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PROGRAM D-8471
Do you know what “manipulation temptation” is? I’m very familiar with “manipulation temptation” because I am often tempted to manipulate and try to make things work out the way I want them to. I want to look at two examples of women in the Bible—one who manipulated and one who didn’t—because I think we can learn a lot about “manipulation temptation” from these two women.
The first woman is Sarah. You’ve heard the story, I’m sure. God had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son and, through this son, God would build a great and mighty nation. But Sarah was barren—she was getting beyond child-bearing years—so she started to worry about how in the world she was going to have a baby! She couldn’t see how God was going to do what he had promised to do.
Therefore, Sarah came up with her own plan—and that’s when she fell into the “manipulation temptation.” In Genesis 16:2, we see where it all begins. She says “The Lord has kept me from having children.” How could Sarah forget God’s promise to give her and Abraham a son and, instead, accuse God of withholding his promise from her?
Sarah forgot just the way you and I forget. She started looking at the circumstances, seeing the impossibilities, and arriving at wrong conclusions. The disciples often did the same thing: When they faced impossibilities, they looked for ways to manipulate. Philip wanted to dismiss the crowd because he couldn’t see any way to feed them. Peter wanted to quit fishing because he had fished all night and caught nothing.
Any time any of us look at our circumstances and focus on the impossibilities, it will cause us to lose faith. That’s when it’s easy to fall into “manipulation temptation.”
What should Sarah have done when facing her “manipulation temptation”? She should have recited God’s promise out loud: “God has promised that I’ll have so many descendants they can’t be counted.” She should have gone to Abraham and said, “Tell me once again exactly what God told you that night about having a son,” and strengthened her faith in God. If her trust in God’s promise had been firm, she never would have started manipulating.
Are you tempted to start manipulating because you can’t see how God is going to deliver you? Get into the Word of God, remember his promises, recall what he’s done for you in the past, and stand firm in your faith.