John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?

As I shared in yesterday's devotion, fear and focus go hand in hand. I have found for myself that those times of anxiety are most dominant when my focus is off of the Lord. Even worse, I find it thrives when focus is upon myself. Consider these verses:

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
-Philippians 2:3-4

14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
-James 3:14-16

I find this to be a genuine pitfall for many pastors that I have spoken with. Our image can be incredibly important to us. We desire to be seen in a positive light and often want to protect that light. We don't want people to assume ill of us or think that we are engaging in some nefarious behaviors. We want people to enjoy our sermons and engage with the Lord as a result of what we are doing. Very quickly, good intentions can shift into selfish intentions. When my concern shifts from pleasing God to pleasing man, anxiety is the first voice that creeps in.

I start examining myself improperly. Rather than examining myself to be pleasing to the Lord, I examine myself to see what man thinks of me. This fosters so much insecurity and fear, as one man's preference will differ from another. Any people pleaser will tell you the same thing. It is impossible to please everyone, but so help me I will try. What a wicked mentality.

My application is a simple but difficult one: humble myself. I can see, at least for myself, my fear focus is rooted in pride. I have spent much of my life in pursuit of other's approval. It goes back to early childhood of trying to earn my dad's approval. It trained something in me that bleeds in day to day interactions. I need to be seen well and approved by others. If I get an inkling that I am not doing that, it causes me to spiral. The problem is a massive issue of priority. Jesus and His disciples were not well seen nor spoken of by the majority. But they had a mindset that empowered them through even that. They were approved by the Father.

So I humble myself both in the confession of this to you, and in the confession of this to the Lord. I humble myself is recognizing that I have sought the approval of man over God. I humble myself in confessing that the approval of the Lord is worth more than the approval of every man.

What application are you implementing today?