Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; but let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.

— 1 Peter 3:3-4 (AMPC)

Sometimes we are more concerned with outward things than we should be and are not nearly concerned enough about our inner life. If we paraphrase today’s Scripture, we could say, “God may like your outfit, but He is not nearly as concerned about your outer appearance as He is with the inner condition of your heart.”

It is very important that we live our lives with godly character and the inner qualities that matter to God. Most people spend a lot of time getting dressed each morning and making sure they look just right, and that is a good trait. But we should first and foremost spend time making sure we are right in our thoughts and attitudes, because we cannot have good behavior unless we begin with a right heart attitude.

Take some time each morning to “set your mind” in the right direction. Confess any sin you have committed, forgive anyone you have anything against, and cast all your care on God concerning situations that are bothering you. With your mind set in the right direction, you will be able to be a good example to others throughout the day.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, help me develop such inner strength and peace that I can handle every situation in a way that represents You well to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!

— Ephesians 3:17 (AMPC)

If you are born again, you hopefully know that Jesus lives on the inside of you through the power of the Holy Spirit. The question is, is God comfortable in you? Does He feel at home within you? Even though the Spirit of God lives within you, other things live in you too—such as fear, anger, jealousy, or murmuring and complaining. God once gave me an illustration of what it is like for Him to live in a heart where murmuring, complaining, and discord reside. Suppose you go to a friend’s house and your friend says, “Oh, come on in. I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Get comfortable and make yourself at home.” Then, your friend begins yelling at her husband and the two of them rant and rave and carry on right in front of you. How comfortable would you be in the presence of such strife?

If we want to be a comfortable “home” for the Spirit of the Lord, we must give up things that cause us to forget about His presence or are offensive to Him. We must stop grumbling, allowing strife and unrest inside us, or harboring unforgiveness. Instead, we need to make sure our inner lives are engaged in things that please and honor God’s presence. Our mouths should be full of praise and thanksgiving. We should wake up every day and say in our hearts, “Good morning, Lord. I want you to feel at home and be comfortable in me today.” We all need to take inventory of what goes in our hearts because they are the dwelling place of God. When we examine our inner lives, we are looking at holy ground where God has chosen to make His home. Let’s commit to making Him comfortable in us.

Prayer Starter: Father, please show me what needs to go so that You feel as comfortable as possible living inside my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.

— Isaiah 32:17 (AMPC)

Through the years, many people tried to hold me back from God’s call on my life. There were those who did not understand what I was doing and why I was doing it, so they judged me falsely. At times their criticism and judgment made me want to “sit down” and forget about my vision from God.

But I had a big God standing up on the inside of me, and “sitting down” was not an option to me. He caused me to stand up on the inside and be determined to go forward no matter what others thought, said, or did. It was not always easy, but I learned from my experience that being frustrated and unfulfilled due to being out of the will of God is more difficult than pressing through all the opposition.

Standing up on the inside does not mean being rebellious or having an aggressive attitude toward those who don’t understand us. It means having a quiet inner confidence that takes us through to the finish line. It is knowing inside that despite what is happening on the outside, everything is going to be all right because God is on the scene, and when He is present nothing is impossible.

Prayer Starter: Lord, Your presence in my life changes everything about me. Help me to stand up alongside You for all that You want me to do and say and be, amen.

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However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him—

— 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

We rush to get every new upgrade available for our computer and phone. We spend money, wait in lines, do whatever it takes to have the newest and best. We are very aggressive about having the best equipment available, but are we as aggressive about having the upgraded life Jesus offers us?

The Bible says that the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter every day (Prov. 4:18). This means God is always drawing us toward better and better things. He continually offers upgrades, and we should be determined to have each one of them.

Living the best life God has for you will require some effort on your part. You will need to educate yourself on the life He offers and what it truly means to be born again. As a child of God, you have an inheritance and you have certain rights and privileges, but if you don’t know about them, you will never enjoy them. We educate ourselves through Bible study, reading good books about biblical principles, spending time with God, and being in community with other people who are seeking God as we are. We also need a lot of patience because God is usually not in a hurry. He is always working in our lives, but we are not always aware of it.

Simply going to church once a week doesn’t necessarily help you attain the upgraded life you desire. It helps, but you will have to also seek God diligently every day of your life, not just once or twice a week. God has provided countless tools for us to help us grow, but we must avail ourselves of them. I want to challenge you to set aside at least 45 minutes to an hour a day and call it your “God Time.” Make it a goal, and if you need to begin with less time, that is okay because gradually you will desire more. During that time, you can study your Bible, talk to God in prayer, listen to a Bible teaching, read a book that will help you under- stand the Bible better, or simply sit in God’s presence and receive His love.

If you do this diligently, you will find over time that you have changed and are enjoying yourself and your life much more than ever before. Any good relationship requires time, and your relationship with God is no different. God has so many wonderful things in His plan for you, and during this time you will learn what they are and how to access them. You can’t use what you don’t know you have! For example, you have a Helper, who is the Holy Spirit, and He is with you all the time. Anytime you need help with anything, all you need to do is ask. This and many other wonderful things are yours in Christ, so get busy learning about them and start enjoying the upgraded life Jesus died for you to have.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for wanting to be in fellowship with me. Bring out everything I need to learn from studying Your Word so that my upgrade would be everything You want it to be. In Jesus’ name, amen!

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By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls.

— Luke 21:19 (AMPC)

You need to learn not to let your mind and emotions get the best of you, especially when it involves things over which you have no control.

Suppose you are on your way to an important interview and get caught in a traffic jam. How do you react? Is it worth getting all upset and throwing some kind of fit? Wouldn’t it be much better for you and everyone else if you just remained calm, even if you were late for the interview? If you have done your best God will do the rest.

Refuse to get wild when things don’t go as you planned. Refuse to allow your mind, will, and emotions to rule your spirit. In your patience you will learn to possess your soul.

Prayer Starter: Lord, thank You for loving me. Because of You, I no longer need to get upset over things I can’t do anything about. Help me to stay calm. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

— 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

The closer we get to God, the more opportunities He gives us to serve others. I say “opportunities” because that is the way we need to view serving others. Every time we serve others, it not only blesses them, but it also brings tremendous joy to our lives. Jesus gave us an example of being a servant by washing the feet of the disciples and then saying, …You should do [in your turn] what I have done to you (John 13:15 AMPC).

Some people fail to live as servants because they don’t know who they are in Christ. They feel they must be doing something they consider “important” to find a sense of self-worth. They fail to understand that their identity comes from who they are in Christ, not how prestigious their career or platform is. When you are secure in your place in Christ, and when you find your strength and confidence in God, you take great joy in helping others every chance you get.

The “servant test” is simply how we respond to the opportunities God gives us to be a blessing to others. It reveals whether we really and truly want to be like Jesus. God has blessed and made us a blessing! God’s blessings are never meant to be consumed solely on ourselves, but always to be shared with those around us.

Look for ways to serve others today, including those in your own home. This will be a great experience for you and for them.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me opportunities to serve others. Please help me to never miss one of those opportunities, amen!

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Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

— Matthew 6:25, 27 (NIV)

I wonder how many times the statement “I’m worried about . . .” is spoken each day. Millions of people use this phrase, but what is the point of it? Does worry change anything? No. So why keep doing it?

Start listening to yourself and other people, and each time you hear “I’m worried,” say to yourself, worry is useless, and I refuse to do it. If we thoroughly realize the foolishness of it, maybe we will stop saying it and doing it.

Instead of saying, “I’m worried,” replace those negative, useless words with “I trust God.” When you say you trust God, His power is released to work in your life. Study God’s Word, remember His faithfulness to you in past situations, and be determined to stop wasting your time worrying.

Prayer Starter: Father, I trust you to help me not waste time worrying over things only You can fix! In Jesus’ name, amen.

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But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

— 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV)

A person without confidence is like an airplane sitting on a runway with empty fuel tanks. The plane has the ability to fly, but without some fuel, it’s not getting off the ground. Confidence is our fuel. Our confidence, our belief that we can succeed, gets us started and helps us finish every challenge we tackle in life. Without confidence, we will simply live in fear and never feel fulfilled.

Confidence allows us to face life with boldness, openness, and honesty. It enables us to live without worry and to feel safe. It enables us to live authentically. We don’t have to pretend to be somebody we’re not, because we are secure in who we are—even if we’re different from those around us. I firmly believe that confidence gives us permission to be different, to be unique. God has created every person in a unique way, yet most people spend their lives trying to be like someone else— and feeling miserable as a result. Trust me on this: God will never help you be some other person. He wants you to be you!

Prayer Starter: Lord, I want to be able to say confidently that by Your grace I am what am. I confess that Your grace has never been in vain in my life, and I ask you to bring more confidence to my life to be who I am – the person You created me to be, amen.

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He fashions their hearts individually.

— Psalm 33:15 (NKJV)

Psalm 33:15 speaks about us as individuals. Because God has fashioned our hearts individually, our prayers need to flow out of our hearts and be consistent with the way He has designed us. As we develop our individual styles of communication with God, we can learn from people who may be more experienced than we are, but we need to be careful not to imitate them or allow them to set standards for us. I hope to be an example to many, but I want Jesus to be their standard. There is nothing at all wrong with incorporating something someone else is doing into your own prayer life if you truly feel God’s Spirit is leading you to do so, but it is wrong to force yourself to do what others do if you are not comfortable with it in your spirit.

I encourage you to develop your own style of talking to God and listening to His voice. Don’t try to keep up with others or copy their prayer styles—and don’t feel compelled to work every “prayer principle” you have ever learned every time you pray. Just be who you are, remembering that God has fashioned you just the way He wants you to be, that He takes pleasure in who you are, and that He wants to speak to you in unique and personal ways.

Prayer Starter: Thank You, God for making me unique and for being my standard! I love you! In Jesus’ name, amen!

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[So] they summoned them and imperatively instructed them not to converse in any way or teach at all in or about the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must decide (judge). But we [ourselves] cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.

— Acts 4:18–20 (AMPC)

What is your boat? Is it a boat of passivity and indecision? Is there something crying out in you, “I wish I had a life . . . had some friends . . . could lose some weight . . . could have some fun . . could get out of debt. I want to be free!” Well, get up and get out of the boat. Get going. Stop whining and moaning about it. You are the only one who can do anything about it. Take responsibility for your life.

You can pray until you’re blue in the face for God to make it happen miraculously, but what if God is saying you have to confront it yourself and deal with it yourself? Are you too afraid to do it? Perhaps you feel that if you make no decisions, you can’t be wrong. And if you make no decisions, you think you have no responsibility. But you have to stay in the boat and take the consequences.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I hate being lulled into passivity and staying trapped when You are calling me to action. With Your help, I will take responsibility for my life today and start turning my wishes into reality, amen.

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…The LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.

— Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV)

The world’s way of dealing with people who have hurt us is to try to get revenge. We don’t have to look farther than the daily news to hear about someone who has tried to take revenge on another person for some reason. Many times, the person taking revenge is determined not simply to hurt the person who hurt them, but to do something worse.

One of the facts of life is that people will hurt each other. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). This means we will be hurt at times and even suffer injustice. But we are not to try to avenge ourselves. Bringing justice is God’s job. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:19 (ESV): Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the LORD.”

I have studied the character of God thoroughly, and one aspect of His character that gives me great comfort is the fact that He is just. The simplest way I know to explain this is to say that God will always make wrong things right. I have personally experienced God’s justice in many situations. When I am going through something I feel is unjust or unfair to me, I have learned to trust God to make it right in His own way and in His timing. As long as we are trying to get revenge, the person who hurt us is still controlling us, but when we give it to God, we are set free.

Life is not always fair. Sometimes people hurt us in ways that are terribly unjust. If you have ever been completely innocent in a situation and suffered in those circumstances anyway, you know what I mean. If anyone has ever treated you in a way you did not deserve—such as a friend or a family member who hurt you deeply when you had been nothing but good to that person— you also know what I mean. But thank God, He is always fair. He understands justice and injustice better than we do, and He sees every wrong thing that happens to us. And He makes it right.

I encourage you today to trust God to bring justice to every injustice that has happened to you. Trusting Him in this way will relieve you completely of feeling you have to somehow take revenge on people who have hurt you. Trusting Him to bring justice means never again wondering how you can get back at someone or trying to figure out how you can make the person pay for what he or she did to you. Remind yourself often that God is just and that He will bring justice to you. It may not happen the way you envision or as soon as you would like, but He will do it.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I trust You to bring justice to my life, making every wrong situation right. Amen.

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So then, let us [apostles] be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards (trustees) of the mysteries (the secret purposes) of God. Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

— 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (AMPC)

A faithful person knows what God has put in their heart, and even though they may feel like quitting, they don’t give up. They don’t get out of a relationship because it isn’t easy anymore. They don’t leave a church because there is some “new” thing across town, or a job because it gets too challenging.

One of the most important lessons you can learn is to be faithful with something until God lets you know you are finished with it. Sometimes God will call you out of one place and put you into another one—but God doesn’t change the plan very frequently. A faithful person is committed to doing whatever God tells them to do—no matter what!

Prayer Starter: Lord, help me to stay faithful to what You have called me to do. Help me to break free of anything that is holding me back from doing Your will, amen.

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Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

— Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC)

View Previous DevoSEPTEMBER 24, 2021

Our ultimate success and value in life is not found in climbing what the world calls the ladder of success. Our success is not in a job promotion, a bigger house, a better-looking car, or elite social circles.

True success is knowing God and the power of His resurrection. It’s knowing that He loves you unconditionally and that you are made acceptable in Jesus, the Beloved Son of God, Who died for you, to pay for your sins.

Real success is allowing God to help you be the best you can be, but never having to be better than someone else to prove that you are valuable.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, I know you more and the power of Your resurrection! Thank You for loving me unconditionally. In Your name I pray, amen.

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I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.

— Deuteronomy 30:19 (AMPC)

We all want to succeed in life. No one sets out to fail or wants to fail. But I do believe failure can be an important steppingstone on the way to success. Failure certainly teaches us what not to do, which is often as important as knowing what we are to do! So called failure is all about how we look at it.

I have often pondered why some people do great things with their lives while others do little or nothing at all. I know that the outcome of our lives is dependent not only upon God but also upon something in us. Each of us must decide if we will reach down deep inside and find the courage to press past fear, mistakes, mistreatment at the hands of others, seeming injustices, and all the challenges life presents. This is not something anyone else can do for us; we must do it ourselves.

I want to encourage you to take responsibility for your life and its outcome. What will you do with what God has given you? I truly believe God gives everyone equal opportunity. He said, “I have set before you life and death . . . choose life.” Fear is in the category of death; faith and progress fill us with life. It is your choice, and I believe you will make the right one!

What have you succeeded at that took many steps to get to victory? There is no such thing as failure if you simply refuse to quit. Trust God to teach you through each steppingstone on your way to success.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank you for each and every success I have experienced. Help me to see the steppingstones as a means to the positive end result. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Do to others as you would have them do to you.

— Luke 6:31 (NIV)

I wonder how many millions of people think, I just don’t feel the way I once did about my spouse. I wish I still felt excited about our marriage—that the romantic feelings would come back. This is when we need to remember: wishing does not do any good; only action changes things.

If you don’t feel you are getting anything out of your marriage, perhaps you are not putting enough into it. We usually give our spouses the unfair and unrealistic responsibility of making us happy rather than being grateful for them and choosing to make them happy. In the process, selfishness causes both of you to be unhappy. But you can change that! If you want your marriage or any other relationship to improve, just start being grateful for that person and try to bless them every chance you get.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for my spouse and for their unique gifts and abilities. Help me to appreciate them and focus on their strengths. Today, I choose to be a blessing and let You take care of everything else, amen.

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May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!

— Ephesians 3:17 (AMPC)

If you want victory over something, prepare yourself to work at it and for it. But it is not a matter of depending on yourself or winning at life through your own determination. God gives us grace to do good works. But grace doesn’t mean that our human flesh gets a free ride while we just lie down and go to sleep.

You are made for good works, to be a servant of righteousness. You are built to take responsibility, and God will help you accomplish all He gives you to do. He set you free from the bondage of sin so that you can conform to His divine will in thought, purpose, and action (see Romans 6:18).

Victory in life—and winning your unique battles—is achieved through God’s grace, but you have to choose to trust Him every step of the way.

Prayer Starter: Father, I choose to trust You in everything I do…but I will need Your help in this, just like everything in life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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…What I have forgiven…has been for your sakes…to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.

— 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (AMPC)

Suppose we receive a package from an overnight carrier. After we open it, we stare at a beautiful, oversized envelope, with our name written on it in exquisite calligraphy. Inside, the invitation starts with these words: You are invited to enjoy a life filled with misery, worry and, confusion. 

Which one of us would say yes to such an outrageous invitation? Don’t we seek the kind of life that keeps us free from such pain and distractions? Yet many of us choose such a life. Not that we blatantly make that choice, but we sometimes surrender even temporarily to Satan’s invitation. His attack is ongoing and relentless—the devil is persistent! Our enemy bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal every day of our lives. 

We are engaged in a warfare that rages and never stops. We can put on the whole armor of God, halt the evil one’s advances, and stand fast on the Word of God, but we won’t put a complete end to the war. As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan’s battlefield. Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the problems we experience. This is where Satan triumphs—he offers wrong thinking to all of us. This isn’t a new trick devised for our generation; he began his deceptive ways in the Garden of Eden. The serpent asked the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:la). That was the first attack on the human mind. Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him God would let them eat from the trees, but not from one particular tree. They couldn’t even touch that tree, because if they did, they would die.

But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity (vs. 4-5). This was the first attack, and it resulted in Satan’s first victory What we often miss about temptation and the battle our enemy levels against us is that it comes to us deceptively. Suppose he had said to the woman, “Eat of the fruit. You’ll bring misery, anger, hatred, bloodshed, poverty, and injustice into the world.”

Eve would have recoiled and run away He tricked her because he lied and told her what would appeal to her. 

Satan promised, You will be like God. You’ll know good and evil. What a marvelous appeal to the woman. He wasn’t tempting Eve to do something bad—or at least he phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded good.

That’s always the appeal of sin or satanic enticement. The temptation is not to do evil or to cause harm or bring injustice. The lure is that we will gain something.

Satan’s temptation worked on Eve. And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate (3:6). 

Eve lost the first battle for the mind, and we have continued to fight for it since that time. But because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can win our battle for the mind—and our battles in life—and we can keep on winning. 

Prayer Starter: Victorious God, help me resist the onslaughts of Satan, who attacks my mind and makes evil seem good. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

— Jeremiah 17:7 (AMPC)

One attitude that welcomes the presence of God into our lives is the attitude that honors Him above everyone and everything else. Our attitudes need to say, “God, no matter what anyone else tells me, no matter what I think myself, no matter what my own plan is, if I clearly hear you say something and I know it’s you, I will honor you—and honor what you say—above everything else.” Sometimes we give more consideration to what people tell us than to what God says. If we pray diligently and hear from God, and then start asking people around us what they think, we honor their human opinions above God’s. Such an attitude will prevent our being able to consistently hear God’s voice. If we are ever going to develop an ability to hear from God and be led by His Spirit as a way of life, we have to stop listening to so many opinions from so many people and begin trusting the wisdom God deposits in our hearts. 

There is a time to receive good counsel but needing the approval of people will keep us out of the will of God. The devil wants us to think we are not capable of hearing from God, but God’s Word says that is not true. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us because God wants us to be led by the Spirit in a personal way and to hear His voice for ourselves as He leads and guides us. In the verse for today, God says we will be blessed when we look to Him. According to Jeremiah 17:6, severe consequences come to those who trust in the frailty of mere men and women but blessed are those who trust in and honor the Lord. 

Good things happen if we listen to God. He wants to be our strength and we must honor His Word above all else.

Prayer Starter: Father, help me have the right attitude and one that honors You. Help me to not need the approval of people – only You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

— Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC)

People-pleasing behavior often leads people to tell lies because they fear people won’t accept the truth. They say “yes” with their mouth while their heart is screaming “no.” They may not want to do something, but they act as if they do for fear of displeasing someone. If they ever do say no, they usually make an excuse rather than tell the truth that they just don’t want to do what they are being asked to do. They may not feel it is the right thing for them to do. 

We don’t want to be rude, but neither do we want to be liars. Most people pleasers are not honest about their desires, feelings, and thoughts. They tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. A healthy relationship demands honesty. We should be able to say to people, “I don’t have peace about making that commitment right now,” and they should graciously receive that answer, but it rarely happens. Some people may not want to hear the truth, but that does not relieve us of the responsibility to speak the truth.

Prayer Starter: Lord Jesus, help me to speak and live the truth in all that I do. I don’t want to be rude, but I refuse to be dishonest or to resort to half-truths to avoid the real truth, amen. 

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The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

— Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

It is wrong for anyone to try to control us, but it is equally wrong for us to allow it. We must stand up for ourselves and be determined to please God rather than other people. My mother allowed my father to control her out of fear, and everyone in the family paid the price for her refusal to stand up for herself and us. Fear is a real thing, but it has no power over us except what we give it. Author and psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud says that we get what we tolerate.

The best thing is never to start a relationship by letting yourself be controlled and manipulated. But if you are already in that situation, it is not too late to stand up for yourself. It will be more difficult to do than it would have been had you established boundaries from the beginning of the relationship, but it can still be done. Let the person who is controlling you know that you realize you have been allowing them to control you and that you will no longer let it continue. They may react in an angry and even a violent manner, but in the end, they will respect you for it.

It is God’s will for us to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in order to do that, we will find that we must often say no to the demands of people. People who will only stay in relationship with you if they are allowed to control you don’t really love you. They are simply using you to help them get what they want. You deserve better than that and are far too valuable to let anyone abuse or misuse you.

If you have a history of not speaking up or just “going along to get along,” taking the first step toward freedom will be the most difficult. Satan is delighted to rob you of your God-ordained destiny, and he can easily do it through the fear of other people. The apostle Paul said that had he been trying to be popular with people, he would not have become an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Gal. 1:10). Think seriously about that for a moment, and then take a look at your own life and make sure you are not missing God’s will by being overly concerned about keeping people happy.

We should want to please and make people happy, but not if the price of doing so is disobeying God. The Word of God tells us to follow peace and I want to strongly recommend that you begin doing that. Anyone who truly cares about you will want you to follow God even if it means you can’t give them what they want. God is always with you to help you do what you need to do.

Prayer Starter: Father, please help me live to please You, rather than the people in my life, amen.

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