DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
(Romans 3:16-17)
RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) are like a tornado. You no doubt have seen the path of a tornado in the news media or perhaps even in person. You can see where it has been. Everything is demolished.
RASNs are like a tornado. They wreak havoc, misery, and destruction. Most of the RASNs I have personally encountered have been in the local church. They constantly work at being esteemed by all. They crave to be worshipped and adored. And in doing so, they divide, destroy, and hurt. It only takes one in the mix of an entire congregation and when the dust settles, friendships are destroyed, some members leave, and those who had to deal with the RASN are maligned and blamed.
RASNs hurt others. They are the kind of person that the Apostle Paul warned us about:
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
(Romans 16:17-18)
That is a perfect description of the “Christian” narcissist. And it is also God’s instruction to us regarding how we are to deal with such a person. Watch out for them. And watching out means to be wise about evil and to go “no contact” with it. In the case of the church, we are to put such a person out from among us.
RASNs are deceivers. They utilize “smooth talk and flattery” to dupe the naive. So don’t be naive. Christians should be the best experts on these evil kind, but sadly it seems that the church is not very often wise to them. As a result, their destruction and misery sweep a path right through us.
Paul said “the path of peace they have not known.” Think about that. Peace is something these wicked ones know nothing about. They actually prefer war because it serves their destructive purposes the best. Think of Hitler, for instance. Peace was something he did not desire, even though his path left Germany in ruins. War and division and destruction are the main diet of these kind.
You cannot make peace with someone who knows nothing about peace, who finds peace detestable. You are not going to sit down with the RASN and reason them into choosing peace. Peace is an alien thing to them. Their purposes are served by causing conflict, division, and destruction. And if we are going to be wise to them, it is vital that we understand and admit these facts.
The opposite of peace = RASN
This message is awesome!!! I heard a preacher yesterday mention something about reconciling with the abuser to gain your personal peace – and about choked on the insanity of what they said! But you nailed it – rooted in scripture – you cannot make peace with a RASN – they do not know it – at all!! I could also include EVER in there since peace is not the goal for a RASN…. as satan is never going to be about peace.
Thank you for your sound reflection and interpretation of what we need to accept.
Lynn
Making peace with a RASN is like a child trying to make peace with an arsonist after they repeatedly lit the kid’s house on fire. RASN’s don’t want peace. They want to burn the world down and remake it in their own image, just like their father, the devil.
This is why we don’t reconcile with them. Reconciling with a RASN feeds their delusion about how they are right about everything. It shows them that their belief that others are weak and stupid is true because the victim attempted to repair something that should be unrepairable.
Don’t buy into the lie that you must reconcile with a RASN. It’s not true. God doesn’t reconcile with them. He turns them over to their own devices, grants them a strong delusion they cannot escape from, and will mete out perfect justice to them come judgment day. Wise, godly people don’t seek to reconcile with unrepentant RASNs. They mark and avoid.
Jeff Crippen
Truth. They don’t change.
Z
Bad or outright false reachers and teachers seem to always conflate forgiveness and reconciliation.
God says to not let bitterness grow or fester in us as victims/survivors. And to leave all vengeance to Him. To me, if I’ve done that obediently I’ve forgiven. For God and for myself! Not them.
But never will I let a follower of satan darken my life ever again no matter what they say or do.
My ex-father-the main abuser in my family of origin who are all abusers now in their own right-is 93. Still clinging to the delusion God has granted him to remain in that I and my husband are the bad guys because we will not entertain thoughts of any kind of a last visit/goodbye, say WE are sorry for calling police on them all and suing them civilly for their criminal attack on us, patch things up before he dies and is in the hands of the One Who will vindicate me.
There is some pressure even though I’ve cut ties with anyone who is in communication with them or tried to be neutral/friendly with them and is. But some people we run across or are friendly with ask about how I’ll feel if he dies and I haven’t “made peace” with him. What? There is no peace to be made with those who WANT war. All my life I and then later my husband and I together tried that. Made things worse actually. Lynn is right. It empowers them and their delusions of grandeur.
The Lord has stood by me and made me stronger. I no longer feel anything at all about any of them. Just very unfortunate DNA depositers for my birth into such evil and hatred. And I made it clear I didn’t want to live that way. I was always the “problem” to them. Nope. NOT me!
So being wise and discerning and having no regrets even over “what should have been” in a family…the grief and loss I used to feel. No more. I am well rid of demonic foul-spirited people. I pray against their evil. I ask God to mete out proper vengeance.
I do ask why God has allowed my ex-father to live so long. No one in his family has near this longevity. Is God giving him more and more time to come to his senses so He doesn’t have to send him to hell? His fate appears to have been sealed long ago.
My ex-mother too. Near 90. Abused via DV then she abuser her already abused children in her rages of “retaliation”
But then I believe that God already knows my ex-parents will NEVER CHANGE.
The hard part is I’ve lost lovely godly people in my life far too soon. And these demonic souls get to live very long lives surrounded by their doting flying monkeys 24/7?
Also while I battle chronic illnesses and severe pain from their lifelong abuses? My life is SO altered for the worse now. And isolated. I suffer from the wreckage to my nervous system all day every day while they enjoy their lives wearing their masks and costumes for people who are willingly blind for their own selfish purposes? Seems unfair. Hard to understand God’s ways. But I trust in Him alone. I still pray fervently for healing.
The “Destructive Path of the Abuser(s)” indeed!
Z
*Preachers and teachers! 😵💫