The Very Essence of the Narcissist

They fear the truth, avoid advice, and dislike change. Their ability to confess their flaws is nonexistent which is the reason they do not change or grow emotionally or spiritually. 

These people remain toddlers in their way of thinking until they repent to become born again. It is only through Christ that anyone has a completely changed mind that leads to a completely changed character. 

Those who remain spiritual toddlers will believe anything that fits with their fleshly desires.

1 Corinthians 14:20 "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

Ephesians 4:14-15 "So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,"

Hebrews 5:12-13 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child."

The only way to grow, change and learn great lessons is to confess sin openly as it arises and resolve not to repeat the offense again, by seeking Christ for cleansing from it. 

1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The solution to worldly pride is always Christ!

We are the Messengers and Christ Brings the Results His Way

As born-again believers life is not about results that we produce in our witness for Christ, its all about obedience to God while leaving all results to Him. We are merely the messengers, what other people do with the warnings and information is God's business. Our mandate from God is to tell the truth, remain steadfast in it and walk away when someone refuses to listen.

When we do things in obedience to God we are seeking Him all the time to learn to follow Him and His principles as described in the Bible ultimately for His glory not our own.

Those who make up their own rules to bless God are not blessing Him, but foster a sense of pride in self that they did something for God.

How many parents can relate somewhat to this principle of obedience over sacrifice?

When we have a rule in the house that benefits the entire household but some in that household do something they like to do and claim it is for others, while disobeying the other rules, they are not doing what they choose for others, they are doing what they want and claiming it is for the others when in reality it is really doing things their own way without regard for the others.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 " 22 But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”…"

Claiming God approves of things He never commanded or violating His principles to do things our own way is lying against God.

There is a sort of "pretending" occurring that is lack of faith in Christ, making up one's own rules professing they have God's approval when they do not.

It reminds me of the small child who says to their parent, "but I did it for you" when they clearly did what they wanted but neglected to obey what we told them to do.

I am reminded of the little boy who was told to sit down in his chair defiantly proclaiming that he was sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside.

Some people will obey on the outside with anger on the inside that they had to obey.

Those who pretend to obey through disobedience of the command given, have the sin of rebellion in their hearts. Not only are they disobeying they are also lying about disobeying as though completely ignoring our rule to do their own things is justified and acceptable. They also justify themselves by saying they did it while concocting revenge toward the one they claim to obey.

Love for others and God results in obedience to others.

Mark 12:33

"to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

I have known people who would give good gifts to someone but treat them disrespectfully as though the gift covers the continual disrespect. I don't know about you but I would rather not receive a gift from someone who treats me with contempt but gives me a gift to cover up their disrespect. And, sometimes the gift is given in front of others so they will appear to be a good person to the others watching.

God gave us excellent and perfect guidelines for the resolution of acts of rebellion, they include confession of the sinful attitude and action as well as bringing their confession not only to God but also to those they offended. Pretending something never happened and coming back to cover it up later with gifts is man's way not God's way and it does not reconcile a relationship. The distrust remains in those who have been offended when the offender does not care enough to confess what they did and the relationship remains broken.

Matthew 18:15 "“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

Doing something sinful against someone and then bringing a gift later is not God's formula, it is man's pride in attempting to make things better without ever having to admit anything. It is also offensive because it ignores the harm the offender did as though it wasn't important.

It is only through admitting fault with the intention of never acting that way again that wipes away the offense and restores a relationship.

Confession from the offender and forgiveness extended by the offended is the only way a relationship can be restored. There is another side to this formula God gives, and that is everyone involved grows into a better person by the confession and the forgiveness. These two elements are two sides of the same coin, growth and reconciliation can only happen if both confession and forgiveness are present.

Our interpersonal relationships as written in God's Word show us God's relationship to us. He only forgives those who confess their sinfulness to be saved from their own sin, and He only forgives the sin of the believer for their growth when they confess. No confession by unbelievers and there is no salvation. No confession of sin from believers and there is no spiritual growth and there will be lost rewards in heaven.

Many church attendees have a wrong belief about God's forgiveness because they have been trained to believe we forgive those who are unrepentant without any consequences. Our human relationships are a mirror of God's relationship to us. He forgives only when someone confesses and desires to be changed by Him. Human relationships cannot withstand harshness that is never confessed but merely swept under the rug to be ignored.

Doing things God's way is hard work and humbles us, the very reason most people attempt to shortcut this by just trying in the flesh to be nicer next time.

1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."

1 Corinthians 3:15 "If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire."

Those who will not trust in Christ will not be saved and those who say they have trusted Christ but walk in disobedience as a lifestyle, were very likely never saved and need to repent and trust in Christ genuinely. The believer who has trusted Christ but is lazy in obedience will lose rewards in heaven, they will not only suffer loss in this life in the form of consequences but they will also lose rewards in heaven. No one gets away with rebellion and disobedience, it is all being recorded in heaven.

When psychology began to take hold around the world the gospel and the principles of God became perverted into man's way of thinking, replacing God's meanings with man's fallen understanding to soften the effects of sin and ultimately end up coddling the sinner who loves their sin and is too prideful to confess their sinfulness while punishing the authentic believer who loves God's Word and desires to obey the scriptures.

Now we have church gatherings that are almost fully apostate with many unbiblical things being taught that hinder a believer's walk with Christ and entice unbelievers to remain in their sin.

2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires".

The apostate church ignores the principles of God to follow their own idea of goodness while they mock and demean God's commands through rejection of those who bring the Word of God for their evidence of truth.

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.’ "

It is not pleasant as authentic believers navigate through this apostate age full of obstacles and trials. However, we know that God told us this would happen and that Christ in us makes us strong even if we have to walk alone on this narrow path, we are never alone, Chrsit lives in us and goes through everything with us and occasionally we encounter others who love Him and His principles the way we do.

We never have to be discouraged for long, we fall down at times but get back up as we are reminded that our homegoing is soon and we still have a purpose on this earth even if we cannot see what it is momentarily.

Keep looking up brothers and sisters, it won't be much longer now.

Walking with Christ in an Apostate Age

A dear sister in the Lord asked me a question about cliques within the church so I answered in this way. Thank you Darla for this question.

Yes, I have seen and experienced it. The whole modern church system is based on some people being, more special than others. Those on "the stage" are treated with greater love and kindness while others are ignored because they are not friends with those on stage, which is a common thing, especially in large gatherings. This modern idea of worship which is not Biblical has caused a "class system" of hierarchy and hierarchy's friends.

James 2:1: "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory".

The hierarchy system fosters pride and has no place in the gathering of believers.

I have been praying about this whole matter of worshiping in "Spirit and in Truth" and God has been answering my questions about it through a man named Dr. Tom Wadsworth. He exposes the entire system of what we call worship as nothing like what Christ instituted in the first-century church.

We are living in an apostate age that promotes self-will and self-exaltation above submission and humility toward God and others.

1 Corinthians 14:26

This verse says that when people come together, they should each bring a hymn, teaching, revelation, tongue, or interpretation, and that everything should be done to build up the church.

Notice in this passage in 1 Corinthians that God tells each person to bring something to the meeting to edify one another, not just one person upfront.

God's intent here was that every believer would participate in the edification of others and no one would be above anyone else. No one was "titled" with "pastor", it was a gift to several and was not a special position or title given, it was a calling and not to only one person.

There was no such thing as a "worship leader" because the Holy Spirit is the leader in all matters of the gathering. No human being was the leader.

I have been in the gatherings that operated this way and it was a beautiful thing to feel the love emanating from those who attended and the dedication that everything is Biblical.

When a question arose about any principle of life matter the Bible was always consulted to find God's meaning without worldly trappings or mindsets.

Today when we challenge people about something that is not Biblical giving them the passage to support our assertions, most people will become angry that we challenged their worldly thinking. They say silly things like; "what does that passage mean to you" instead asking "what did God mean by that passage."

Most church attendees are more interested in feelings-oriented teaching than they are in truth. They are dedicated to personal happiness and praise without regard to God's heart.

2 Timothy 4:3

"3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

This is where we are today in the last days of the church age, most people will ignore, demean, gossip against and exclude those who wish to seek Christ in all things.

We need not fear these people or desire them for our friends, they will only impede our walk with Christ. God's command in the scriptures for the gathering was that we edify one another in the word so that we grow in holiness. The gatherings today hinder our walk with Christ promoting ideas against the ways of God. We need to get out of those places even if it means being alone.

It is my belief that if we come out from among them we may be alone for a time but eventually, God will bring someone else as we wait on Him, someone else who wants what we want, and that is a closer walk in Truth with Christ. Christ alone and the Bible alone!!!!!

Hallelujah!

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Worship in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit and He is the Truth.

We are worshiping inwardly all the time in every place we go. There is no special place a believer must go to worship, there are no special artifacts or receptacles needed to worship, and no gathering formulas for worship.

John 14:6 "6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

The modern apostate church has not been worshiping but rather practicing religion not engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

When Christ said we are set free when we become born again, we have not enjoyed how fully set free we were from all traditions of men and incumbrances of outward practices to satisfy God.

Romans 6:22-23: "But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God's purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life".

Ephesians 1:7: "We have been set free because of what Christ has done. Because he bled and died our sins have been forgiven. We have been set free because God's grace is so rich".

We are no longer in bondage to human rituals of this age. We have no obligation to do funerals, memorials, weddings, holidays or any other outward activity to satisfy God. We do not find any commands or described rituals in God's Word that resemble what most Christians practice today, except in rare cases the Lord's Supper as He gave it, not the way the modern church system mandates.

Jesus Christ satisfied everything when He died and rose from the dead. All rituals except the ones He commanded in the Lord's Supper were done away with at the cross. This was the new covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah".

Hebrews 8:13 "13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is [g]about to disappear."

There were rituals added by man after Christ rose from the dead, that are not in God's Word. There have also been those who attempted to add the Old Testament rituals to Christianity that were also done away with at the cross.

Mankind has a problem with adding to God's Word what best fits their desires for "doing something" in the flesh to make themselves feel as if they participated somehow. Mankind feels a need to "do something" but Christ taught "being something", that produced godly actions and entirely opposite mindset from the unsaved predicament. When we trust in Christ we choose it with our mind and then He changes the way we think, all our desires become His desires. The Holy Spirit moves into us and becomes our righteousness for us. He is our Sabbath rest, He is our teacher and guide for everything.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 "…29so that no one may boast in His presence. 30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Romans 3:24

"and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find [b]rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

Hebrews 4:9-11 "…9There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience."

Human traditions do not produce godly mindsets, but rather they produce greater degrees of pride and "feelings-oriented" responses to what they call worship.

When we rest entirely in Christ we have no need to practice outward rituals to feel close to God. He lives in born-again believers and He is all we need all the time.

Hallelujah!

Interview with Dr. Tom Wadsworth

Let Them

https://youtube.com/shorts/Njj6Bqs1-sI?si=ERxUlS4vh0vlZB4q

The Essence of the Narcissist

They fear truth, avoid advice and dread change. Until they become born again there is no hope for them to ever be close to anyone authentically. Everything is a competition and everyone who has kindness and empathy will be discarded because of this mentality of superiority. They will discard anyone they think is superior to them. 

Those who love God and have been born again know they are not superior to anyone else, and they know that it is only Christ in them Who is good. 

The fruit of the Spirit of the born-again believer is this:

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."

Matthew 7:17-20
"17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit."

No one who follows Christ will consistently act superior or rude to elevate self because they have the love of Christ in them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 
"4. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

This is how we know if someone has been born again:

John 13:35
"35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

One of the defining character qualities of the born-again believer is their love and concern for brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing His principles and truth with their church family and their compassion for those who are lost causing them to share the gospel with those who are perishing. 

There are many indicators mentioned in the scriptures that tell us who belong to the family of God and who does not. Pay attention to these principles and you will be able to discern who is your brother or sister and who is a pretender, of whom there are many in these last days. Those who are pretenders must be avoided, they will work to undermine what God is doing in you and those who associate with you.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 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."

Many believers are leaving the organized church system because they are experiencing the wrath of pretenders who dominate the gatherings now. These pretenders speak scripture passages out of context to fit their desired church culture and intimidate through overt and covert means those who speak the truth to silence them. We cannot remain in gatherings that undermine God's Word as they preach false doctrine and superficial matters. 

May the Lord guide everyone who loves Him to be where He wants them free of the dictates of the apostate organized church system. Pray for wisdom and He will give it freely to anyone who wants to understand.