“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
We need to ask ourselves the question: Am I trying to win the approval of others? Why do I do this?
There are several reasons we fear others:
Fear of rejection
Unfulfilled longings to be accepted or approved of.
Fear of failure
Unresolved shame
Fear of losing something important to us, such as a dream, a job position, a friendship, material things (such as a home, a car).
We have a wrong view of God
As we fear God, not people, we will more easily be able to walk in God’s will and surrender our lives to Him. Of course, we need to have a healthy view of God and trust that He is all He says He is. Then we will be able to live more like Christ lived in Philippians 2:3-8, in which He was a servant to us, even to the point of death.
Jesus knew His Father and never doubted His incredible character. Here are some of the amazing truths about God. He is:
good, kind, loving, patient, caring, strong, all-powerful, wise, considerate, compassionate, forgiving, active, present, gentle, jealous, fair, righteous, just, holy, gracious, giving, generous, sovereign, approachable, omniscient, majestic, orderly, all-knowing, perfect, and Great.
As we walk in the truth of who God is rather than the lies the enemy tells us, we will grow in our trust of Him, thus we will be able to fear God, rather than others.
Healthy relationships result when our focus is on loving God and receiving His love. Then we will have the proper motivation to serve others. If we are not serving others out of an overflow of our love for God, we will begin to have some relationship troubles. For example, we become angry because the other person did not thank us or return the favor. We will feel used by others. We will feel empty, drained, exhausted, or burned out. But if our service to others is an overflow of God’s love to us, we will be able to love others unconditionally. So, who do you seek to please? God or people?
- Sue Corl
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