Skip to main content

Seeking the Approval of God Above All Else


Seeking the Approval of God Above All Else 

Scripture: John 15:19 - "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." 

1. Not everyone will like you, and that's okay. 

2. Focus on pleasing God rather than seeking the approval of others. 

3. The opinions of those who love and support you hold more weight than those of strangers. 

4. Strive to align your actions and choices with God's will, rather than seeking the approval of the world. 

5. Remember that the Father's love and approval are what truly matter in the end. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to prioritize seeking your approval above all else. May we find fulfillment and contentment in knowing that we are loved by you, and that your opinion of us is what truly matters. Amen.

My story

I have always known that not everyone will like me, and that is okay. I have come to accept that I cannot please everyone, and that is not my ultimate goal. What truly matters to me is the opinions of those who I value the most - those who truly know and understand me.

I have learned to be indifferent to the opinions of strangers or those who do not truly know me. Their thoughts and judgments hold no weight in my life, for they do not know the depth of who I am.

I have found comfort and strength in the words of God, who loves and accepts me unconditionally. His approval is all that I strive for, for he sees me for who I truly am and loves me in spite of my flaws.

I have come to realize that I cannot serve both the opinions of the world and the love of God. And so, I have chosen to come out of the world and belong to Him. His love guides me, and I find solace in knowing that His opinion is the only one that truly matters.

In the end, I strive to live a life that pleases God, for His love and approval are of greater value than any fleeting favor that the world may offer. And in His love, I find the strength to be true to myself and unapologetically me.

Go deeper 

Scripture teaches us that ultimately, our approval should come from God alone. In Galatians 1:10, it says, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." This verse emphasizes the importance of seeking God's approval above all else. Additionally, in Colossians 3:23-24, it says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." This passage reminds us that our work and actions should be done with the mindset of serving and seeking approval from God rather than from people.

Ultimately, seeking approval from God aligns with the biblical principle of living for an audience of one. As Christians, our focus should be on living a life that is pleasing to God, rather than seeking validation from others.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

**Cultivating Patience**

 ## The Divine Delay: When God Hits Pause on Your Breakthrough (From My Akasia Veranda) Brothers, sisters, let me tell you, this Highveld sun beating down on my veranda in Akasia isn’t just baking the pavement. It’s baking my *impatience*. You know the feeling? You’ve prayed, you’ve declared, you’ve stomped the devil’s head (in the spirit, naturally!), yet that breakthrough? It feels like waiting for a Gautrain on a public holiday schedule – promised, but mysteriously absent. Psalm 27:14 shouts: *"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage!"* But waiting? In *this* economy? With Eskom plunging us into darkness and the price of a loaf of bread climbing faster than Table Mountain? It feels less like divine strategy and more like celestial sabotage. I get it. Just last week, stuck in the eternal queue at the Spar parking lot (seems half of Tshwane had the same pap-and-chops craving), watching my dashboard clock tick towards yet another loadshedding slot, my ow...

**Beware the Bloodless Gospel**

 ## The Forge of Faith: Escaping the Bloodless Gospel’s Embrace **Akasia, Pretoria — July 2025**   The winter air bites sharp as a *mamba*’s tooth here in Akasia. I sip rooibos tea on my porch, watching the *veld* shimmer gold under a brittle sun. On my phone, headlines scream: *“59 White South Africans Granted US Refugee Status!”* . Elsewhere, a viral clip shows a prophet in sequinned robes demanding a congregant’s salary “for angelic investment.” My chest tightens. *This*, friends, is the fruit of a **bloodless gospel**—a faith anaemic, diluted, divorced from the Cross’s terrible furnace. It whispers, *“Just believe,”* ignoring Christ’s roar: *“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me!”* (Luke 9:23).   ### I. The Lukewarm Swamp: Where Truth Drowns   *“So, because you are lukewarm... I will spit you out of My mouth.”* (Revelation 3:16).   **Picture this:** Laodicea’s aqueducts, stagnant with...

**Your Pain Prepares Your Platform**

 ## From Ashes to Anointing: How God Forges Platforms in the Fires of Our Pain The relentless Highveld sun beat down on the N1 highway as I white-knuckled the steering wheel, crawling past the Hammanskraal junction. Brake lights shimmered like a demonic necklace ahead—another crash? Load-shedding-induced traffic chaos? Or just the eternal Tshwane roadworks? My knuckles tightened. I’d left Akasia at dawn for a crucial ministry meeting in Midrand, yet here I sat, imprisoned in steel and frustration. An SMS buzzed: *"Stage 6 until midnight. Venue has no generator. Reschedule?"* My spirit sank. The platform I’d prepared for collapsed before I’d even spoken a word. In that sweltering metal coffin, 2 Corinthians 4:17 thundered in my spirit: *"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all"* . Light? Momentary? This felt like lead and eternity. Yet God whispered: *"This gridlock is your anvil, Harold. Your pain i...