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Luke 6:45
45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
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We read in Psalms 5:9 of a narcissist (aka one with insolent pride*), that “there is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself.” And we read in secular sources (and have experienced) that narcissists can say something in one sentence, and contradict themselves in the next sentence (or even in the very same sentence). It seems crazy when they do this – they seem crazy when they do this – and they have no clue that they are even doing it. What’s going on?
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Ultimately, as Luke 6:45 indicates, it is our heart that drives our words and actions. This is why Proverbs makes it clear that we need to make every effort to monitor what is going on inside our heart:
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Proverbs 4:23
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life..
Our words will ultimately reflect what is in our hearts. And our mind will tend to make plans to achieve what our heart wants…..as well as make excuses for desired or past actions. Our heart drives our thoughts and words, not the other way around.
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Mark 7:21-23
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
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The ultimate heart-goal of a narcissist / one with insolent pride is self-exaltation, never being wrong, selfish ambition, jealousy, and the attainment of some desire. Therefore, their mind (and ultimately their words) will always serve that end goal. And their heart-desire and drive to be first and always right is so strong that they will not hesitate to say whatever is required at the moment to achieve it – even if it requires saying the opposite thing a half-sentence later. They may frequently be unaware that they are doing it, and if confronted will vehemently deny that they did it – since acknowledging (to themselves) that they did it would violate their sense of superiority.
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John Piper discusses another example of the heart driving the thoughts and words in a good devotional “When Reason Serves Rebellion”, based on Proverbs 22:13.
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Putting “Biblical Perspectives On Narcissism” Into Perspective