Having Fear of People
Brothers and sisters, I pray that once you have read this devotional you will be set free from the bondage of being a people pleaser. I pray that Father gives you a spirit of boldness to stand firm on His word, and I bind and cast the spirit of rejection back to the dry place from which it came. In Jesus name, Amen.
There are many dangers we as believers can find ourselves in. One being having a fear of people, but not fearing God. In the term fear, I speak of two definitions. The first meaning having reverence and the other meaning to to be afraid or to view someone as a threat. The Bible tells us we are to fear the Lord (read Proverbs 1:7, Psalms 34:9). To fear the Lord means to be in awe of Him, to obey Him, and to submit to Him. We are only to have this type of reverence for the Lord and NOT people. As we get further along in this devotional, I will leave you with a question. What individual(s) do you have as a god in your life?
Proverbs 29:25 (NCV) states, “Being afraid of people can get you into trouble, but if you trust the LORD, you will be safe.”
All the LORD requires from us is our obedience (read 1 Samuel 15:22). As you get further along with your walk with Christ, you realize that obedience and faithfulness go hand in hand. However, if you are constantly living your life according to how others may feel or think, you are not serving the LORD. Scripture tells us that we cannot serve two masters for either we will hate the one and love the other (Matthew 6:24). It is impossible to fulfill the purpose and plan the LORD has placed upon you if you're too busy serving (as in form of worship/deity) people.
In 1 Samuel 15, we see the reality of Proverbs 29:25 play out in the life of King Saul. I recommend you read 1 Samuel 15. For a bit of context, Saul was chosen to be King of Israel after the Israelites rejected the LORD as their king. Saul at one point walked with the LORD, but it would soon change in chapter 15. The LORD gave Saul the command to completely destroy the Amalekites. He also wanted Saul to kill women and infants, sheep, goats, and cattle (1 Samuel 15:3). Since Saul was afraid of the people, he did not take heed to the LORD’s instruction (1 Samuel 15:8-9 and 1 Samuel 15:24). Saul’s fear of people caused him to lose his kingdom as well as fellowship with the LORD.
I will share with you what a woman of God shared with me. The LORD is longsuffering, therefore He does not give up on people the way that people give up on people. If the LORD decides to walk away from an individual, that means there is no hope for them. Instead of Saul being king and carrying out the LORD’s instructions, he submitted to the will of the people and lost out on fellowship with the LORD.
For many of you, the LORD has been calling you to a particular task for a while. Instead of harkening to His voice, you chase after people. You don’t say certain things in fear of not being liked. You won’t do what the LORD has called you to do in fear of jeopardizing relationships or a position you might hold. As scripture says, “fear not the one that can kill the body. Fear the one that can kill the body and the soul” (Matthew 10:28). No mortal has the ability to place you in heaven or hell, but the LORD. If you truly follow the LORD then submit to Him always and fear Him, not people.