Difficult Relationships – Christian Wisdom for Life’s Toughest Ties
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Are you tired of falling victim to the emotional and psychological manipulation of a narcissist?
Do you worry that long-term exposure to this devil-sent individual will negatively impact your faith?
Narcissists are self-centered, egotistical, fragile individuals who only care about meeting their own need—often at your expense.
They are excellent at playing mind games to gain the upper hand and get what they want in relationships.
They don’t see you as an individual with feelings. They see you as a pawn for their purpose and they don’t care how their behavior impacts you. In fact, it doesn’t even occur to them.
They are demonically inspired and often dangerous.
1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. I would argue that if we need to be alert to the devil, we also need to be alert to the people he’s using.
Let’s take a look at the demonic mind games they’ll use to manipulate you.
Demonic mind game #1: The blame game
It's easy to forget, but narcissists are very fragile individuals.
You may have fallen for their false facade but behind that phony exterior is an empty shallow parasite who needs to feed off of you for validation. When that validation dries up and you try to have a healthy relationship with healthy confrontation, you will see a wounded soul. And this is where it goes from broken to bad.
Narcissists can skillfully play the victim to garner sympathy and shift blame. They may exaggerate or entirely fabricate situations where they appear to be the innocent party, diverting attention from their own harmful actions.
Whether referring to past “failures” or current problems, narcissists will rarely accept responsibility for their actions. They’ll blame all the relationship issues on you. They never feel like anything is their fault. They’ll even make things up, so that you’ll be the one to fix their mess, all while they play the victim.
This behavior dates back to the beginning of time when God called out Adam for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What did he say? “The woman YOU gave made me do it.”
Now, I’m not saying that Adam was a narcissist, but you see how cunning the devil was right from the start.
Demonic mind game #2: The trigger game
Do you ever wonder how the narcissist seems to know ALL of your pain points? That’s because they studied you like a book.
Not with the intent to truly get to know you, but for the sheer purpose of gathering information for the future. That’s why they work so hard with love bombing to win you over, break down your guard, and get you vulnerable.
This can really throw you for a loop, especially if you’ve been in a relationship with a narcissist who doesn’t seem to care or listen, but suddenly when you’re arguing or they’re trying to get their way, they seem to have amazing recall. Every mistake you’ve made, every little thing you’ve said can and will be used against you.
Demonic mind game #3: The coercion game
If narcissists don’t get what they want from you, they will use various forms of manipulation, guilt, shame, and triangulation all to get you to feel bad about yourself, second guess your boundaries, and ultimately give them what they want.
If you think the narcissist only uses coercion with big ticket items, think again. This tactic is their go-to with EVERYTHING, which is why narcissists can be so exhausting to be in relationship with.