“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe”.
– Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
Daily Meditation: Proverbs 29, Galatians 1:6-10
My husband Tim is a hunter. He loves to go out into the Pennsylvania wilderness and wait for hours for the right animal to pass by. Sometimes he sets traps for the animals so that he can… well, you know the rest.
Certain parts of our lives can look a lot like these traps – or snares, as some translations call them in Proverbs 29:25. One thing God identifies as a trap is the “fear of man,” which basically means being overly concerned with pleasing others and what they might think of us.
We usually ease into the fear of man slowly. The peer pressure, the choices, the beliefs; they can seem good at first. But sooner than we realize it, the trap engages and we are caught. Then we have a hard time getting ourselves free.
On the other hand, if we choose to trust the Lord and care more about his opinion of us than what others think, he promises that we will be safe. We won’t get caught in any of these traps. After all, why does it matter what other people think about us? We know how God views us: as his beloved daughters, beautiful and righteous in his eyes because we are redeemed by Jesus Christ. Don’t let yourself get caught in the snares of the world. Keep your eyes on Christ and let him set you free!
“Until we care more about what God thinks than what other people think we are never truly free.”
– Christine Caine
Be fearless: We have two choices in life when it comes to the approval we seek. We can either care most about what others think or care most about what our heavenly Father thinks. One brings pain and difficulty, the other brings freedom and life, and we are free to choose whichever we’d like. I know what I’m choosing. What about you?
Let’s let 2019 be the year we grow closer to the Lord and become the fearless, strong, and faithful woman we are meant to be in Him! In Be Fearless, Julie Clinton provides a scripturally-sound guide for finding freedom, purpose, joy… and fearlessness. Be Fearless is now available in our store! https://www.aacc.net/product/be-fearless/ Consider working through Be Fearless with another extraordinary woman or group this year.
Julie Clinton, MAd, MBA, is president of Extraordinary Women and host of EWomen conferences all across America. She is the author of several books including A Woman’s Path to Emotional Freedom, 10 Things You Aren’t Telling Him, and Extraordinary Women. She is passionate about seeing women live out their dreams by finding their freedom in Christ. Julie and her husband, Tim, live in Virginia with their children, Megan and Zach.