Another common mistake of believers is our fear of people. We often fear what people may say, think, or do to us but that fear of people can cause you to do things you would never dream of in normal circumstances.
Look what King Saul’s fear of his own troops caused him to do and the penalty:
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘…3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destructionall that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” 4 So Saul summoned … two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah … 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites … 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them … 10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” … 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night … The Lord anointed you king over Israel … and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” … 24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. (1 Sam 15:2-24)
Saul disobeyed a direct command from God because he was afraid of his own troops. They decided to spare some of the things God said to destroy and Saul was too afraid to stop them. The result was that God rejected him as king.
A New Testament example of fearing people is Peter. Remember how he denied the Lord when Jesus was arrested (Lk 22:54-62)? It was fear that drove him.
Think what fear of people drove King Saul and Peter to do. Saul completely disobeyed God because he feared man more than God. Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times. Unfortunately, that could be you and me too under the wrong circumstances. Let’s face it, many believers don’t share their faith or spread the Gospel because they are afraid of what people might say, think, or do. When you don’t share because you are afraid of people you are disobeying God’s command to spread the Gospel and let your light shine … you are acting like King Saul.
It’s easy to fear what people think of you, say about you, or may even do to you but don’t give into that fear. Don’t let the fear of people drive you to sin, make mistakes, or deny God. Instead of fearing people, be fearful and loyally faithful to God.
The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected. (Pv 29:25)
12 “… who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, 13 and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth …(Isa 51:12-13 – ESV)
4 “And I say to you, My friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! (Lk 12:4-5)
For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ. (Col 1:10)
Great examples of not being afraid of man or what they can do to you are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They defied the king’s orders to worship an idol even though it meant certain death (Dan 3:8-30). Of course, though, Jesus is the best example of living a life out loud for God not worrying about the consequences of what people thought or did. He did not fear man but trusted God in everything.
Don’t be like King Saul or Peter and fear man. Be like Jesus and trust God instead.
Think about it
Have you ever feared another to the point of doing wrong to make them happy?
Why is their acceptance of you more important than your desire to please the Lord?
Who, or what people (Your boss, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, coworkers, friends), do you tend to fear? Why?
Are there certain situations in which you tend to fear people more? How can you combat that? Do you thank the Lord in public? Talk about Him to others?
Learn about your fears from your answers and be on guard in the future. If you must choose between pleasing people and God, ALWAYS choose to please the Lord.
The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Ps 118:6)
6 Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Heb 13:6)
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31 – ESV)
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 