When we try to manipulate in order to get what we want, we are inviting disaster. I'm sure many of you can testify to your own experience of jumping into the act, trying to fix things yourself, rushing ahead of God, and ending up with a mess.
Sarah, Abraham's wife, certainly made a world of problems when she decided to help God by urging Abraham to have a child by her maid, Hagar. That wasn't God's plan; it was Sarah's manipulation. And when any of us allow ourselves to fall into "manipulation temptation," it reveals certain things about us.
First, it shows a lack of trust on our part. If Sarah had really believed God's promise, she would not have manipulated. Oh, I understand that it was a hard promise to believe, but Sarah needed to remind herself of who God is and stop looking at the impossibilities.
If you're trying to manipulate your situation, it's because you, like Sarah, don't really believe God can come through for you. And you know, unbelief is the worse sin because it reveals a sheer arrogance on our part when we doubt the living God. As soon as Sarah started doubting that she could have a baby, she became unstable and that led her to manipulation. James writes that a person who doubts is a double-minded person, blown and tossed about by every wind. When you start to doubt God, manipulation is often the end result.
Second, when we keep trying to manipulate it reveals how impatient we are. This is my biggest struggle. I'm not good at waiting. Not many people are in our instant society. But God's timetable is best and you can trust His timing to be better than yours. Watch out when you're getting tired of waiting, because that can lead you into "manipulation temptation," and trouble is in store.
Third, often we try to manipulate because we want an easy way out. We don't like God's way–it's too long or too difficult or requires discipline or something we don't want. So we try to find another way that is less difficult or painful.
If you're tempted to start manipulating, ask yourself if you have one of these three problems: You don't really trust God, you aren't willing to wait, or you prefer to do it your way. Remember where manipulation leads you: It leads you to do sinful things. It leads you to broken and damaged relationships. It leads you to shame and disgrace. It causes problems for you and lots of other people. It's a dead-end street you don't want to be on.
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