Trust God, Fear Not Man

Focus: Proverbs 29:25 KJV - The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

To fear man is to be controlled by the opinions, threats, approval, or rejection of human beings. The Bible warns that this mindset is a snare (a hidden trap or noose). When you care more about pleasing people than obeying God, you get trapped into compromising your values, making toxic choices, and forfeiting your spiritual freedom. Conversely, putting your trust in the Lord is the ultimate antidote. The word "safe" is to be set on a high, unassailable rock, completely out of reach from the enemy's traps. Trusting God brings supernatural protection and peace.

God gave Saul an explicit, unmistakable command through the prophet Samuel. Saul won the military battle against Amalek, but instead of executing God's command perfectly, he hesitated. He looked at his soldiers, who wanted to keep the best spoils of war, sheep, and oxen for themselves. Desperate to keep his troops happy and maintain his popularity, Saul compromised. He spared the Amalekite king, Agag, and kept the best of the livestock. When Samuel showed up and demanded to know why he heard sheep bleating, Saul tried to shift the blame to his men. But when Samuel pressed him, Saul finally broke down and confessed his true motive. Because Saul cared more about the voice of the crowd than the voice of God, the snare snapped shut on his destiny. Samuel informed him that God had officially rejected him from being king. His fear of losing the people's favor caused him to lose his entire kingdom.

Saul’s tragedy proves that you cannot successfully serve God while trying to appease a crowd or please men. People-pleasing will always tempt you to compromise right at the finish line of obedience. When we choose to lock our eyes onto God’s standards instead of human opinions, we step out of the traps of social pressure and find ourselves completely safe on the solid ground of His approval. A failure to trust God takes nothing away from Him. Putting reliance in the arm of flesh will eventually end up in failure. Trust God, no matter what.

Prayer

Father, I thank you for the grace to receive instructions from you from time to time. The grace never to fail you through disobedience or partial obedience, please release upon me today. By your mercy, let me never fear any being and lose your trust. Keep me so that my destiny will forever be secured in you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Please share. God bless you.