully instead of fight back. But no punishment should come to the victim that defended themselves.

We live in a culture that thinks if someone answers a narcissist back, it is the one who answers them back that is the bully. In other words if someone in the room is rude, the target of that rudeness tells them they are being rude, the entire room gets on the side of the rude person. After all, they should be allowed to be rude without any challenge about it.

Yes, often it is wise to ignore a rudeness to avoid fights, but telling the truth about a rude person should never be punished. We live in a rebellious world now, the evil is defended and the righteous are punished.

I remember an instance in which I was at a holiday family gathering, when I was rudely treated by a child and the entire room defended that child. Here is that story:

I walked into a dinning room that had not yet been set for the meal. There were eight empty chairs around the table. I sat in one of the chairs, the child of a relative walked up to me and declared, "that's my chair", I pointed to all the other chairs around the table and said, "there are a lot of empty chairs here, just pick one and sit in it." The adults in the room were angry with me for not giving up my chair to a bratty child. There was no special reason she had to have that chair, but she demanded it because I was sitting in it.

This is the sort of irrational mess we lived in all the time while with family members. The adults were as bratty as the children. My question at the end of it was, "why didn't one adult in the room chastise that child for being disrespectful." The answer came to me, they were all brats and were disrespectful themselves.

As children we were raised to give up our chair when an adult entered the room. To be in a room full of people who didn't understand this basic act of respect was astonishing to me.

When you are the scapegoat in the family, for whatever reason, in my case I was the "radical Christian", then everything you do is wrong, even when it is merely expressing truth and showing a child the need for manners and respect toward their elders.

I have many stories just like this, in which children were indulged to disrespect authority figures merely because the authority had a standard for politeness and love. This has been my world most of my life, narcissistic family members on both sides who didn't understand basic kindness, sadly some of these were Christians.

Those who love Christ do not act this way and are appalled when they see others acting this way. So you have a small clue as to why I have chosen to go no contact with most family members. The ones who are not particularly narcissistic do not defend righteousness, they stand back allowing the evil to have its way and feign plausible deniability, as though they were not a part of it.

Shame on those who are not narcissists and do not speak up for the down trodden.

Proverbs 2:7-9 "…7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, 8 to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path."