Bringing things to life from the pages of the **Bible**, manifestation stands for turning the unseen into something you can touch and see. It’s like setting up the stage for your dreams to step into the spotlight of reality.
It does sound appealing to think that you can simply manifest all the good things in life. All you have to do is focus positive thoughts on your wish and believe that it will be granted to you.
However, being dependent on manifesting things can be harmful, especially to our Christian faith. The Bible has a lot to say about manifestation and why it is leading us away from our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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What Is The Biblical Meaning Of Manifestation?
To determine the true Biblical meaning of the words “manifest” and “manifestation,” we must have an understanding of each time the word was used in the verses.
In Romans 10:20, 1 Corinthians 15:27, and 2 Timothy 3:9, the word “manifest” is used to describe something evident or obvious.
When the Bible talks about “manifestation,” the passages 1 Corinthians 12:7, 2 Corinthians 4:2, and Romans 8:19 describe the uncovering or revealing of an entity.
However, the entity in question can pertain to either the sons of God or the Almighty Father. In the King James Version, Romans 8:19 reads that “for the earnest expectation of the creature, it waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”
“The creature waiteth for the sons of God to manifest” pertains to God’s creation or His heavenly kingdom here on Earth. It is waiting in earnest expectation for God’s true and faithful disciples to reveal themselves.
2 Corinthians 4:2 talks about how the true followers of the Lord must spread His gospel across the world. The verse states, “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
In this verse, the word “manifestation” is used as a way to honor God by speaking only the truth and not resorting to false or deceitful acts to achieve a certain goal.
Meanwhile, in the Old Testament, the word is used only once. In this case, however, “manifest” has a different meaning. It is used as a verb that signifies cleaning or purifying.
In general, manifestation[1], according to the Bible, is the act of revealing one’s character or faith. When it comes to God, His manifestation is His display of righteousness.
Manifestation results in divine and miraculous outcomes that only God can produce. One of these manifestations was when God gave mankind His only son because He loved us.
What Is The Difference Between Manifesting And Praying?
Manifesting and praying can be synonymous with each other because they are both done to achieve our desire or wish. For a Christian who has just been introduced to the concept of manifestation, he might mistake it for the act of prayer itself.
When we look at how a person manifests his desires, manifesting is very different from praying. When you manifest your wish, you are claiming that it has already come true. You imagine how your wish will be granted to you, and the outcome should be exactly as you intended it.
On the other hand, praying has the element of imploring or making a dear request. Who else do we request? He is none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When we pray, instead of believing that our wish has been instantly granted, we put our trust in God that He will give us something much better than what we desire.
Manifestation is lacking—by relying on manifestation, we are effectively removing our trust in God. It is through prayer alone that we can further establish the relationship that we have with our Lord God because we acknowledge that He has sovereignty over all things here on Earth.
Another difference between praying and manifesting is that when we manifest, we fail to give praise to the one responsible for our blessings in life.
We are duped into believing that when we manifest our desires, all credit goes to the one who manifested them. We may believe that it is our fault when, in fact, it is God’s doing. The “power” of manifestation fools us, and what’s worse, we end up denying God the thanks and glory He deserves.
Hence, we pray to God because we know that everything that happens is according to His will alone. By praying to Him, we trust that He knows what we truly need.
God will not only grant our prayers, but He will also give us much more than we asked for. That is our reward for fully entrusting our lives to Him.
Should Christians Be Manifesting?
Manifesting is a practice that you should avoid as a Christian if you still value your spiritual connection with God. It may seem harmless to manifest our wishes, but it hurts our faith.
If we become dependent on manifesting our desires, we are already erasing God’s control over our destiny. Manifestation also encourages us to focus on worldly possessions in life instead of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is nothing wrong with hoping for our lives to get better, but we should not allow ourselves to have too many material desires and luxuries that do not matter.
Also, we tend to create vision boards of our dreams and success in life instead of caring about the common good of all people. Remember that being Christian means putting Jesus Christ at the center of your life.
If you keep manifesting without acknowledging Him, you are putting yourself above all. You are taking the glory that should only belong to God in the first place. Because of manifestation, we become the gods of our own lives, which is a great sin committed against our one and only God.
Are Manifestation And Law Attraction Not Godly?
Our denial of God’s control over us evidences that manifestation is not a godly act. Likewise, the so-called “law of attraction” does not abide by our Christian beliefs.
It dishonors God by not recognizing His power. The law of attraction implies that it is the “universe” that will grant our wishes. In the present, most people believe that they can achieve their goals through the power of manifestation. Manifestation is said to follow the law of attraction because you are attracting positive thoughts into your wish.
The sad reality is that manifesting and the law of attraction have already become trends, even if there is no truth in them. Only our Almighty God has the power to manifest an outcome.
All the mentions of the word “manifest” or “manifestation” in the Bible are related to our Lord God and His holy son, Jesus Christ. Our mere existence in this world is the manifestation of God. We are one of the many manifestations of God’s power to create life. Therefore, all the praise and glory should be His alone.
What Should I Do Instead Of Manifesting?
The Old Testament is clear regarding the purpose of God in our lives. In Exodus 20:3, it is stated that there should be no other gods than the one responsible for the creation of heaven and earth.
Therefore, instead of believing that we have full control over our lives, we should give glory to the Almighty Father as our one true God. This is also the right time to be reminded of God’s promise of eternal life to those who believe in Him. He also sent His flesh and blood to our world to fulfill this promise.
Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” and our only path to salvation. If we want God to answer our prayers, we must pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The idea that we have total control over what will happen should not be accepted. Instead, we should acknowledge God by praying to Him every day. Lastly, we must learn to seek guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to lead our lives according to the will of the Almighty Father.
Conclusion
Many people are not aware that they are already challenging God’s authority in their lives when they begin to manifest their wishes instead of praying for them.
The true concept of manifestation—Bible meaning and significance—is to reveal one’s faith in God and declare oneself as His faithful servant. Upon doing so, we are securing our place in His kingdom, where we can live in eternity along with all the angels, prophets, and saints.
All of God’s creations are manifestations of His undying love for us. His biggest manifestation was when He offered His flesh in the form of Jesus Christ, so we could be redeemed from our sins.
I give God thanks and all the glory for allowing me to come across this study on manifestation from a Biblical point of view. I thought I knew! until I saw the different break down of the meaning of manifestation in the Bible and comparing it to prayer and believing God for the outcome as a sign of my trust in him. Verses manifesting my own desires by focusing on my thoughts which is removing God from being honored and glorified in the situation.
I’m truly thankful for this read. It helped me to understand the difference between the two. So many people are manifesting things and it’s in the church. I’m asking God for wisdom on this matter because I don’t want to do or say anything that is against His word. Thank you so much for explaining and providing scriptures.