Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Narcissism is growing in our culture and is quite astounding.

Those who have strong narcissistic tendencies do not love anyone. Their concept of love is friendliness toward those who make them feel tingly and happy. This love is based on their own feelings not on the needs of others and definitely not on the desires of others.
Narcissists see the desires of others as a bother to them. They will only fulfill the desire of another person if doing so ultimately ends up elevating them personally.
I have known many narcissists and all their good deeds are done in front of others to be seen for personal praise.
Matthew 6:1-2 "1“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.…"
Matthew 23:4-6 "…4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"
Love God's way looks like this:
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth."
When someone loves another person they never negate them, ignore them, dismiss them, or rage at them, but just the opposite of all these things are seen when someone loves another person. When we love someone we enjoy seeing them succeed at whatever they are doing. We allow each person to develop their talents and personalities as they grow, and we love to see it.
Agape love shows grief when the one we love fails, it demonstrates joy and happiness when our loved one confesses sin to be cleansed. The love of God never glories in the failures of others.
Narcissists glory in the failures of those of whom they are jealous and never let them forget their flaws and sins even after they are confessed and forgiven.
Narcissists love gossip that ruins the lives of their targets. They often start the gossip based on scanty information and guesses they wish to believe.
Narcissists choose ideas they wish to believe about their target and pass them on as facts to others. They treat their target with contempt after managing to convince themselves of things that are not true. In the mind of a narcissist, if they believe something that makes it a fact.
When we see people who operate on a regular basis in ways that show their jealousy and anger we are told to remove ourselves from them. We cannot change anyone no matter how much love we throw at them. They will become even angrier at the love, even twisting our good deeds to seem bad.
Matthew 7:6 " 6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. "
It doesn't matter how much we love the narcissist, that love will not change them. Jesus Christ must reach them His way if they are able to be reached, only God knows what that way is for each individual.
Never allow another person to nag you into remaining friends with someone who is a narcissist. Those who do this do not understand the dynamic of narcissism and cannot be helpful to us.
God tells us clearly in His word the nature of narcissism and that we should avoid them.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 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."
We can pray for narcissists if we wish while we are removing ourselves from them.
Verse 5 says they can be religious, but not born-again, they have their own form of religion but have never known Christ. We are seeing many of these kinds of people in the pews today.
We need to be aware of them so that we do not surround ourselves with them thinking we can change them. When our circle of friends is as described in 2 Timothy 3 we will eventually become like them.
We must protect our walk with Christ through relationships that are traveling the same path, believing the same ways that we do, the way of the Bible.
Proverbs 13:22 "20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. "
I see many "Christians" today who are superficial and uninterested in discussions about the Lord because they love the superficial life and walking with others who are also superficial. If we want a deeper walk we must seek for our friends those who love the Word of God and who love one another.
John 13:34-35 "…34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

Monday, March 13, 2023

God Calls Believers and God Teaches Believers

It always amazes me when men think they can teach men for the ministry better than Jesus Christ.
John 16:13-14 " 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
Isaiah 11:2
"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD."
John 14:17
"the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you."
Notice that when it is the Holy Spirit Who teaches men, it is God Who is glorified not man.

Love People but Depend on Christ Alone

The only One we ought to be dependent on is Christ.
Co-dependency with human beings removes our boldness to carry out God's will for us.
Anyone who depends on someone else to carry them is placing Christ in second place to a human being.
We ought to be able to lean on one another during difficult times, that's what families do, but if there is no one, we are fine because we have Christ.
John 13:34
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"
Titus 3:5
"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,"

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Confession and Forgiveness Two Sides and Both Must Happen in a Broken Relationship

Narcissists hate open and honest discussions to resolve problems. Because they never confess about themselves and they never forgive anyone they cannot tolerate those who want to discuss concerns to help a relationship.
If they do confront anyone about a problem they always do it in anger and without empathy toward anyone else. Their first response to any challenge is to rage, intimidation is the first tool on their belt.
They use the sweet/mean cycle manipulation to cover up a problem rather than to settle a matter. For narcissists, it's always about feelings over facts.
Since emotions are more important than facts, they will believe the lie that absolves them from any accountability. And, since they are the perpetual victim they will assign to others the blame for any flaws they demonstrate.
Knowing these things it is best to go before the Lord first before attempting to resolve a difficulty with someone who may be a narcissist.
Proverbs 1:22-23 "22“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools' hate knowledge? 23 If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.…"
If someone is narcissistic in nature they are very likely fools who love their ignorance and refuse to hear from us or God.
Proverbs 29:9-10 " 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…'
This is why God said;
Matthew 7:6 " 6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
Seek Christ in all things, the narcissists will run away and the righteous will be drawn to us.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Cultural Christians

"To put it bluntly, they are self-deceived. They think they are following Jesus when they are really just following a nominally religious crowd." by Wes 2022
One of the reasons I am convinced we are living in the last days is the flippant and disrespectful way in which the churches handle the word of God, as though it is just good literature that can be enjoyed but no need to obey.
Some leaders joke and play and work at getting people to like them making the word they speak as foolishness.
The Christians I meet today are more interested in their cultural traditions and family practices that the Bible gets in the way of those treasured memories and safe feelings.
The knowledge of the Bible for most believers today is based more on culture and tolerance of whatever they want to do or believe. Very little reverence is paid to Christ Himself. In fact, we almost never hear the name of Jesus Christ roll off their tongues. They use the word "God" or other nondescript titles like; "The man upstairs", to avoid embarrassing themselves.
I hear more about politics and country pride than I do about Christ, in fact, Christ is almost never mentioned but just take away a freedom and watch their faces turn angry and hard.
Matthew 10:32-34 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. 34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.…"
God said that we would be separated from our families because very few people are authentically born-again, most are on that wide road to hell believing they will make it to heaven.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ”…"
Do not be one of those who play at Christianity to make yourself feel safe, if you are one of these, repent and become born again, and be saved for eternity.

Cultural Christianity Reigns Now

Before I was born again some family members who didn't approve of me, claimed to be Christian and attended church faithfully.
After I became born again my life changed completely and my family members still didn't approve of me. It was strange because I thought that when they found out I was a believer they would be excited and we would have something in common and perhaps be able to build a relationship. I was very naive in those days thinking that if someone was a Christian they would be kind and loving.
I believed God gave all believers "the fruit of the Spirit", but found out that very few people I knew had this fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law."
I thought they were unkind to me because I wasn't a Christian. I found out that they were unkind and unloving because they wanted to dislike me no matter what I did. As the scapegoat of the family it seemed as though they chose to see me the way they wanted to see me, that is unworthy of love.
What I discovered was that when I began to read the Bible and believe God when He spoke, it made them angry. I came against divorce and remarriage because God was against it. I didn't watch certain things on television because I was sensitive to what God thought of what I did. I didn't preach at them, I just addressed things as they came up to me.
I didn't believe all the psychology everyone was teaching in the churches and I began to notice my Christian family violated more scripture than they obeyed but lived lives that were not horrendous but not all that much different from the unsaved friends I moved on from. In fact, they seemed to enjoy the unsaved family members more than they did those who were deeply Scriptural.
Then one day as I was praying, the light bulb went on in my mind. I realized that it was possible that my "Christian" family may never have been born again. They were so proud of how good they were and how well they fit into the modern church that they elevated themselves to a special status, intensely convinced they never needed to repent, or at least acted as though they didn't. They treated the Bible like it was a book of suggestions that they could ignore, or edit in and out whatever they pleased.
The things in life that I moved away from they still loved. The ways from God's Word that I wanted to obey Him, they mocked. I began to ask; "what part of the Bible do they actually obey?" Yes, they didn't commit crimes but they were mean and rude to those they wanted to dominate. They were superficial and phony to those they wished to impress.
Never at any time when I have been with them did I see the fruit of God's Spirit. All I saw were rude comments, joking, prideful boasting, and worldliness. They never brought up the name of Christ and when I did they acted embarrassed.
Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law."
I asked myself; "wouldn't it make sense that when one believer meets another believer that the Spirit of God in one would leap for joy at the presence of the Spirit of God in the other? I confess that I feel nothing when in their presence except the sense of wanting to flee. We seem to have nothing in common not even Biblical principles that should dominate our lives.
I remember the account of John the Baptist in his mother's womb leaping for joy at the presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary. The Spirit of God can be sensed in believers, it brings great joy and connection to all who have the Spirit of God in them.
Sadly too many people who think they are saved have never been born again and yet God said; "you shall know them by their fruit. " You know, all those lovely character qualities of Christ Who lives in us. Love, Joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control, seem to be absent from so many people who attend church gatherings every single week.
I fear more are lost than are saved in our day. And, so many believe they are going to heaven but will hear terrifying words on judgment day.
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.’"
They do not break the laws and commit crimes of this world, but they hate the commands and principles of God every day as they walk in their pride about how good they think they are and ignore the principles and commands of God they don't like.
Little do they realize Jesus Christ is the very essence of His Own Word, to deny His Word is to deny Him.
Matthew 10":32-34 "32 Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. 34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.…"
I thank the Lord I found Christ in spite of my cultural Christian family experience. I know if I had thought their brand of Christianity was the real thing I would never have trusted Christ.
Praise God for His Word!!!!

Coming Out From Among Them Might Leave You a Little Lonely

Come out from among them. Also, remember when we have our noses continually in the filth of this world just to have information from the news we are engaging in unholy alliances.
Ephesians 5:11-14
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."
2 Corinthians 616-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”…"
When we are walking down the street and we observe evil we do what we can to help. However, we do not look in all the corners for evil just to know it. When we do this it is entertainment for us. One has to ask "why would I be entertained by the knowledge of evil?"
Where in the Bible does it say I will set no evil thing before my eyes?
Psalm 101:1-3 "I will sing of mercy and [a]justice;
To You, Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will carefully attend to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me."
When we love Christ we are not afraid to face evil when it comes down our path but we do not go looking for it either. The more we think of Christ the stronger we become. The more we look at evil the weaker we become.