Who Are You Pleasing?

Last week I went with a friend to a women's conference. I love having the opportunity to listen to new speakers and hear what they have to share about the Lord. Before the speaker spoke, they had a time of worship. The band and singers were really trying to set up the scene for God to move in that place. There is nothing more awkward than having a bunch of women from different denominations trying to worship together. You could feel the insecurity in the room. It was almost like we were all too afraid to worship freely in fear of being judged. I know everyone worships differently. You have the quiet worshipers that close their eyes and enjoy His presence, there are the jumpers or the runners, and there are some people in the middle. I am normally somewhere in the middle. I am a hand lifter. I noticed myself at this conference during the worship, scared to lift my hands. Not because any of the women were staring me down or making me feel judged,  I just noticed that none of the other women were doing it, so I didn’t want to stick out. Eventually I worked up the courage to do so which helped me to relax and enjoy the worship. It took me until the third song to really be able to get my mind on God instead of my surroundings. It hit me while I was there that it shouldn’t matter where I am or what everyone else was doing I needed to worship the way I always do. My praise and love for God should not be buffered based on who I am around.

I think back to my past of growing up, and I have been known to be a people pleaser like many other women may be able to relate to. I never want to cause any trouble or drama. I feed off the energy of others to guide my reactions, so I don’t cause them to be upset. When you are always changing yourself to appease others, you will forget who God made you to be.

It says in Proverbs, 

“The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” (Proverbs,  29:25, NKJV)

The proverb uses the image of a dangerous trap that can entangle and bring destruction. Fearing man or the judgment of others can cause us to be in that trap. When we are always looking to others for approval or being concerned about others' opinions of us, it can cause us to place our value in who they say we are instead of who God says we are. When we begin to please the world over God the enemy is able to slip into our minds. There may be people in your life that tell you things such as you're not strong enough, smart enough, or that you're nothing special. If you are not listening to what the Lord says about you, you will begin to believe what they say. If Satan can get you insecure and worried about YOU then you will begin to do less for God out of fear of judgement. This reminds me of Moses in the bible. 

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. (Exodus, 4:10-14, NKJV)

Moses was so insecure about his speech that he used it as to why he could not be God’s messenger. He feared that the Israelites would not believe him. God showed his grace by giving Moses reassurance and miracles needed for the mission. Just like Moses, there are many other examples in the bible where people doubted God based on their own insecurity.

In Genesis Sarah, the wife of Abraham, laughed when the Lord said she would become pregnant. It was believed to be impossible due to her old age. Instead of believing in what the Lord had said to her she believed her insecurity.

In the book of Judges, Gideon viewed himself as insignificant or weak. 

So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges, 6:15, NKJV)

Gideon's view of himself did not match God’s view. God called him a “mighty man of valor.”

What you believe about yourself matters. There are so many voices around us telling us who we are or who we are supposed to be. Insecurities come when we believe we don’t fit in with the rest of the world. If you are a Christian and have the holy spirit inside of you, you are going to be different from the world. That means you better armor up. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians, 6:10-18, NKJV)

This verse said to put on the FULL armor. When I get to my lowest points of insecurity and fear of judgment it is almost like I forgot my helmet. The insecurity battle is one of the mind. You need the helmet of salvation to fight it. The devil will put insecurities or fear in your mind to keep your mind off of the things of the Lord. You need to surrender thoughts that are not backed by scripture. 

The world says you are weak, but scripture says with God you are strong.

It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. (Psalms, 18:32, NKJV)

The world says you are not smart enough, but scripture says the Lord will give you wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James, 1:5, NKJV)

The world says you are not special, but scripture says you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalms 139:14 NKJV)

The world does not understand the power you have through Christ. They don’t understand that your power is not your own. When God is working through you nothing is impossible. We can find comfort in placing our security in God. He is trustworthy and his love is unwavering. That is not something that should be hidden! Be bold! Don’t put the fear of judgement above your fear of the Lord. Worship the Lord no matter who is around you. 

References:

New King James Version. Bible Gateway, 2025 https://www.biblegateway.com/