MEAN SPIRITEDNESS

Mean Spiritedness

3/1/2012

 

“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.” Isaiah 5:14. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed the incredible change in people’s attitudes of late. Unless you’ve been holed up in a cave somewhere or stranded on a desert island you must agree with me that a malicious mindset has emerged and it’s something that every Christian will be subjected to in some way at some point in their walk with Christ. In His Word, our Lord Jesus tells us that a spirit of wickedness would be the norm in the last days.

 

There’s a growing gap between people and their ideas concerning what’s right and what’s wrong. There’s nothing new about people having opposing views, it’s just that lately it has become dangerous to express those views. It seems that these days even friendly disagreements can turn into an exchange of verbal abuse, ultimately turning into physical altercations. These are not isolated events but are actually occurring every day and in every walk of life.

 

No longer do we see good vs. evil where good wins out. Nowadays everything is upside down. It seems we are being pried apart by life’s problems and every little quirk becomes a major stumbling block (a reason for a fight). Doesn’t it seem to you that in these last days it takes very little to put people off?

 

Friendliness is diminishing while a spirit of meanness has surfaced in its place. Why is humanity heading into this wasteland of hateful attitudes? It’s actually much simpler than most would want to admit. As a civilization we’ve left God behind. That’s it, that’s the reason man is turning against his fellow man with such evil intent. Without God in our lives we can’t have joy, we can’t have peace, and we certainly can’t know love. Why do you think so many people turn to drugs and alcohol for simulation? They are trying to compensate for a lack of love, joy, and peace which has left them destitute.

 

Recently I’ve received letters telling me about times when my readers have had to deal with mean spirited people. Two such letters related that the intensity of verbal attacks were unnerving. Imagine being confronted by a mean spirited person who has pure evil on his/her mind, and as they’re hurling obscenities at you and getting right in your face, you’re trying to stay calm while at the same time trying to calm them and to get them to see reason.

 

Many people have abandoned God and joined the enemy’s team. This abandonment of God has become obvious in these last days. What we now see burgeoning is exactly what the Bible tells us will occur. A breed of wickedness has joined the ranks of humanity and it is redefining mankind.

 

“And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:” Isaiah 5:15. This evil presence that has become so very blatant is, of course, diametrically opposed to God. But God won’t be opposed for long. As we read our Bible we come to understand that even though God is longsuffering there does come a point that His patience ends. Even the mean man will be brought down.

 

Since the majority of mankind do not believe in a creator God it’s easy for Satan to convince them of his lies. Remember, Eve knew God existed and yet she still allowed herself to be deceived. Imagine how much easier it is for Satan today with the immense amount of unbelief in the world. But there will be a finale.

 

It’s hard to oppose God when you don’t have a leg to stand on. Anyone who thinks they can deny or usurp God’s authority is standing on very precarious ground. Just as it was in the days of Noah, God will put an end to evil. “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3. The key word in the above verse is “strive”. The Hebrew word is “diyn” which means “plead a cause”. God’s Holy Spirit has a specific job; He strives, or contends, with man in regards to the precepts of God. He is a convicting spirit. The Spirit of God had diminished in that antediluvian world. Actually it had been replaced by the spirit of evil, and what we see today is that same spirit of evil once again becoming a strong influence. Don’t be confused by the above verse and the length of time mentioned there. God is not saying humankind will enjoy a life span of 120 years, but that He is going to withhold His judgment for another 120 years. He gave those inhabitants 120 years to shape up, that was then. Here we are in the last of the last days and we don’t have a 120 more years to shape up. If people don’t get on board soon the ship will sail without them.

 

It’s not difficult to see those in our society who oppose God. Arrogance, pride, mean spiritedness, maliciousness, cruelty, and hatred are all burgeoning human attitudes, which are all in direct opposition to our Creator. Today people seem to be without restraint as they wallow in their wickedness. Christians are going to be in the direct line of fire as this phenomenon continues. We must learn to steel our minds and our hearts.

 

The idea that people can be uncivil to one another, treating each other with cruelty and a complete lack of sensitivity, is nothing new. It’s just that this lack of civility has blossomed into full-on hatred. No longer are Christians going to be immune to this intense hate. The enemy is not going to rest until he has convinced all the foolish people he can that God is evil and he is good. We are witnesses to this upside down world coming into play.

 

What we see occurring today is an obfuscation of the image of God. Satan will do whatever he can to confuse people about who God is and he’s been quite successful. The obvious consequences of all Satan’s antics are being unveiled today more than ever. Joy, love, and peace are being replaced by a dog eat dog mentality. The reality of this kind of existence is that it will not last for long. A disintegration of the moral fiber inherent in all humans along with a complete lack of compassion for one another is creating a society bent on self destruction.

 

America, and the rest of the world for that matter, is teetering on the edge of complete hopelessness. Those who’ve aligned themselves with the enemy have become very vocal and aggressive in their determination to rid the world of the One true God. A satanic attempt to be sure, and although it is having a far reaching affect on our world it will not come to fruition. But Satan, being the god of this world and the father of all lies, wields incredible influence over the foolish and simple minded. Anyone who follows the father of all lies is going to have a mindset of aggressive mean spiritedness. Don’t think so? Watch the Muslim world for obvious indications of what god they serve.

 

How do we contend with this aggressive, mean, vicious, hateful attitude? The same way our Lord did. He was always ready for the enemy’s attacks. We too must be ever vigilant as the enemy never rests. This next verse should encourage you as you are confronted by this evil attitude of mean spiritedness “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1.

 

Referring to the Pharisees as brood of vipers, Jesus isn’t using real soft language, nor could we say that Jesus used soft words when He told these same evil minded folks that they were the children of their father the devil. When Jesus tells Peter “Get thee behind me Satan” that’s pretty harsh in whatever language you use, and there may come a time when we are pushed into defending our faith in these same strong words. But remember honey draws more flies then does vinegar.

 

Satan has no love or compassion in him. Love is not in Satan’s vocabulary other than to denounce it. But mankind, made in God’s image, does know love because it’s a part of us. The opposite of love is what Satan promotes and many people have given themselves over to the enemy.

 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11. It’s going to get tougher as we move deeper into the cesspool of hate. More and more people without the love of Christ in them are going to surface. You’ll know them by their fruit (spirit of meanness). A period of testing is here. If you’ve not been confronted by the spirit of evil as yet, your turn is coming. Something that every Christian must recognize is that this aggressive evil is infectious – and burgeoning. As Chuck Missler likes to quip, “Never leave home without your heavy artillery,” That would be prayer.

 

Christians are fully protected from the consuming affronts of the enemy. “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ephesians 6:16. We may be hit now and then with one of his darts but he can’t consume us. As children of the Most High God we are called to stand on His promises. Whenever the occasion arises for us to deal with evil, we are assured that there is nothing to fear as we’ve been given all the protection we need. The Holy Spirit of God indwells us, who is indwelling our enemies?

Lost folks these days are becoming fully armed by their leader Satan. Vocabularies are infused with obscenities that are used for the sole purpose of hurting others. “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:39. Here our Lord is giving an example of how we should react to someone’s verbal abusiveness. The word smite is used metaphorically as being hit by stinging words. We should simply turn away from the person and continue on our way. Evil words are only a part of the satanic behavior these people are displaying today. There is a growing aggressive attitude of using physical force to abuse others. Christians are told to love our enemies and pray for them, but when we or our families are threatened with physical harm, nowhere in the scriptures are we told to simply stand and allow others to physically abuse us. I might allow someone to harm me physically, but I won’t allow wicked human beings to harm my family.

 

Christians will suffer in these trying last days “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:16. It won’t be long now; God will soon pour out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world. The restrainer is soon to be removed so that lawlessness can abound. Since the restrainer is sealed within every born again believer on earth, we must all be removed before the beast can be released. “Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure…” Isaiah 5:14a.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

All scripture is from the KJV and “theopneustos” God breathed