Tuesday, January 07, 2014
excerpts from Tim Chester's book "You can change"
"One common reason we sin is that we crave the approval of people or we fear rejection... 'Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe' (proverbs 29:25)... fear of man has many symptoms: susceptibility to peer pressure; 'needing' something from a spouse; a concern with self-esteem; being overcommitted because we can't say no; fear of being exposed; small lies to make ourselves look good; people making us jealous, angry, depressed or anxious; avoiding people; comparing ourselves with others; and fear of evangelism... We elevate desires that are often good in themselves (for love, affirmation or respect) to the level of needs without which we think we cannot be whole... The answer to the fear of man is the fear of God. We need a big view of God... Often in Psalms 18 and 34 for example, this is what the Psalmist is doing. In the face of some threat, he's speaking the truth about God to himself. He's reminding himself of God's glory so that fear of others is replaced by trust in God. Whenever you see someone whom you fear or whose approval you crave, imagine God next to them. Who is more glorious, majestic, holy, beautiful, threathening, and loving? Whose approval really matters to you?"
i highly recommend this book to everyone, because everyone struggles with sin!
a verse of encouragement for you and me:
"... he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world." - 1 John 4:4b
(:
avoid the aliens;
12:28 AM
