November 29, 2012

I Know How to Manipulate

Lysa TerKeurst
"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched
land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters neer fail." - !saiah "#$%% &'!()
Just because something great happens doesn't mean it is from God. I kno
this is true because I kno ho to manipu!ate and make great things happen.
"onest!#, I hate that ord$manipu!ate. It rubs something rough and grain#
into the softer p!aces of m# heart.
%ut there it is. &nd I kno it. %ecause sometimes I do it. I manipu!ate.
I kno ho to se!! an idea I think is rea!!# great.
I kno ho to go the e'tra mi!e.
I kno ho to strategi(e to make m# p!an seem !ike a great strateg#.
&nd not that an# of this is intrinsica!!# bad. )ome of these things are great
*ua!ities God can certain!# use in good a#s.
%ut hat if I use these ski!!s and ta!ents outside God's i!!+ ,o push past
God's timing, God's direction, God's p!an to teach me stuff in the process+
)ometimes I think "e !ets us push past "is better p!an to e'perience the
conse*uences of our headstrong attitude. %o# do I kno a!! about that. I've
-umped headfirst into something I thought I anted so much, on!# to find
e'treme stress, fear, an'iet# and an overhe!ming sense of regret.
It's great to kno ho to se!! an idea. %ut it's not great to do it outside God's
i!!.
It's great to go the e'tra mi!e. %ut it's not great to do it out of a desire to secure
hat I ant$rather than out of a desire to serve another.
It's great to strategi(e and have a p!an. %ut it's not great if that p!an stretches
me so I seek m# desires more than God's desires.
I am !earning. .earning to not a!a#s push so hard. /un so fast. &nd desire so
much more.
/ecent!# I had the opportunit# to be considered for something huge. /ea!!#
huge.
&nd I kne ho to secure it.
I kne the ords I cou!d use to se!! m# idea. I kne I cou!d go the e'tra mi!e
ith m# pitch and !ook impressive. I kne a strateg# that cou!d be
imp!emented and the p!an to propose.
%ut hat I didn't kno is if this as God's p!an or m# desire.
If I kne for sure it as God's p!an, a!! m# efforts ou!dn't be manipu!ation$
the#'d be smart. %ut I didn't kno.
,herefore, a!! m# pushing and p!otting ere manipu!ation. )o, I stopped. I
backed off. I stepped aside.
I aited.
&nd then I doubted. It as hard to atch the opportunit# possib!# s!ip aa#.
%ut I reminded m#se!f that this as a p!ace here m# trust in God has to step
in. ,his as one of those times hen a deeper faith cou!d be found.
I can rest in the assurance that if something is to be, it isn't up to me. It's up to
God. It's not that I -ust sit back and don't pursue things. I do. %ut I give hat I
can give ithout manipu!ation. &nd then I ait for God to give hat on!# "e
can give. )o, if "e makes it happen ithout a!! m# chaotic se!f0effort, then I i!!
kno it is "is best.
&nd if it doesn't happen, I i!! thank "im for saving me from m#se!f.
*ear Lord, ! am so grateful for Your eerlasting loe and ision for my life.
Help me to embrace the fact that Your plans are so much greater than mine.
Humble my heart in the moments when ! try to maintain control so that ! can
fully sere You. !n +esus, 'ame, -men.
Related Resources:
)ometimes it's easier to fo!!o our gut response, rather than ait on God's
direction. In her book .nglued, .#sa ,er1eurst shares great isdom on
embracing God's a#s, not ours.Click here to purchase a cop#.
2h# not gather some friends and stud# .nglued together ith
the DVD and Participants !uide+
Reflect and Respond:
3o #ou ever catch #ourse!f manipu!ating past God's p!ans to secure #our on
desire+
God ants #ou to give up #our on agenda and trust in "is p!ans for #our !ife4
)et aside some time ever# da# to ref!ect on %ib!e verses dedicated to this
particu!ar issue. "aving this dai!# reminder of God's sovereignt# i!! he!p #ou
to recogni(e hen #our on desires are taking precedence over "is i!!.
Power Verses:
5sa!m 9610, 7,hose ho kno #our name i!! trust in #ou, for #ou, .8/3,
have never forsaken those ho seek #ou.7 9NI:;
5roverbs <6=0>, 7,rust in the .ord ith a!! #our heart and !ean not on #our on
understanding? in a!! #our a#s submit to him, and he i!! make #our paths
straight.7 9NI:;
Do "ou Ha#e $I$ Issues%
Jennifer /othschi!d
"He must become greater; ! must become less." - +ohn /$/0 &'!()
In the !ate '@0s I sat ith m# fo!ks in a hospita! room in the %ascom 5a!mer
A#e Institute. ,he doctors ho had -ust comp!eted tests on m# e#es ere
e'p!aining hat it meant to have retinitis pigmentosa. ,he# described ho I
ou!d s!o!# !ose m# remaining sight and eventua!!# be tota!!# b!ind. B# mind
raced and m# heart e!!ed ith confusing emotions. I as si!ent in that
hospita! room that da#.
& fe da#s !ater at m# ne't visit, I on!# ish I had been si!ent.
2e ent back to the same room ith some of the same doctors. ,his time it
as to he!p me get on a rehabi!itative program. 8ne doctor described ho
!arge, thick g!asses might he!p ith the !itt!e vision I sti!! had. &nother
discussed a!king ith a cane. &nother doctor to!d me ho important it as
for me to have an oversi(ed magnif#ing g!ass and advised me to use a
f!ash!ight to find m# !ocker at schoo!.
,he# stepped out of the room, and ith fu!! ado!escent be!!igerence I ranted to
m# parents. 7I i!! not ear an# of that -unk or use that embarrassing stuff4 No
a#4 I i!! not !ook eird47
Just as I finished m# outburst, the door opened and m# ne rehab counse!or
7ro!!ed7 in. %eing !ega!!# b!ind, I cou!dn't see him e!! enough to detect hat
m# mom described to me !ater.
"e as b!ind in one e#e, his face as disfigured, he as missing an arm, and
his !egs evident!# eren't functiona!. 2hat I cou!d detect, even ithout sight,
as that his voice as on!# audib!e b# using an apparatus that made it sound
s#nthesi(ed.
Cnfortunate!# he arrived -ust in time to hear m# tirade about !ooking eird.
I as mortified b# ho se!f0centered I acted. I as humi!iated b# m# on
sma!!ness and pride. I kno he as a professiona! ho most !ike!# understood
m# immature response, but he a!so as a man ho had !ost his former
ph#si*ue and abi!ities, and ho probab!# fe!t 7eird7 hen he !ooked in the
mirror. I as so ashamed.
I as on!# a fe da#s into !earning to !ive ith b!indness hen I received m#
first !esson6 hen I am most se!f0aare, I am most miserab!e. Aven toda#, as
a DE0#ear0o!d oman, I sti!! fee! tinges of se!f0pit#, se!f0aareness and se!f0
absorption.
7I don't fee! that's fair to me.7
73o I !ook oka# in these -eans+7
7I don't think she !ikes me.7
7I !ook eird hen I can't make e#e contact. I don't ant peop!e to notice.7
7I need, I ant, I ish.7
2hen a big 7I7 is the center of our thoughts and fee!ings, e tru!# are
miserab!e4
5erhaps that's because 7I7 is a!so in the center of pride and sin. 8uch4
Jesus said in John 1262D that "... unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth
and dies, it remains alone." &!one is a miserab!e p!ace to be.
"1ut," Fhrist continued, "if it dies, it bears much fruit." &23() ,he princip!e is
this6 hen it is a!! about us, e are !ike that seed that is uni!!ing to die.
Fonse*uent!#, e find ourse!ves a!one in the prison of our on se!f0
aareness. %ut, hen e are i!!ing to turn our big 7I7 into a !itt!e 7I,7 e are
then read# to e'perience rea! !ife, satisf#ing !ife.
God is teaching me that true se!f0esteem comes from being reduced$!ess of
me, more of "im. &s I am i!!ing to re!in*uish m# sense of se!f$se!f0pit#, se!f0
aareness and se!f0absorption$I am finding simp!icit# in an identit# that
comes from "is !ife in me, rather than an identit# based upon me, m#se!f and
I.
,oda#, !et's choose to be more fu!! of God than e are of ourse!ves.
*ear Lord, ! want to decrease so You will increase in me. 4ay ! be like a
seed, willing to die, so ! can truly lie and gie life to others. 4ay my letter "!"
not be in pride or sin, but may it be found in 5hrist. !n +esus, 'ame, -men.
Related Resources:
Do "ou Know &esus%
Missing Pieces: Real Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense b# Jennifer
/othschi!d
Me, Myself and Lies: A Thought!loset Makeo"e# b# Jennifer /othschi!d
/ead more encouragement from Jennifer b# clickin' here.
Reflect and Respond:
2a#s to shrink #our !etter 7I76
1. Gocus on someone e!se's needs. Hours i!! fee! !ess obvious.
2. Grant someone e!se the attention #ou are tr#ing to get for #ourse!f.
<. %egin #our da# ith this *uestion, 7"o ma# I serve Hou toda#, .ord+7
Power Verses:
Batthe 226<@0<96 7Jesus rep!ied6 '.ove the .ord #our God ith a!! #our heart
and ith a!! #our sou! and ith a!! #our mind.' ,his is the first and greatest
commandment. &nd the second is !ike it6 '.ove #our neighbor as #ourse!f.'7
9NI:;
5sa!m 2@6E6 7B# heart sa#s of #ou, ')eek his face4' Hour face, .ord, I i!!
seek.7 9NI:;
5hi!ippians 26<0D6 73o nothing out of se!fish ambition or vain conceit. /ather, in
humi!it# va!ue others above #ourse!ves, not !ooking to #our on interests but
each of #ou to the interests of the others.7 9NI:;