The Fear of Man

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

Are you sometimes more concerned about what people think than about what God thinks? Do you find yourself tempted to please man rather than to please God? Do you prefer to be “politically correct” even when such “political correctness” is totally contrary to the will and values of God? Are you compromising on issues that you know are wrong, but you just agree to them simply because of fear?
This sort of behavior is defined as the “fear of man”.

Matthew 10:28-29 NKJV
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

When you fear man, it means in your thinking that you have positioned God to be of a lower authority or lower class than a person. However, the truth is God is above all and God is the Creator of the very people whom we fear in our lives.
Jesus was trying to teach us that when we realize WHO God is, and what God is capable of doing, then we should not have to fear man, but rather we should give precedence to God in everything we do.

Galatians 1:10 NKJV
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Paul knew that if he tried to please man, he would fall into the trap of being a people-pleaser. Also if he became a people-pleaser, then he would not be able to be a faithful servant of the Lord.
You see, in life you will always be faced with a choice of either pleasing God or pleasing man.
God of course wants you to please Him only. Therefore if you want to walk without the fear of pleasing men, then you must focus your efforts on pleasing God.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Fear is a tool of the enemy. It is not of God. Fear will always attack your FAITH in the Lord and it will always aim to destroy your COURAGE.
The Holy Spirit is able to help us to overcome fear. And to conquer fear, we must have a sound mind. Our thinking must be focused on God; His goodness; His power and His love.
When we operate and live in the love of God, in the power of God and with a Christ-like mind, then fear will not have any room in our lives. We will be able to conquer fear whenever it comes.

TODAY, remember that the Holy Spirit is in you. Ask God to help you to overcome the fear of man, or any kind of fear that you might be struggling with. Keep your eyes focused ONLY on God and not on your fears.