We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:5-6, ESV)
In my previous post, I mentioned a "Part 2". I plan to keep my word on that. However, in experiencing some things this past weekend and rereading that initial post, I realized a potential disconnect with those reading my blog. I want to address that here.
To understand the struggle with manipulation that I am sharing, it is important to understand something that is extremely important. I have many faults...many weaknesses...and I guarantee you that I could spend the rest of my life writing about and sharing on nothing else but those shortcomings. One shortcoming that God has worked diligently with me on since I was a teenager is honesty. My parents can attest to what I am about to share here: I was an expert liar during my teenage years.
Since then, truth has become vitally important to me. I spend a lot of my time trying to discern what's right or wrong, fake or real, and true or untrue. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on my motivation. In the Scripture I have included above, Paul highlights the need for discernment, in EVERYTHING. Speeches we hear, books we read, music we sing and listen to, social interactions with others, exchanges in relationships...all of these can be passively accepted at face value. But this is dangerous.
When we turn off our minds and accept any and every thing that passes through our senses, we inevitably allow things that go against God's Truth to enter our lives. I am going to borrow a good example of this from someone I have mentioned before, Derek Webb. He is a singer and songwriter. He admits his music has been labeled as "Christian Music". The problem, he states, is that although he is a Christian, he is human. Sometimes, he knows he has written music and performed it with lyrics and/or actions that were contrary to God's Truth. Although I have met Mr. Webb and trust the heart God has given him, I must remember that there will be times in which he falls short and offers something that is simply "not good and holy", as he has said. The "Christian label" can be a false advertisement for something that suggests you are safe to shut down discernment and accept anything you hear as true. This is not just applicable to Mr. Webb and his music, of course, but with anything we consume.
Another example is myself. I have counseled people for around six years now. During that time, I have also had the wonderful opportunity to speak in several different Sunday School classrooms, preach to a few congregations, and even write on this blog. Although I know very well that I take all of those interactions seriously and deeply long to only present that which is true, I have messed up...more than a few times. Some of those interactions I would love to go back and scrap altogether now that God has shown me what I thought was true was not true at all. Sometimes He has shown me that my motivation was not love, which makes any truth just an aggravating noise to those around me.
A huge part of walking by Grace through Faith is aggressively comparing what we see, hear, and experience in other ways to what God says is true. When I fail to be actively developing a filter day by day with His truth, I make myself a target for deception. This comes, ultimately, from the Enemy, but he works through many people and things to accomplish his goal of manipulating us to buy into his lies. Often, those he works through do not even realize they have been a conduit for his attack. Anything that is manipulative is not truthful, so it does not come from God. He is as straight forward, honest, and true as one can be.
So, as I move forward with "Part 2" of my posts on manipulation, I want to keep things in perspective. Although I struggle with how I use it, discernment is vitally important. I believe it is something we have lost touch with as followers of Christ. Even when it is mentioned, it's often misinterpreted as some "feeling" you get. It's not. Discernment is based solely on truth. It's a conscious choice we make, whether we are listening to a sermon or watching TV. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 10:5, take every thought that crosses your mind captive, compare it to what God says, and then move forward in Truth. The Holy Spirit makes this possible, but we must exercise it.
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