…Not For The Applause Of Men

Almost everywhere I turn… Instagram, Facebook, etc. There is such a grapple for fame and applause.

Everyone wants to be seen as doing something for God. As walking in purpose.
“I” am doing this and I am doing that.
There’s just such a slap on your face when you get into social media and sadly this push to do one thing or the other has crept into the Christian fold.

 

Now, if you are not walking in purpose/your purpose is not outwardly manifesting like others are, you are deemed to be a failure. Worse, you yourself deem yourself to be a failure (we will talk about outwardly manifesting purpose soon).

Last year I got a “I am proud of you” from my Pastor and I rushed to screenshot it and put it up as my DP.
God began to show me the motive behind what I did… still inside me there was the people pleaser syndrome functioning full time.
I was still bound to the applause of men.
The me inside me was still looking for approval from men.

 

You know, sometimes we don’t know why we do the things we do till God reveals your heart to you.

You are like: I have to share on social media as social proof and God is like:

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord .
Proverbs 16:2 NIV

This is not to say that sharing what you do on Instagram is bad but we are dealing with the heart and motives here.

 

I won’t claim that I have been cured of the need to be applauded by men as it even reared it’s head up yesterday but now I pray a prayer:

Lord kill that in me that wants recognition.

Do we really know what the need for recognition is?
It means that we want to take God’s glory and thats something God will NEVER allow.
A requirement for walking in God’s purpose for our lives is the fact that we do not want to even be seen on the scene.
We shrink from even having anything to do with the amazing stuff that God did through us as vessels.

 

And so we share testimonials from programmes we organize..
We rush to share words of praise from someone we counseled…
We rush to share pictures of us speaking at a pulpit..
We rush to share pictures of everyone slain in the Spirit while we spoke…

But wait… ask yourself: what is the motive behind my wanting to share what I just shared?

Is it really to give God all the praise for what He is doing?
Is it to show God or show me?

Forget about the fact that we slap God’s name in at the end..

He tests the motives. . The heart. Where it really matters.

 

I pray everytime I feel the familiar tug for approval arise in me….

Lord kill that thing in me that wants recognition.
Kill that thing in me that wants to be known.
Kill it.
Kill it.
Kill it.

 

We should all pray that prayer sincerely because our human frame is so frail.

We must continually make sure that both with our actions and hearts, as we walk in God’s purpose for our lives, WE REALLY WANT HIM TO TAKE ALL THE GLORY.

That in our heart right where it matters, we aren’t working for the applause of men but for the applause of God.

 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
II Timothy 2:15

 

God help us all in our race for Him. So we can indeed hear “welldone” on the last day in Jesus name.. amen

 

Have a blessed week ahead,
Love,
Frances

 

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If you are someone interested in walking in God’s purpose for your life,  download my free ebook “10  steps to walking in purpose”  below

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