— DAY 11 —

Thursday 8 February, 2024





TRUST GOD ABOVE MAN


Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)
Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

Psalms 112:1 (NLT)
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.

Revelation 14:7 (NLT)
“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water

 

COMMENT
We are called to love other people and to treat them the way that we would want to be treated but we are not meant to fear them, their actions or their opinions.


There are many negative byproducts of fearing man above God, some of which include (You may think of others):

  1. We aren’t able to be the person that God truly created us to be.

  2. We don’t step out in faith for fear of what others may think.

  3. We don’t share Jesus with unsaved people in our lives for fear they will reject us.


Disapproval can be a powerfully destructive force in our lives that if not kept in check can immobilise us and stop us from stepping into all that God has for us. The apostle Paul said that he endeavoured to be all things to all men with the intent of winning them to Christ. His motivation is very clear. He wasn’t doing this to please them but to see them saved. In fact, in Galatians (1:10) he says, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” People pleasing can be exhausting and never pleases God. Pleasing people and pleasing God are like opposite poles of a magnet, one pushes you away from God and the other draws you closer.

When we have a healthy reverence for God, acknowledging him for who he truly is, and choosing to follow a path that pleases him above all else, then we see his favour and his blessing fall upon our lives. People pleasing binds us up, God pleasing bring freedom. People pleasing leads to frustration, God pleasing leads to intimacy.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Would you consider yourself to be more of a people pleaser or a God pleaser?

  2. Are you trying to be all things to all people in order to win them for Christ or to please them?

  3. In what ways is your people pleasing inhibiting your ability to be yourself, the person that God created you to be?

  4. What is your greatest hinderance to being a God pleaser?

 

PERSONAL CHALLENGE

Today, spend a minimum of 15min with God, no distractions, and be totally honest, share your heart and allow time for him to speak to you.

 

MAIN QUESTION (SELF REFLECTION)

What is God speaking to you about through this passage?

Encourage others by sharing your revelation in the group chat!
This is a self-reflection about what God is speaking directly to you about in YOUR life.
Words like “I” and “Me” are encouraged, “we” and “us” less so.

(On the Messages tab in Church Center)

 

PERSONAL PRAYER STARTER
Lord, reveal any area of my life in which I try to please people above pleasing you. My hearts desire is to please you. Help me to keep this at the forefront of my thinking. In Jesus name, amen.

 

14 DAYS OF PRAYER (Corporate Prayer)
Today we are praying for UNITY.
Possible prayer areas: Pray for unity in the body of Christ. Pray against attacks from the enemy and his divisive schemes. Pray for people to put aside their personal agendas to see His kingdom reign. Pray unity and reconciliation over the church. Pray that we would see God’s perspective above all else.