PROVERBS 29: FREE FROM FEAR

The phrase the fear of man describes the unhealthy fear of what other people may think of us, say about us, or do to us. It is not related to a fear of men in general, but the fear of being rejected, criticized, or judged. When we fear other people, we give them a measure of control over us, and that is not how God wants us to live. He wants us to allow the Holy Spirit—not the fear of what others may think or how they will respond—to lead us and direct our decisions.

We must choose between being people-pleasers and being God-pleasers—we can’t be both. The fear of man leads many people away from the will of God. Paul writes that he would not have become an apostle of Jesus Christ if he had tried to be popular with people (Galatians 1:10). We learn from his comment that in order to serve God and live in the center of His will, people will sometimes be displeased with us.

People want us to do what they want and what gives them pleasure, but God calls us to follow Him, no matter what it costs us. Jesus wasn’t popular with many people around Him, but He didn’t allow their opinions to control His choices. When God called me into ministry, many of my friends and family members rejected me because they thought what I was doing was wrong. I have now been in ministry for almost 45 years and can’t imagine how miserable my life would have been had I chosen to please people instead of pleasing God.

I urge you to always follow God even if He leads you into something that people disapprove of or do not understand. Don’t allow the fear of rejection to cause you to disobey God in order to please people because you will miss your opportunity to follow His plan for your life.

Remember, the fear of man is a trap, but if we trust God, we will be kept safe.