As with anything else in the Christian walk and life, we can’t do it on our own, in our own strength. We need to do what we can as Christians, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us grow in the Lord knowing that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
“Jesus, help me to apply the following to my life so it will become a reality in my everyday living. Thank you, Jesus.”
Wow, Ann and I listened to this message (see the youtube link below) by Pastor Paul Daugherty last night. It’s so true and really powerful. I hope you’ll view it.
“When you renew your mind to the Word of God, you begin to walk/live in the fear of God instead of the fear of man.”
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
“When I’m not trying to impress you, I’m actually able to love you more. When I fear you less, I can love you more. When you fear people less, you can actually love them more. You think you’re loving them by trying to be everything they want you to be, but as long as you’re fearing their approval, you can’t love them authentically. The authentic love flows from placing them off of the throne of your heart and putting God on the throne.”
Pastor Paul Daugherty
Without renewing your mind to the Word of God, you will not know where your identity lies.
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
1 Corinthians 4:1-4 (MSG)
Don’t miss who God has made you to be. Be free in Him. Choose to walk in the fear of the Lord.
OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF MAN | PAUL DAUGHERTY
God bless,
Mark