Manipulation

Manipulation (def) - the action of manipulating someone in a clever or unscrupulous way. Have you ever been manipulated? It can happen so easily, and the action of manipulation done in an unscrupulous manner is very evil at best. A person will feel the need to manipulate to get their way if they feel they are no longer in control of a situation. Pure truth needs no manipulation because it is perfect, and nothing can be done to make it purer. Thus, the point of following God's Word without manipulation is a point of spiritual growth, as we come to realize it is the end or the final word, and it cannot be manipulated to make it any better. I have seen so-called perfectionists try to manipulate the Word of God to fit what they want, and they fail miserably because adding anything to it just waters it down. The Word of God is perfect, and our manipulation of it to fit what we want never works out for the good. On another note, I don't believe in the term "perfectionist" because you would have to be perfect to stand up to the attitude or lifestyle, and we fail miserably in that area.

Anything we try to manipulate to make it work for what we want is a selfish way of promoting ourselves to be better than others, and you know that is a no-no in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus calls us to be humble, and the book of James, the writer, gives us the right attitude we are to have about humility. James 4: ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. Manipulation happens when our selfish desire to get our way trumps the humble attitude of following God's way, and the result may seem good for a while, but in the end, it is disastrous.

Manipulation happens in Christian circles and secular circles, and in both circles, it is wrong and unscrupulous. To some, it is seen as a strength or power because it allows a person to "win" over another person, even though that victory is tainted when in comparison to what God's Word says. What does this unscrupulous way of living show us? The definition of unscrupulous says it all. Unscrupulous (def) - having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair. A principle is at the base level of how things should be, and the standard for living begins with the principle. A person who tries to manipulate anything at all is living at the lowest level of morality, and we can easily see that a Christian who lives that way needs to check to see if they really have a relationship with Jesus at all!!

Paul wrote to the church in Rome and warned them about those who practice manipulation, and in Romans 16:¹⁷ And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. ¹⁸ Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words, they deceive innocent people. You may think that a characteristic of a manipulative person might be that they are mean to people, but that is the opposite of how they act. They are generally very kind, cool, and gentle, and show a kind front, but in their heart they are evil. As they act very kindly in front, they are holding a knife and ready to strike when we let our guard down. As Paul says, "watch out!"

I had a guy in a church I was in years ago take me out to lunch to talk to me about "church stuff." I thought, "Well, I am going to get a free lunch, so why not?" When we ate our lunch he spoke in glowing terms about my ministry and how much he believed I was a Godly man. I almost took the bait, but the Holy Spirit warned me in my spirit that there was more to this lunch, and there was more. He proceeded to tell me that He and several of the church members did not like the pastor, and thought I could also come on board with them to complain and get him gone. I may be weak in a lot of areas in my life, but loyalty is not one of them. I told him I was 100% in line with the pastor's direction for the church and that I would not participate in any attempt to circumvent my pastor's leadership. He kind of looked at me funny, like he couldn't believe I said what I said, and then he took the ticket and as He walked away, he said, "I will still get your lunch", to which I replied, Ok? What a lesson in the life of ministry, and what a challenge for me, but the Holy Spirit protected me from trying to elevate myself with those people with evil intentions to get a bigger role in the church. Proverbs 12:²⁰ Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! I have had the same thing done to me before, as people plotted and manipulated behind my back to get power over me and get rid of me, just to get their way!! EVIL AND UNSCRUPULOUS.

It may seem ok to be manipulative, but it isn't, and in these last days, it will try to happen a lot, and only you can stem the tide. So do it and be honorable, because it is worth it.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren