Today I am very tired, I will write about it maybe tomorrow. - but today this blessed me from Beth Jones and I want to share it with you!
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| Beth and Jeff Jones ministering at their church |
Whose Opinion Matters? "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that." Proverbs 29:25, The Message |
Living for an Audience of One is the secret to being truly free. When we live to please the Lord and walk in a manner worthy of Him…that's all that really matters. We need to be reminded of this from time to time. It's true, the fear of human opinion disables. When we are overly concerned about what others think – whether we meet with their approval or disapproval – our judgment becomes blurred and we veer from our core values. When we find ourselves saying or doing things merely to please people or not saying or doing things to please people, we become men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers. So, what do we do? Seek God's approval and accept the fact that we'll never have a 100% approval rating from others. Be okay with that. John, who addressed this topic when he spoke about some religious leaders of his day, said it best, "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." (John 12:42-43) Human opinion can be fickle, so go for praise that comes from God! It's possible that everyone will have an opinion about you – and the more the Lord uses you, the more opinions there will be! Don't be disabled by the opinions of others; trust the Lord and accept these truths… 1. Some people like you; some people don’t. 2. Some people admire and respect you; some people despise and hate you. 3. Some people agree with you; some people like to argue with you. 4. Some people encourage you; some people criticize and tear you down. 5. Some people rejoice with you; some people rain on your parade. 6. Some people are thrilled with the changes in your life; some people dismiss it. 7. Some people love to see you break out of stereotypical paradigms; some people get mad. 8. Some people approve of your spouse, kids, hair, clothes, hobbies, style; some people dislike the whole package. 9. Some people see your potential; some people are threatened by it. 10. Some people are happy when you're blessed and successful; some people are jealous. So, what do we do? Let's go for the praise that comes from God! If you've found the opinions of others disabling you – make a change today. Trust in the Lord. When you are confident and clear in your heart that your decisions, actions and words are pleasing to the Lord then move forward – full steam ahead! Say It with me now: "Father, I know that everyone will have an opinion of me. Help me to not be overly concerned with the opinions of others; but rather help me to trust in You. Your opinion is the one that matters the most to me. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You. In Jesus' Name. Amen." Jeff and Beth Jones Ministries "We exist to help people get the basics." P.O. Box 745 - Portage, MI 49081 |
2 comments:
Awesome and timely post today. When we serve God, although not perfect, He shines through... and the world will hate us for what they see in us. They are jealous of what they think is us... It's not us, it's God in us. I'm beginning to be able to have some compassion on those people who need God as much as all of us, they're just to selfish to ask or admit it... How sad is that?
This is very inspirTional post and word from God to me. Thanks. I think that aometimes i want to please people so that i wont bring disgrace to the name of God. Dont know it its right? Have a nice day.
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