Are you being manipulated?

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezekiel 34: 2 KJV

Ezekiel 34: 1-5; Isaiah 65: 23; Zechariah 8: 12

The spirit of manipulation is rampart around the world today. People try to manipulate other people to reap where they have not sown. For money and to have an edge over the other person, even in churches you find out that many people are into manipulating people to do those things they would rather not do.

We are in times and seasons where even religious leaders intimidate their members.

The spirit of manipulation is so bad that they see it as a way of life. Some churches these days manoeuvre the people so much that everything the members do are according to their saying. They impose their own personal doctrine over their members.

At a time, I went to my child’s school. The principal spoke to us that parents must be united in how they teach and train their children. That children have a way of manipulating their parents so they can get their way.

In the workplace there is the mentality of manipulation. A senior colleague works hard to ensure a junior colleague doesn’t get promoted.

This spirit of manipulation is evident everywhere we turn. The mater of manipulation is the devil. He ensures that he manipulates us to not get the reward from the promises of God. He continues to deceive and counter what God has said concerning us.

Why are we victims of inadequacies? It is because of the spirit of manipulation. Why are we complaining about not succeeding in our labour?

God knows everything and He expects that you will come to Him for the fulfilment of His promises concerning you. How many of your prayers have you gotten answers for this year?

There is one good part of manipulation and that is the one that God is involved in. God can manipulate the forces and things that happen in your life to work in your favour. That is why He said that all things work together for our good.

How do we overcome the power of evil manipulation?
• Live the word of God
• Contend with the manipulating spirit in the place of prayer
• Do not manipulate others so you are not manipulated
• Give your life to Christ and allow Him to walk the journey of life with you

What does it mean to carry your cross daily?

We need to be concerned about the next person. We should exemplify care and comfort, people around us should never be lonely or left on their own. We should endeavour to be the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

People need help, so we should be ready, willing and available to help others. So many people are floundering in their journey through life. So many people are there waiting and all they need is for you to shine that light that would chase the darkness away for them.

God has put you in people’s lives to make a difference. Therefore, certain things are important in our role as the tool for shining the light on the life of the people around us.

1. Give hope to the people around you
2. Be a companion – ready to listen and help
3. Be the bridge that gets people from where they to where they are supposed to be

There are two questions for us today, questions that determine the level of understanding we all have.

1. Why do people look for Jesus?
2. What does it mean to carry your cross daily? 

To carry your cross daily is to take your destiny serious, to take responsibility on a daily basis. To wake up each day to fulfill that thing (purpose) your life is about. Your responsibility is to yourself, to the people in your care, to the nation and community you live in. 

To follow Jesus successfully, we need to be ready to be responsible for our choices and our purpose.
May the Lord give us the power to take up our cross and live up to the purpose for which we are born.

To live up to our purpose we need one key ingredient and that is knowledge. We must seek knowledge and the greatest source of knowledge is God Himself.  Therefore, we should seek the knowledge that God gives. We must ask God to help us and be with us. Every morning when we wake up we must commit our day and life into the hands of God.

We need to make sure we are in constant communication with God. We are to commit our ways into the hands of God always not choosing the day to communicate with Him or doing it alone in times when we are in a jam or in trouble.

Be ready to serve God irrespective of the level we are on the ladder of success. You need God more when you are at the top of the ladder because it is only by His grace that you will be able to stay at the top and use your position well.