I have always known that I am a people pleaser. I have said it for a long time! Tonight I watched a service online at LifeChurch.tv. Good Stuff. They are on week two of a series titled “You Don’t Have What IT Takes.” This series coincides with the book Craig Groeschel wrote, called It. Tonight’s sermon was about people pleasers.
I resonated with much of what was said. Here are a few of the key parts Craig talked about.
People Pleasers can be defined as people who 1)take most criticism personally, 2)feel an extraordinary fear of rejection, 3)find it hard to express their true feelings, and 4)have a hard time saying, “no.” This is me! I have learned to do better in these areas but continually struggle with them, especially saying “no.”
He went on to call this the “Disease to Please.” Pleasing people is a form of idolatry! Say What??? But that is so true. If I am trying to please all these people in my life, then I am not pleasing God! Wow! That notion really got me thinking. Here I have been doing all these extra things that are not bad, but, have been doing them for the right reason?…
Craig mentions that the fear of God is the best antidote for the fear of people. If people are too big in my life, then God is too small. I thought that was an interesting way to look at it. We always say, who comes first, but……really, who comes first??? Aren’t we serving God by serving people? Not quite! If people are ruling me, then God is too small in my life. When God becomes bigger in my life, then the opinions of people becomes smaller. When you know who God is…the people who controlled you loosen their grip on you. That is kind of deep. But I liked hearing it that way. It was easy, for some reason, to wrap my mind around.
My God is so big that I will not compromise His standards for what everyone else thinks!
…We are not trying to please men but God, who test our hearts….We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. 1 Thess 2:4, 6
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