Approval Addiction

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This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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Download the uns stapp and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you find your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.640 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.480 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:40.920 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:42.480 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.560 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:50.080 your life. God bless you. It's great to be with 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.840 you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with us 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:56.360 during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:59.680 social media, and you can come visit us in person. 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:01.640 I love to have you be a part of one 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.760 of our services. I like to start with something funny 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:07.840 and I heard about this mother. She was cooking breakfast 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:11.040 for her two young boys, Ryan was five and Kevin 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.960 was three. In they begin to argue over who should 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.280 get the first pancake. She saw this as an opportunity 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.520 to teach them a lesson. She said, boys, boys, if 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:23.440 Jesus were here, he would say, let my brother have 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:27.560 the first pancake. Ryan turned to his younger brother and said, Okay, Kevin, 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:32.160 you be Jesus say it like you mean it. This 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:34.760 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.560 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:40.200 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:44.000 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:47.280 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:52.040 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:56.120 to talk to you today about approval addiction. Too many 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:59.440 people make decisions based on what other people will think 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:03.520 about them. They run everything through a filter. How is 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:06.359 this going to make me? Look? How will my friends 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.160 my co workers perceive me? Will they be impressed, will 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:13.200 they applaud or will they look down on me? Will 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:16.880 they think less? Instead of being confident in who God 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:20.120 made them to be, they let the opinion of others 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:24.960 determine what they do. They don't realize they're addicted to approval. 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:31.120 Psychologists call this faupo FPO fear of other people's opinion. 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:34.120 And yes, we all want approval, we all want to 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:37.600 be light. But you can't become dependent on what other 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:41.880 people think about you. Everyone is not going to understand you. 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:46.480 Everyone won't celebrate you. There will be seasons when people 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:50.520 are for you, giving you approval, then times when they're not. 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.080 If you have that filter, I have to keep pleasing them. 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:57.720 I need them to approve me to feel good about myself. 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:00.880 Then you're letting them be in charge of who you are. 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:05.880 But your destiny is not predicated on other people's opinion 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.960 of you. Whether they like you, approve you does not 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:14.120 stop God's purpose for your life. When God laid out 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:17.480 your plan, he didn't have a committee, He didn't form 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.840 a group chat call twelve of your friends, say let's 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:25.120 get together, decide who they're going to be. No by himself, 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:29.400 he called you equipped. You gave you favor. If you 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:33.360 live trying to please people and gain their approval keep 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:36.520 everyone happy, you're going to be frustrated. That's going to 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.880 wear you out. You have to break free from what 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:43.120 people think about you. You don't have to have their approval. 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:47.120 You have Almighty God's approval. Don't live to please people, 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:51.360 Live to please God. He's the one that holds your destiny. 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:54.839 Promotion doesn't come from people, It comes from the Lord. 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.200 How much time and energy are you spending trying to 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:02.680 get approval, trying to be well liked, trying to keep 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:07.279 this friend impressed, stay in this coworker's favor. Take the 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.760 pressure off. You can't follow what God put in your 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:13.400 heart if you're always trying to play up to people. 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:17.080 What will they think? What if they don't approve? A 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:20.679 much better question is what will God think? I would 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:23.600 much rather spend my time pleasing Him than trying to 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:27.839 please people. The apostle Paul had all kinds of opinions 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:31.200 about him. At one time he was the biggest enemy 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.400 of the church, and then he became a believer. Some 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:39.480 people loved him, others were skeptical. Despite all this opposition, 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.359 he wrote almost half of the New Testament, impacted the 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:46.960 world in an amazing way. He gives us a secret 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:50.040 of how he handled the pressure, how he dealt with 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:53.840 all the opinions. He said in First Corinthians form It 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:57.719 matters very little to me what you or anyone else 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:02.200 thinks I have been faithful. Paul was saying, I'm not 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.839 looking to you for approval. I'm not basing my decisions 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.640 on what you think. Whether you like me or don't, 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:12.599 that doesn't change who I am. He wasn't trying to 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:16.680 please everyone. He was trying to please an audience of one, 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:19.560 the one who called him, the one who gave him 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.280 breath to breathe. He went on to say in that 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:26.840 next verse, my conscience is clear. He was saying, I've 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.520 done what God put in my heart to the best 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.920 of my ability. I've pursued the dreams and goals He's 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:37.720 placed in me. Some people didn't understand, some didn't approve. 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:42.240 But he wasn't ruled by their opinions. He wasn't insecure 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.719 to where he needed people to validate him. He didn't 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.760 have to fit into their mold. If he was addicted 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.960 to approval, we wouldn't have half of the New Testament. Now, 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:57.440 don't miss your greatness because you're dependent on people approving you. 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.640 Don't shrink back and let your dreams die still born 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.040 because you're worried about what they may think, what they 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:08.120 may say they may not accept you. Now that's an 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.400 addiction that needs to be broken. You have to be 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:15.360 like Paul, be bold, have that attitude. It matters very 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.880 little what people think, what they say. I don't need 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:21.480 their approval to do what God's called me to do. 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:25.360 If you're getting your approval from people, you're letting them 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:29.320 control you. Now, I'm not talking about never taking advice, 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.640 not listening to counsel. I'm saying, don't let their opinion 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:36.800 become more important than what God put in your heart. 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:41.680 If you can say, like Paul, my conscience is clear God, 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.480 I've searched my heart to the best of my ability. 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:46.800 I believe this is something you want me to do, 0:07:47.080 --> 0:07:49.880 that this is a part of my destiny. Then you 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.360 don't need twelve people to confirm it. You don't need 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:56.240 all your family to cheer you on, your friends and 0:07:56.280 --> 0:08:01.000 coworkers to approve You may not get that. Sometimes God 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:05.080 will cause people to withhold their approval. It's a test. 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:08.240 Are you going to let their lack of approval, their 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.600 opinion keep you from becoming who you were created to be. 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:14.840 When my father went to be with the Lord, I 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:18.160 stepped up to pastor the church, and I was insecure. 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:22.000 I didn't feel qualified. I was trying to figure everything 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:24.480 out and who I was going to be and how 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:27.080 I was going to lead, what direction the church was 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.960 going to go, And there were a lot of different opinions. 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:34.880 My personality type is to want to please people. I'm kind, 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.320 I'll do anything for you that can be good, but 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.400 it also can be a weakness. There were all these 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:45.640 different opinions, and I found myself tempted to make decisions 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:48.480 based on what people would think. And there was this 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.680 man that had been on staff with us at the 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.520 church for many years, a good friend of my father, 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:55.839 and I'd known him since I was a little boy 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:59.280 and always liked him. And one day he called and 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:02.720 started telling me everything I needed to do, how to minister, 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:05.720 how to run to church. We should do more of this, 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:10.680 less of that. He was very opinionated, very strong. He said, 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:13.160 if you don't do these things, Joel is all going 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:18.160 to go down. There's a fine line between advice and manipulation. 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:22.520 I'm always open for new ideas. The problem was nothing 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:26.320 he was telling me bore witness with my spirit, just 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:29.560 the opposite of what I was feeling. What I've learned 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.800 is you can hear God's voice for your life more 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.120 than anyone else. God is not going to speak to 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:41.120 someone else about your destiny and not tell you. Other 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:44.679 people may confirm it, they may encourage you, but if 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:47.320 it doesn't agree with your spirit, then you need to 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:52.079 dismiss it. Don't let other people squeeze you into their mam. Now, 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.720 I looked up to this man like a father figure 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:56.839 to me, and I thought, if I don't do what 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:00.200 he wants, then he's not going to approve me. He 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:03.360 may not support me, he may tell others try to 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.640 stir up trouble. All these reasons, said Joe, you need 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.920 his approval. You better take his opinion. Don't rock the boat. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.079 These are tests we have to pass. Am I going 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:16.720 to please people? Or am I going to please God? 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:20.319 I was afraid of what he would think, and afraid 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:23.200 he may be offended, afraid he might not like me. 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:29.120 The scripture says fearing people is a dangerous trap. Doesn't 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:32.959 say a bad trap, doesn't say it's unhealthy. It uses 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:37.440 the word dangerous. It's because if you fear people, you 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:41.120 can miss your destiny. If you let the opinion of others, 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.040 what will they think, what if they don't approve me. 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:46.839 If you let that hold you back, then you can 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.360 miss who you were created to be. And something rose 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:54.320 up in me like a holy boldness. I was respectful, 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.200 I was kind, but I was very strong. I said, 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:01.160 in effect, thanks, but no thanks, I'm not following your plan. 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:03.600 I'm going to follow what God put in my heart. 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:08.520 Sometimes you have to go alone. You have to do 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.760 it without the approval of those that you thought would 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:15.240 be for you. Other people may not see what God 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:18.679 put in you. They can't feel what you feel. He 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.400 wasn't happy. He told me how it wasn't going to 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.760 work out and how I was missing it, and he 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.440 ended up leaving the church. And I was so thrilled, 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.440 I mean disappointed, but I learned I didn't have to 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:34.680 have his approval. You and God are a majority. He 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:38.360 didn't approve me, but Almighty God shine down his favor. 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:43.200 Here's my point. Had I listened to that man and 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:46.840 let the fear of people determine my decisions, had I 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:50.559 let the opinion of others dictate my life, I wouldn't 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:55.079 be here today. We put too much emphasis on people's approval. 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:59.160 But people didn't call you people didn't crown you with favor. 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:01.720 People didn't I know you before you were formed in 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:05.480 your mother's wound. The most how God did quit worrying 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:09.680 about their opinions and get your approval from him. In 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:13.840 the scripture, God told Jeremiah that before he was born, 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:17.160 he had set Jeremiah apart and called him to speak 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:20.000 to nations, that he would be a prophet, that he 0:12:20.040 --> 0:12:25.439 would impact the culture. Jeremiah was a teenager, he felt unqualified. 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.440 God told him he would give him the words to speak, 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:31.160 and wherever he went, his hand of favor would be 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:35.520 on him. After God spoke all these incredible things told 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.520 him how he would be a history maker. God finished 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:42.320 by saying one last thing. He said, Jeremiah, don't be 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:47.520 afraid of the people. God knew that people wouldn't understand him, 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:51.240 that friends may not agree. He was saying, don't let 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.800 the opinion of others hold you back. Don't let what 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.520 they think, what they say, keep you from fulfilling your purpose. 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:03.320 God is that to us. Don't fear the people. If 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.440 they don't approve you, that's not going to stop your purpose. 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:09.720 What will stop you is if you let their opinion 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.840 become more important than what God has put in your heart. 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:18.040 The late nineteen fifties, my father was pastoring a successful church. 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.280 They had just built a brand new sanctuary held a 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:24.960 thousand people. That was unheard of back then. He was 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:28.199 on the state board for his denomination. Life was good. 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.160 My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral Paul's 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.560 in The doctors told my parents that she would probably 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:38.680 never be able to walk or feed herself. Of course, 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.360 they were devastated. My father went to a hotel downtown 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:45.840 to spend a few days alone, reading his Bible and praying. 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:50.280 He saw how all through the Scripture Jesus went around 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:54.320 healing people, and how the Holy Spirit brings power and victory. 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:57.560 He had been taught that God didn't heal now that 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.640 was just for back then. But that day his eyes 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.800 were open. He came back to his church with this 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:07.680 new fire and this new faith he began sharing with them. 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:10.760 He thought everyone would be excited, but it was just 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:15.079 the opposite. It didn't fit into their tradition. My father 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.439 could have shrunk back, thought, I don't want to rock 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.120 this boat. I don't want people to not like me. 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:23.400 I'll go back to what I used to be. He 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:27.680 could have feared the people let their disapproval override what 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:31.600 God put in his heart. Instead, he chose to please God. 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:36.160 Some people didn't like it. They got upset. They ended 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:39.440 up asking my parents to leave the church. But the 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:42.760 scripture says it is better to obey God than to 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:46.720 obey people. Now will be these times where you have 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.280 to make a decision. Am I going to stick with 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.280 my convictions. Am I going to be who God made 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:54.720 me to be? Or am I going to let the 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:57.960 approval of people? Am I going to let their opinion 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:03.200 determine my destiny? If you suffer from approval addiction, if 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:05.880 you're not confident in who you are and you need 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:09.800 people to validate you, you'll always shrink back and let 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:13.600 them control your future. But what God has for you, 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:16.960 it's going to take boldness. He's going to take you 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:20.120 where no one in your family has gone. You're going 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:24.080 to be a pioneer, a trendsetter, like with my father. 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:30.040 Everyone won't understand. Everyone won't approve you. You may have critics, 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.080 people that try to discredit you, and the ones that 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:36.360 used to cheer you on now they're finding fault. That's 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:38.880 when you have to dig your heels in and say, 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:42.800 I'm not moved by who's not for me. Jesus told 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:47.440 the religious leaders in John chapter five, your disapproval means 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:51.280 nothing to me. He wasn't dependent on who liked him, 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.280 who didn't support him, who used to be for him. 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:59.200 He got his approval from his heavenly father. My parents 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:01.880 went out and start to Lakewood on Mother's Day in 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:06.000 nineteen fifty nine. Instead of a beautiful new auditorium, they 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:09.720 had this old, run down feed store, had holes in 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.280 the floor, dirty and smelly, and they cleaned it up 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.200 and put some wood chairs in it. One of my 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:19.120 father's good friends came by, said, John, what in the 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:22.160 world are you doing out here pastoring this little church. 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.680 He couldn't understand it. Some people made fun of my 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:30.200 father laugh These are tests that we have to pass. 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.520 Are we going to depend on people's approval to do 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:35.960 what God's put in our heart? Are we going to 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:39.600 let their opinions? What will they think? How will I 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:42.360 be seen? What if they look down on me? We're 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:46.040 going to let that determine who we become. It's dangerous 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.160 to fear the people on the way to your destiny. 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:52.360 There will be people that don't celebrate you. You don't 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:56.680 get the support, the encouragement. It's just between you and God. 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:59.400 That's where you have to set your face like a 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.200 flint and say, God, I'm not living to please people, 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.400 I'm living to please you. People love my father back 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:10.119 then as long as he was in their mold, as 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:13.080 long as he stayed who he was. But when he 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:16.280 stepped into a new level, that's when certain people didn't 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:20.840 like it. The opposition, the critics came. When God takes 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.520 you higher, don't be surprised if you don't get approval 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:28.240 from some of your friends, some of your family. They'll 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:31.359 tell you you've changed, You're not who you used to be. 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.639 They want to keep you in that same box. But 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:37.840 where God is taking you, it's somewhere that you've never been. 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:41.679 And the fact is all of your friends can't handle 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:45.200 where you're going. All of your relatives can't handle the 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:50.560 favor and influence. But it's tempting to let their disapproval, 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:55.040 their negative comments, their doubt, to cause you to get stuck. 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:58.520 Like man, if they'd only support me, they just change 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:02.080 their mind. If they just before me, you don't need 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.600 their approval. When they tell you you've changed, You're not 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.840 who you used to be. Tell them you're right. I'm growing, 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.880 I'm stepping up to new levels. My gifts are coming 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:16.119 out in new ways. It's not a bad thing to change, 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:19.879 but some people can't handle it. If you're depending on them, 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.840 it will keep you from moving forward. Those critics told 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.800 my father that Lakewood wouldn't last, that he was making 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:29.960 a big mistakes. But here we are, sixty four years later, 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:35.240 still going strong. Here's what I'm saying. God knows what 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:39.440 he's doing, he knows where he's taking you. I think 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.600 about if my father would have been addicted to approval, 0:18:43.000 --> 0:18:45.760 he'd have never rocked the boat. He would have stayed 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:50.040 there and let people's opinions control him. My sister Lisa 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:53.200 wouldn't be healed, I wouldn't be up here. He would 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:57.120 have never seen the fullness of his destiny. Sometimes we're 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:01.040 so concerned about what people think. What would they say, Well, 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:03.880 they have a good opinion of me. We're spending all 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:07.800 this time and energy trying to perform for people, win 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:12.120 them over, make a good impression, hopefully they'll validate us. 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:16.480 We're getting our approval from the wrong place. It was 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:20.320 never meant to come from people, but from God. When 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:23.199 you're secure in who He made you to be, you 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:28.080 know you're valuable, talented, attractive, a masterpiece, then you don't 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.600 have to have all the outside validation. And we're living 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:36.280 in a day where people can express their opinion easier 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:40.479 than ever, not just in person, but now on social media. 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:46.600 You have quote friends on Facebook, you have followers on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok. 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:51.119 Some people you've never met, living one thousand miles away, 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:54.160 yet they have an opinion on what you wear, what 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:57.120 you believe, how you raise your children, what you had 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:00.920 for dinner last night. They've never talked to you, never 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.439 got to know who you are, never sat down and 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.840 had lunch. Why are you worrying about what they think? 0:20:07.480 --> 0:20:10.760 Why are you trying to impress them? Given time and 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:15.200 energy responding to their comments, trying to explain what you meant. 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:20.800 Some people are determined to misunderstand you. Their comment is 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:24.880 not really about you. It shows what's in them. They 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:28.640 have issues they haven't dealt with. They're angry, they're upset, 0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:32.920 they don't like themselves. Don't be surprised if they find 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:36.720 fault with you. No offense, but they're not going where 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:41.159 you're going. If you try to please everyone when their approval, 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.360 you'll not only miss the new levels that belong to you, 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:47.960 but you'll miss the joy, the peace, the victory of 0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:52.399 this day. And the problem with living for approval is 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:56.600 we can lose who we really are so busy trying 0:20:56.600 --> 0:20:59.160 to be what everyone else wants us to be. That's 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.320 when life gets confusing. You have to do like Paul 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:05.960 and search your own heart. When your conscience is clear, 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:09.240 when you know where God is leading you follow that 0:21:09.320 --> 0:21:13.720 still small voice. Don't get distracted trying to get everyone 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:16.840 on board. It's a lot of pressure to live trying 0:21:16.880 --> 0:21:20.199 to please people, convince them to be for you so 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:24.200 you can pursue what's in your heart. After high school, 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:27.359 I went off to college and always knew that I 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:29.640 wanted to come back to the church and work here 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:32.600 and start a television ministry. From the time I was 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.320 a little boy, like ten years old, I love cameras 0:21:35.359 --> 0:21:38.679 and editing and lighting, and I used to run the 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:41.719 cameras as a teenager during the services, and I'd come 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:44.240 down on the weekends and play with all the equipment. 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:49.080 I studied television production in college, but after that first 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:52.359 year I felt very strongly that I was supposed to 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:53.680 come back and get started. 0:21:54.200 --> 0:21:54.280 Now. 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:57.760 I'm all for education. My brother Paul's a surgeon. He 0:21:57.800 --> 0:22:02.040 went to college for forty seven years. All my sisters 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:05.639 have their degrees, and I have friends that graduated sumacome 0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:08.040 laud and I finished that first year and thought, Lord, 0:22:08.119 --> 0:22:12.400 have mercy. But I knew this was the time God 0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:15.679 was leading me. But I wondered what people would think. 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:19.160 Would they look down on me? Or if they think 0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:22.919 I wasn't able to finish college? What if they discount me? 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:26.440 There was this struggle in my mind. I finally told 0:22:26.440 --> 0:22:29.160 my father and he was all for it. He said, George, 0:22:29.240 --> 0:22:32.160 just follow what God put in your heart. My mother 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:37.320 not so much. She took prayer and fasting. God's plan 0:22:37.440 --> 0:22:40.560 for your life may be different than others in your family. 0:22:41.240 --> 0:22:44.840 It may be out of the ordinary, not a traditional approach. 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:48.680 Only you can hear that voice. There'll be a temptation 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:51.760 to stay in the box. People aren't going to approve 0:22:52.160 --> 0:22:54.320 just do what everyone else is doing. No, you have 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:57.520 to be bold, step in to who God has made 0:22:57.520 --> 0:22:59.840 you to be. When you do the right, George will 0:22:59.840 --> 0:23:03.600 owe open You'll discover talent and ability that you didn't 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:06.760 know you had. Don't let the fear of people what 0:23:06.880 --> 0:23:10.920 they're going to think keep you from your greatness. Tewod Samuel, 0:23:11.000 --> 0:23:14.600 chapter six. David and his men had just recovered the 0:23:14.720 --> 0:23:18.080 ark of the Covenant that represented where God lived, and 0:23:18.480 --> 0:23:21.359 it had been stolen, and now some twenty years later 0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:25.760 it was being returned. The priests were carrying it into Jerusalem. 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:30.360 There was this huge celebration, shouts of joy, trumpets blowing, 0:23:30.440 --> 0:23:34.560 and crashing symbols. This was a day they had dreamed about. 0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:38.040 David was wearing a long priestly robe, and he was 0:23:38.080 --> 0:23:41.600 so excited. He danced with all of his might. Here 0:23:41.640 --> 0:23:44.680 he was this distinguished leader, but he didn't hold back. 0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:48.400 He was out there celebrating the goodness of God. Well. 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:52.879 His wife, Michell, this was King Saul's daughter, was watching 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:56.520 from an upstairs window. She saw him dancing and leaping, 0:23:56.520 --> 0:23:59.000 and at times his robe would open up and you 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:02.520 could see his legs. The scripture says she was filled 0:24:02.560 --> 0:24:07.080 with contempt, and she despised what David was doing. When 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:09.760 David came home, she let him have it. She said, 0:24:09.800 --> 0:24:13.120 how glorious the king of Israel looked today, out there 0:24:13.200 --> 0:24:16.800 dancing like a fool, letting the young women see your legs. 0:24:17.440 --> 0:24:20.919 David said, listen, Michelle, I wasn't dancing under you. I 0:24:21.040 --> 0:24:24.520 was dancing under God. I'm willing to act like a 0:24:24.560 --> 0:24:29.480 fool to show my gratefulness for what he's done. David 0:24:29.600 --> 0:24:32.840 was saying, respectfully, what you think of me is not 0:24:32.880 --> 0:24:35.680 going to keep me from being who I am. Your 0:24:35.760 --> 0:24:39.600 disapproval is not going to stop me from fulfilling my purpose. 0:24:40.520 --> 0:24:44.840 David wasn't controlled by other people's opinions. He didn't worry 0:24:44.880 --> 0:24:48.520 about what people thought. We all have some mishalls in 0:24:48.600 --> 0:24:52.240 our life. You're honoring God, you're being your best, and 0:24:52.280 --> 0:24:55.600 they're finding fault. They're looking down on you. Why don't 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.240 you come party with us anymore? Why do you go 0:24:58.280 --> 0:25:01.600 to church every week? Can you stay faithful in your marriage? 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:03.720 Come on, lighten up a little bit now, be a 0:25:03.840 --> 0:25:08.640 David had the attitude, I don't need your approval. I'm 0:25:08.680 --> 0:25:11.680 not making decisions based on your opinion of me. I'm 0:25:11.680 --> 0:25:15.200 gonna keep God first place. I'm gonna live with integrity. 0:25:15.440 --> 0:25:17.679 I'm gonna take the high road. I'm gonna do the 0:25:17.760 --> 0:25:21.879 right thing when it's hard. Don't let people talk you 0:25:21.920 --> 0:25:26.359 into compromising, lowering your standards. They may not approve you, 0:25:26.800 --> 0:25:31.119 but God approves you. He's one that matters. There was 0:25:31.200 --> 0:25:34.480 another leader named King Saul. He was the first king 0:25:34.600 --> 0:25:39.639 of Israel. For Samuel fifteen. God told him to completely 0:25:39.720 --> 0:25:43.240 destroy the Amalekites. Do not spare any of them, the people, 0:25:43.640 --> 0:25:47.280 the livestock, not take any of their possessions. Saul went 0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:50.280 out and defeated the enemy, but he spared the king, 0:25:50.760 --> 0:25:53.040 and he kept the best sheep and the best cattle, 0:25:53.480 --> 0:25:56.920 gathered up some of the spoils. The next morning, Samuel 0:25:56.920 --> 0:25:59.720 went to Saul, said, why didn't you do what God 0:25:59.760 --> 0:26:02.120 told you to do? Saul said, what do you mean 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:05.240 I did? I wiped them out. Samuel said, then why 0:26:05.240 --> 0:26:08.400 do I see those sheep? Why do I hear those cows? 0:26:09.040 --> 0:26:12.760 Saul said, old Samuel, that's nothing. We kept those animals 0:26:12.960 --> 0:26:15.840 so we can sacrifice them to the Lord. We kept 0:26:15.880 --> 0:26:19.600 a little bit of the plunder. Samuel said, Paul, God 0:26:19.680 --> 0:26:24.000 would rather have your obedience than your sacrifices. Saul ran 0:26:24.040 --> 0:26:27.719 out of excuses. He finally got honest and told the 0:26:27.760 --> 0:26:30.359 real reason that he didn't do it. He said, in 0:26:30.440 --> 0:26:34.359 verse twenty four, I disobeyed because I was afraid of 0:26:34.400 --> 0:26:39.119 the people. I did what they demanded. One reason Saul 0:26:39.160 --> 0:26:43.359 lost the kingdom was he was addicted to approval. He 0:26:43.480 --> 0:26:47.480 based his decisions on other people's opinion what they would 0:26:47.520 --> 0:26:50.879 think about him. The scripture says in verse ten, the 0:26:50.960 --> 0:26:54.440 Lord said to Samuel, I am sorry that I made 0:26:54.480 --> 0:26:58.000 Saul king. It's one of the saddest scriptures in the Bible. 0:26:58.480 --> 0:27:01.160 It's the only place I can find where God says, 0:27:01.320 --> 0:27:04.639 I'm sorry. I gave them my blessing. I'm sorry I 0:27:04.680 --> 0:27:07.879 showed them my favor. What did Saul do that was 0:27:07.920 --> 0:27:12.080 so bad. He didn't deny Jesus like Peter did. He 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:15.439 didn't betray Jesus like Judas. He didn't mock him like 0:27:15.480 --> 0:27:20.160 the soldiers. What made God sorry was Saul let other 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:24.760 people's opinions keep him from obeying. He lived for the 0:27:24.800 --> 0:27:29.200 approval of people rather than the approval of God. Look 0:27:29.240 --> 0:27:32.639 at the difference between Saul and David. David danced with 0:27:32.720 --> 0:27:35.680 all of his might. He didn't care what other people thought. 0:27:36.200 --> 0:27:39.359 But Saul said, I'm afraid of the people. I need 0:27:39.359 --> 0:27:43.200 their approval. David went on to become the greatest king 0:27:43.240 --> 0:27:46.800 that ever lived. Saul had the throne taken away from him. 0:27:48.040 --> 0:27:52.040 Is fear of other people's opinions holding you back? Are 0:27:52.080 --> 0:27:55.840 you sacrificing who you are because you're addicted to approval, 0:27:56.400 --> 0:27:59.720 worried about what everyone thinks? This is your day to 0:27:59.720 --> 0:28:03.360 be free. God is doing a new thing where he's 0:28:03.400 --> 0:28:06.920 about to take you. Is going to take boldness, courage 0:28:07.119 --> 0:28:10.800 to break out of them all. Everyone's not going to understand. 0:28:11.359 --> 0:28:14.640 Some people won't give you their approval. That's okay. You're 0:28:14.640 --> 0:28:17.720 not a Saul, You're a David. You're not living to 0:28:17.760 --> 0:28:21.720 please people. You're living to please God. Because you're getting 0:28:21.760 --> 0:28:25.600 your approval from him. I believe and declare you're gonna 0:28:25.600 --> 0:28:30.320 step into new levels of favor. New doors are opening light. David. 0:28:30.400 --> 0:28:34.600 You're gonna rise higher, accomplish dreams, and reach the fullness 0:28:34.640 --> 0:28:38.480 of your destiny in Jesus's name, And if you receive it, 0:28:38.640 --> 0:28:42.239 can you say amen? I'd like to give you an 0:28:42.240 --> 0:28:45.960 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:28:46.000 --> 0:28:50.400 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent 0:28:50.440 --> 0:28:54.200 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:28:54.360 --> 0:28:58.080 my Lord and savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, 0:28:58.120 --> 0:29:00.920 we believe you got born again, we'd love to send 0:29:00.960 --> 0:29:03.440 you some pre information on your new walk with the Lord. 0:29:03.880 --> 0:29:05.800 You can text the number on the screen or go 0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:08.680 to the website. I hope you'll get into a good 0:29:08.800 --> 0:29:13.200 Bible based church and keep God first place. Thanks so 0:29:13.280 --> 0:29:16.640 much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe 0:29:16.800 --> 0:29:19.520 so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you 0:29:19.640 --> 0:29:21.760 encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:21.920 --> 0:29:24.160 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:24.160 --> 0:29:27.600 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:29:27.720 --> 0:29:30.320 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:30.400 --> 0:29:30.960 us today. 0:29:31.200 --> 0:29:33.640 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:33.720 --> 0:29:36.520 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:36.600 --> 0:29:39.720 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:39.720 --> 0:29:40.560 see you next time. 0:29:42.600 --> 0:29:45.080 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:29:45.120 --> 0:29:48.880 for their mental health struggles. 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