Saturday, November 21, 2015

Repentacne Requires Confession

The Face of Repentance: There is no profit for the man who will not confess their sin.
Proverbs 6:2-5
"2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,
Have been caught with the words of your mouth,
3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and beseech your neighbor.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids;
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler."
Proverbs 6:16-19
"16 There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers."
Proverbs 10:10
"He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined."
Proverbs 12:22
"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight."
Proverbs 16:30
"He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things; He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass."
Proverbs 16:2
"All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives."
Proverbs 19:9
"A false witness will not go unpunished And he who tells lies will perish."
Proverbs 17:15
"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord."
Proverbs 21:8
"The way of a guilty man is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright."
Proverbs 28:13
"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."

Friday, November 20, 2015

Can a Narcissist Be Saved

An excellent article on the state of the narcissist.  http://www.luke173ministries.org/466808

Devils Use Their Mouths

Narcissists don't engage in real conversation of give and take to enjoy another person, their aim is to win, even when what they say doesn't make sense. Before they hear you out they are already forming in their mind the way they will refute you.  It isn't about refuting information, it is about negating the target.

2 Timothy 3:21-5, Luke 6:28!

Expressing an opposing viewpoint with a narcissists is the same as firing the first shot over the bow of a battleship.  Aggression is the only weapon in the arsenal of a narcissist. 

Someone who expects to be able to reason with a narcissist on any level at all, has not yet encountered one. There is no reasoning with a narcissist, they love to fight, while truth doesn't matter very much, only winning. They count themselves as having won when their target cowers away in tears and complete defeat.

Narcissists hate to be interrupted but are famous for talking so long the target can't seem to wedge in words to be able to enter the one sided conversation, if one could call it a conversation.  The tactic is to cause the target to become so frustrated they give up, affording the narcissists the victory by default.

The more covert narcissists use grunts and groans while you are speaking to indicate their complete disapproval of you as a person.  They feel a sense of power if they can make their victim feel insignificant and foolish.
 
While I don't understand why a "Christian" would act this way and have many times wondered if they were ever born again, I am quite sure that engaging with them is of little value at all.
 
The biggest challenge to the believer is to be able to discern the narcissist tactics to be able to assess whether or not they will continue the relationship.  There have been a few times in my life I have had to make the choice to remove myself from those who have only one thing in mind and that is to be more special than everyone else. 

Perhaps loving these people from afar is the best course of action.  We can pray for them, remain calm when we have to encounter them while making a hasty and polite get away when the opportunity arises.

Our goal as a believer is to grow in holiness, speak the truth in love and move on when we see the listener refuses us. 

Ephesians 4:15 and Matthew 10:14

May the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit guide our every action in the midst of the battle against unseen spiritual entities.  We know that our fight isn't against people, it is against the devils that use the mouths of people. 

Ephesians 6:12

We Must Have the Holy Spirit

Matthew 22:1-14 KJV
[1] And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, [2] The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, [3] And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. [4] Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marria...ge. [5] But they made light of it , and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: [6] And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them . [7] But when the king heard thereof , he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. [8] Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. [9] Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. [10] So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. [11] And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: [12] And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. [13] Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [14] For many are called, but few are chosen.
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.’"

Do Not Let the Enemy Rule

When we are maligned and attacked, whether in covert or overt ways by the enemy, we know that God has allowed it, while using it to grow us in His grace.  When we see that the devil uses people, we can focus our attention on the spiritual battle rather than the people Satan is using.

Ephesians 5:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

James 1:2-13
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

The key to victory in our own soul is to know the standards and principles of Christ, lean on Him and never taking seriously what evil people do to us or behind our backs. God wants to make us so strong that we are unaffected by the strategies of the devil, while remaining true to God.  The number one tactic of the devil is to unnerve us, so much so that we end up acting in ungodly ways to defend ourselves.  We need to leave way for God to defend us, He is much more effective than we could ever be, He has the ability to look straight into someone's heart, knowing exactly what is needed.

Romans 12:19 "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord."

Once the Lord has used the ungodly to test us, He will then at some point direct us when to remove ourselves or He will remove the evil doer who torments us.  Some people must go their entire lives enduring hardness on the part of an unbeliever, however, God can keep each one strong in the midst of it all.  Others are instructed to remove themselves as we see in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Other times God chases away those who would seek to malign our walk with Christ.

Job 8:20 ""Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers."

Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

When we maintain our walk with the Lord through prayer, obedience and attention to His Word, we can walk in the midst of this mess on earth, without it changing our soul, in integrity and kindness, no matter what anyone else is doing.  Christ lives in believers, no matter what anyone does to us in the physical realm, they can never touch the Spirit within us.

Romans 8:13 "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

We must never allow another human being who is evil, to cause us to act in ungodly ways.

 

 

 

Thursday, November 19, 2015

If We Believe We Are Never Alone

I just read a sad story about a veteran who died alone in a nursing home. If we are born again, even if we die in the wilderness without companions, we still never die alone.

I am so grateful that God goes through with us no matter what we go through and when we have no support from human beings. We always have the Lord with us just as the three Hebrew young men who were thrown into the firely furnace.

Witless Humanitarian Aid

Matthew 24:43 ""But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into."

When people become prideful and foolish, lacking wisdom and discernment, they invite the enemy to their house thinking in their arrogance that they are doing an humanitarian good deed.

When good works become our focus over what Christ did on the cross, we begin to think we are special adding Christ to all that we do rather than seeking Him for His direction and wisdom.

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Bringing the enemy into our country knowing their religion is one of war and carnage, is absolutely half-witted. The job of our country's leaders is to first protect the citizens, not to rescue the entire world while placing the populous in serious danger. We are not called to rescue the very people who are hell bent on our demise.

Bringing into our nation those who are bent on destroying us, while turning over to them our resources that citizens spent a lifetime earning and building makes as much sense as sending all available monies to other countries when our own bills are not paid.

Islam has made it clear that they intend to kill everyone who will not submit to Islam while taking over the government in their host country. Since the Koran instructs their people to lie, we cannot trust anyone who claims to be a Muslim.

It is one thing to see an accident on the road, stop to offer assistance to one family and quite another to allow thousands of them into our country with no implementation of rules and standards they would be required to obey.

When we become godless as a culture, all good sense flies out the window, leaving us vulnerable to dictatorship.