People pleasing (1)

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare.” Pr 29:25 NIV

To ensure victory in battle, King Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel the prophet to come and offer a sacrifice to God. But as the day wore on and the people grew impatient, Saul offered the sacrifice himself. When Samuel demanded to know why, “Saul replied: ‘When I saw…the people…slipping away from me…I…offered the burnt offering.’ Samuel said…‘You have done foolishly…The Lord would have established your kingdom…now your kingdom will not continue’” (1Sa 13:11-14 NRS). Because Saul needed people’s approval, he lost everything. Speaking truthfully may not be easy or comfortable, but the Bible tells us to do it anyway, like Samuel did. People pleasing is inherently dishonest because you’re telling others what they want to hear, instead of what you need to say. Now, you can’t be rude and insensitive, but you can’t be intimidated either. Because somebody doesn’t want to hear the truth doesn’t negate your responsibility to speak it. Have you ever felt uneasy about something somebody asked you to do? One of the ways God leads us is through a sense of inner peace. Isaiah says you’ll be “led forth in peace” (Isa 55:12 NIV). And Paul writes, “Pursue…things which make for peace” (Ro 14:19 NKJV). When something doesn’t feel right, speak up. Say, “I don’t have peace about this.” People shouldn’t expect you to proceed until you do, but that rarely happens when others place demands on us. Jesus told His disciples when someone “will not receive…you nor listen to your message, as you leave…shake the dust…from your feet” (Mt 10:14 AMPC). When somebody’s reaction threatens to stop you from doing what you know is right—it’s time to shake it off and move on.

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