Echoes of Truth
January 19th
Theme: Passionate Hunger
A man that is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men. — Leonard Ravenhill
Have you experienced it before? The struggle to yield to and do what you are convinced is the will of God. That subtle introduction of doubt on a matter that you were very certain was laid on your heart by God. Then you query if God truly spoke or it was just your imagination.
Sometimes, it is not devil that is the root of that. The root can be traced to how we have trained ourselves to long for and seek the approval of men in all we do. You know it, your heart is convinced about it, but when you sit to count the cost of that burden laid on your heart, you develop cold feet set within ‘what will others say?’.
Intimidation sets in. You’re torn between obeying God and preserving your reputation before men. You fear what they will think of you and react to you. Scripture calls this fear a snare. “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)
We often don’t know how deep we are consumed by the need for man’s approval. The flesh, the world, the devil has trained us that way over time. We find ourselves telling ourselves words like, Be smart. Be wise. Allow it. It’s no big deal. It doesn’t matter. What could it hurt? It’s not that bad after all.
Gradually, we lose the aid to know God’s mind and recognise God’s will till our conviction is reduced to silence.
That is the snare!
The way out of this snare, however, is simply cultivating true intimacy with God. The reason why we accommodate man’s approval is because we have been fed fears about their disapproval.
Psalm 118:6 says The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?. Of what use is man’s approval when the Bible also says If the Lord be for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31).
The more convinced we are about the Person of God, the lesser we will bother about man. The realer the Presence of God is to us, the more the approval of man becomes inconsequential. The louder God’s voice sounds, rings in our hearts, beyond the ears, the more tone deaf we become to the voice of man.
Proverbs 29:25 says that whosoever puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe, it means he will be free from fear.
When God becomes your soul’s reference point, every human pressure will lose its grip. What man thinks will never matter to the one who is consumed with the burning desire to abide in the presence of God.
What will keep us free from the fear of man is to be filled with the fear of God. We learn to fear God by tarrying in His Presence, building intimacy.
This is what makes a woman audacious in the presence of intimidations from others.
When Jesus was standing before Pilate. Even though He was bound and was facing serious accusations, He did not scramble for defence or approval from the powers that be. He spoke only when and what the Father gave Him.
Pilate became uneasy and asked, “Do You not know that I have power?” Jesus answered calmly, “You could have no power at all unless it were given to you from above” (John 19:10–11).
Kayaa! The audacity! This can only be due to intimacy. Jesus stood un-intimidated because His authority came from His communion with the Father. How about Paul before King Agrippa?
That same intimacy still keeps the soul today. In workplaces, in ministries, in families, in friendships, the fear of man can make us shrink, but intimacy with God will teach us to stand, firmly and without apology.
Sis, when your heart is anchored in God, it will no longer bend under pressure. It will rest. It will remain anchored.
Listen to this short sermon by Elisabeth Elliot on ‘Of whom shall I be afraid?’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdBDQmUUzq
Let Us Pray:
Dear Lord, thank You for the revelation from Your word this morning. I ask that You draw me into the kind of intimacy that steadied Jesus before Pilate. Free me from the snare of the fear of men, and anchor my trust fully in You. The boldness that comes from a place of deep communion with You, I receive. 🙌🏽
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