Fear of Man...

I've always struggled with the need for approval from man. I am compelled to act or not act many times by this addiction to people's praise. At its root it is ultimately pride. I want people to think well of me, respect me, like me, and praise me. As a child I desperately needed the acceptance of my peers in order to accept myself. If someone else didn't see something worthwhile in me, then I didn't either. It was truly God's grace in my life that kept me from making some monumental mistakes as I matured. Through God's continued grace in my life and the wisdom that comes from struggling with this sinful inclination in my heart I now walk in much greater freedom, but to say that this ugly insecurity doesn't return and deceive me every now and again would be a lie. For me this is a two fold issue. There is this insecurity that seeks to be filled by the praise of men, which is sinful. And, there is this pride that seeks to be made much of by men, which is sinful. Needless to say this, has been a major battle for some time and has hindered my effectiveness greatly. So, when I read this recent article posted on www.theresurgence.com I was impressed. Here are the highlites:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?–Proverbs 8:3–4

We often care about other people’s opinion more than we care about God’s opinion. We worry about our status among fellow humans because we fail to grasp our identity in Jesus. When we fear man, we’re vulnerable. (I addressed this issue recently in a sermon about The Parable of the Sower—how fear of man keeps us from bearing fruit in our lives.)

“The fear of man lays a snare,” the Bible says, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Here are eight consequences—snares—that can result from fear of man:

Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.

Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.

Lack of love. When we’re overly concerned with “getting it right,” we turn people into projects to accomplish. We withhold our compassion and grow reserved and calculating in our pursuit of people.

Fakeness. If you’re overly motivated by the opinions of others, you won’t act like yourself. You’ll be a chameleon, adapting yourself to any situation for the sole purpose of fitting in.

Apathy. Fear man and you’ll quit taking risks because of the potential for embarrassment in failure. If an endeavor is unlikely to succeed, you’ll never take the chance. In other words, you’ll never do much of anything.

Dishonesty. It’s tough to speak truth into someone’s life because the truth can be painful. If we fear somebody’s response, however, necessary words will remain unsaid because we care more about ourselves (being liked) than we do about the person (seeing Jesus work in their life). This negligence always creates more long-term damage than the hurt it avoids in the present.

Isolation. Fear of man won’t let you delegate anything because others might not do a good job (or they might do a better job), which could reflect poorly on your performance and reputation. Fear of man compels you to control everything—even if that means going it alone.

Decision Paralysis. When we live out of fear rather than out of the convictions God has given us, we spin in circles unable to move forward.

I invite you to join me in respecting and honoring others and submitting to authority, but also in repenting of our fear of man. Fear and worship are reserved for God. In the end, only his opinion counts.

To read more check out www.theresurgence.com .