God Pleasers Are Christ Servants

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ? -Galatians1:10 (ESV)

Daughters of Fire, none of us would readily admit that we’re working to please man, but if we’re honest, we would see that we seek to please man above God. In the rearview of my life, I’ve had different seasons where I sought the approval of others above the approval of God.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be loved by my Mother so badly that I did things to win her approval. I just thought she didn’t love me, and how she treated me didn’t help those thoughts either. My biological father wasn’t present; he left when I was a baby, and visited once when I was six years old, so I spent most of my life looking for approval from others, and pleasing others, not knowing that the approval of my Heavenly Father superseded the approval of man.

Most times when we seek the approval of others, it’s because there is an identity issue; we simply don’t know who we are, and Whose we are. As a Mom, I’ve seen the mental and emotional battles that my sons had because they were simply trying to figure out who they were. Of course, over the years I’ve said to them, ‘Be yourself, God loves you just as you are,’ but it was hypocritical of me, because neither did I know who I was. As a Youth Leader and Teen Girls mentor, I’ve also seen the struggles of trying to win the approval of their peers or just trying to fit into the narrative of what the culture and their friends say they should be.

Paul, in speaking to the Galatians, was astonished at the behavior of the Galatians because they knew better; they knew the truth, but they were being influenced by others who were causing them to turn from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what happens when we seek the approval of others above the approval of God: we begin to compromise who God has called us to be. We become people pleasers, and most people pleasers would never admit that they are people pleasers. People pleasers are overachievers; they accomplish things because they want to be noticed, and they love praise. They are prideful, and they hide it in a false sense of humility that requires discernment to detect it.

Daughters of Fire, God is a jealous God. He wants us to seek Him first. He wants our thoughts to be His thoughts. He wants our ways to be His ways. Our heavenly Father requires obedience from His children. He requires holiness. he requires honesty and integrity, and if we are man pleasers, we have lost our integrity. Please God, Our Heavenly Father. Give honor where honor is due, but do not seek the approval of man over the approval of God. I am writing to you because I have been there in different seasons of my life. The Lord wants you to be free. We have a perfect example, Jesus Christ, who only did what His Father did, who only came to earth in perfect obedience to the Father.

Daughters of Fire, the Lord has called you; you are not too young or too old to be used by Him. He loves more than anyone can. His love is eternal and unconditional. Worship God and not man. We sometimes forget that we were created by Him for Him. When we seek His face, His heart, His mind, and His will above everything else, He honors it by honoring us. He makes our way secure, and He graces us for every season. I love you, Daughters of Fire, but there is our Heavenly Father who loves you more than you can ever imagine. What you are looking for can only be found in Him. Whom you seek is Him. The empty void can only be filled by Him. He is kind to those who seek to please Him, and He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. He can never be compared. He is all that you need or can ever desire. The Great Shepherd, who cares for His sheep.

I am a living testimony of His grace, His mercy, and His favor. Seek God’s face and not His hand. I am praying for you, like others prayed for me, to find the One who has eternal life. Only He can give you what you are thirsting for. Daughters of Fire, may He fill your life until all you see is Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you most. What we seek from others pales in comparison to what God has for us. We want a lake, and He has an ocean of purpose for us to dive into. Please God and God alone, because God pleasers are Christ servants.