Don't Be Manipulated
Commercials lie to you. That is my mantra to my children. One day my 5 year old daughter came to me requesting I buy a new pair of shoes that would allow her to "walk on air." Naturally, she equated this with flying and was convinced that these special shoes (which she saw advertised on TV) would enable her to step right up into the clouds. A literal pair of flying shoes seems silly to us as adults, but we are not immune from sophisticated forms of manipulation. In fact, we run into manipulation daily in many areas of our lives.
Some children are master manipulators. They know how to get what they want when they want it from their parents. Marketing departments specialize in commercials and advertising made to elicit a certain emotion or reaction. The news media, which was once considered to be an unbiased source of information, is almost completely biased now. Sadly, even some churches have learned to lure people through tactics of emotional manipulation. Friends manipulate. Children manipulate. Bosses manipulate. Media manipulates. Unfortunately, sometimes our spouses even manipulate.
So, how do we inoculate ourselves from manipulation? Know the Truth.
We cannot always find the truth in the media, so we have to be wary about believing everything we see. We cannot always discern when someone is lying to us, but we can keep our minds vigilant to facts and not feelings. Our children will over exaggerate situations to manipulate our reaction, but we can study our children and the situation to determine a proper response. However, when it comes to spiritual matters, we can know the truth. We should never take for granted that a pastor, televangelist, or friend is speaking the truth, even if he or she chooses to quote scripture. We must line up everything against the Word of God. But we can only test what we see and hear against the Bible, if we study the Bible. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15.
Being easily manipulated is not a desirable characteristic. We are supposed to be wise and mature "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes," Ephesians 4:14.
In a society where many of the big voices try to manipulate you to think like them, be wise. Discern what is true. Just because someone is popular, loud, or emotional doesn't mean they are right. Stick to the truth through thick and thin. Allow biblical truth to guide your life.
So, how do we inoculate ourselves from manipulation? Know the Truth.
We cannot always find the truth in the media, so we have to be wary about believing everything we see. We cannot always discern when someone is lying to us, but we can keep our minds vigilant to facts and not feelings. Our children will over exaggerate situations to manipulate our reaction, but we can study our children and the situation to determine a proper response. However, when it comes to spiritual matters, we can know the truth. We should never take for granted that a pastor, televangelist, or friend is speaking the truth, even if he or she chooses to quote scripture. We must line up everything against the Word of God. But we can only test what we see and hear against the Bible, if we study the Bible. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15.
Being easily manipulated is not a desirable characteristic. We are supposed to be wise and mature "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes," Ephesians 4:14.
In a society where many of the big voices try to manipulate you to think like them, be wise. Discern what is true. Just because someone is popular, loud, or emotional doesn't mean they are right. Stick to the truth through thick and thin. Allow biblical truth to guide your life.
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