People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. Proverbs 26:24-25 (NLT)

TOOLS OF THE MANIPULATOR

GUILT — FLATTERY — INTIMIDATION — ISOLATION

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE MANIPULATOR?

RECOGNIZE when someone is trying to MANIPULATE you.

Pray for WISDOM and DISCERNMENT.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 (NLT)

Look for WARNING signs. 

Sign #1: You find it difficult to say NO.

Sign #2: You COMPROMISE your values for them.

PUT HEALTHY BOUNDARIES IN PLACE.

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Matthew 16:23 (NLT)

We CREATE healthy patterns or we ALLOW unhealthy ones. 

BOTTOM LINE:

If you give CONTROL to a person, then God isn’t in CONTROL of you.

THE CHALLENGE:

Pray: God, help me see MY need to control and help me SURRENDER everything to you.