God does not want us to let the fear of man rob us of the gift of time.
“It was by faith that he (Moses) left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger: he held to his purpose like a man who could see the Invisible.”(Hebrews 11:27, The Jerusalem Bible)
Many times the will of God for your life is invisible to everyone but you. Do you realize no one else is responsible for having faith in His calling on your life, but you? God expects you to embrace and have faith in His plan for your life. Consider Moses. He could see God using him to deliver the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, even when the Hebrews couldn’t see it and Pharaoh didn’t like it. But, in order to walk in this type of faith and power, we have to get beyond the fear of people and their opinions.
One of the primary tools Satan uses to keep us out of the will of God for our lives is the fear of people. What will people think? What will people say? What will people do? These are all questions that must be ignored if the answers make us afraid to do what God has called us to do. For example, Moses was not afraid of the king’s anger when he left Egypt. Nor was he afraid of losing his riches, power and status in order to become the “deliverer” God called him to be.
Understand, it’s human nature to want to please people. This is not necessarily wrong. We all enjoy approval. However, when our need for man’s approval becomes greater than our need for God’s approval, we have a problem. When this happens we begin to let other people’s opinions and desires control our actions because we are desperately afraid of making them angry. Our desire to keep everyone happy can even lead us out of the will of God for our lives, if we allow it.
It’s difficult for someone with an “out-of-balance” need to please people to realize this desire is fear-based because catering to the needs of others is the Christian thing to do—right? Not always.
So, how can you tell if your good works are also “God-works” (tasks assigned and approved by God)? Ask yourself these questions before committing to any task:
- Am I doing this task just because I am afraid to say no?
- Am I doing this task just to keep the peace and avoid conflict?
- Am I doing this task just to gain favor and approval?
- Am I doing this task just to avoid experiencing someone’s anger and dissatisfaction?
- Am I doing this task just to feel needed?
- Does the thought of this task bring a sense of dread and a loss of peace?
Examine your motives. You may discover you spend a lot of time doing things to please people and waste a lot of time by not doing the things God has called you to do. In order to hold on to our purpose in life, we must master the use of our time. It is our right to decide how we will spend our time and it is no one else’s fault if we waste it. Remember, God does not want us to let the fear of man rob us of the gift of time, for…
“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, New Living Translation)
