We all want to be liked right? In fact the desire to be liked is part of human nature. People want to feel appreciated and have their good works recognised. However, the desire to be liked can become an idol in our lives if our desire for praise and approval supersedes our desire to please God. Many Christian women struggle in this area and it can play out in ministry, work, church ect.
When I first launched my blog site I started to become frustrated as not everyone I was sending it to was responding. I began to worry that people did not like my posts. It is very easy to become fixated on likes, shares and views especially when social media is so dominant. I began to question whether I was blogging to please God or to please people.
Many women fall into the trap of trying to please the guy that they like. Even Christian girls do this too. They seek validation from guys and place their value in the guys hands. This results in the girl doing everything to please the guy instead of God and they lose their self and purpose in the midst of it.
Dangers of living to please people:
Living to please people is draining and many people suffer from depression as a result of it. The reality is not everyone is going to like what you do. One of the most disappointing things a person can go through is trying to please someone and that person is not pleased.
It can also lead to fear and anxiety where you begin to fear people’s judgements or what they think of you. In many cases this drives people to want to please more and ends up becoming a vicious cycle as they end up becoming a slave to people’s opinions.
Some causes of living this kind of lifestyle can stem from low self-esteem, low self-worth or pride.
When it comes down to it, pleasing God is all that matters.
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”
~ 2 Corinthians 5:9 ~
Paul acknowledged that if he lived to please people and not God, he would not have been able to serve Christ fully. This drove him to serve God in all that he did.
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
~ Galatians 1:10 ~
Ask yourself today, are you living to please people or are you living to please God?
Some key points:
1. Keep your motives in check.
Always check your motives for what you are doing.
“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,”
~ Ephesians 6:5-6 ~
When we live to serve God with the aim of pleasing Him, He will reward us. In cultivating this lifestyle we will find joy, happiness and satisfaction. We will be fulfilled. Why? Because we know that we are fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives.
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
~ Colossians 3:23-24 ~
2. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
~ Matthew 5:16 ~
When you are doing something for God, do it with the aim to bring people to salvation. With this mentality it will be so much easier to give God the glory in what you are doing.
3. Have faith in God’s plan for you.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him…”
~ Hebrews 11:6 ~
God is faithful and will bring any assignment that He has given to you to pass. All He requires is for you to have faith.
4. Allow Jesus to fill you.
Jesus is the living water and only He can fill you. When we realise this all bonds of wanting to please people will be broken.
God has already shown you how much He loves you by paying the ultimate price on the cross. He has already shown you how valuable you are to Him by offering you the gift of salvation. God has also shown you that you are worth so much more and that you do not need to seek the approval of others when He created you so fearfully and wonderfully.
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”
~ Psalms 139:14 ~
Stay Blessed and Encouraged
Love Nkay
xoxo
We have lived in an age where “likes” are so monitored by society – even by us. Truly, pleasing God is a challenge these days. Your article is worth the read!
Amen!!! Great post 💖🙌🙏
We have to decide that we are going to live to please God and not man. That is a very hard lesson to learn at times. People pleasing kept me bound for so many years and I finally had to allow God to break tose chains.
I’ve definitely been there! I was often worried about the numbers (and still am at times!) and how people were responding or not responding. It’s SO frustrating when you’re obeying God and people don’t seem to care about what you’re doing. I love your points here at the end. All three are spot on, and I’m thankful for you spreading this truth today!
Even though I am at an age where this should not be a factor for me I found myself battling this last week. I finally had had enough of it and asked God to purge it out of me! I know I still need to surrender it every day but I definitely believe I’ve crossed over a bump in the road. Everything you share here is true and important to remember.
Great reminders! It’s especially hard as a blogger to not get pulled into living for the approval of others. I fall victim to it often, I need to remember what God says about me and the plans He has for me. They exist apart from what others say!
Whom are we pleasing in our actions and words? That’s what we ought to be thinking about…
This post is so good! Love the scriptures you used and the points are such great reminders, give God all the glory!! 🙂
I feel like I’m fighting this right now. I’m trying to focus on doing all for God and His glory with the understanding that I don’t know the plan He has for me. And learning to be content with that. No matter His path.
I absolutely love this! this is all so true. Int today’s world, more than ever because of technology, we consume ourselves with the opinions of others and how they see us. We lose sight on what is important because we are trying to “do it for the gram” and stop doing things for ourselves. We are in the world for a reason, to make a difference, and share God’s message but it is so easy to get caught up in the fantasy of it all. Everyone has an inherent want to be liked but we need to take time to realize there are certain people we should care about when it comes to their opinions and others who should just be white noise!