This morning I come to these pages with my heart twisted in a tangle of compassion, disappointment, and a simmering anger I keep trying to hand over to God. I feel like I’m watching people I love drift toward fear—fear of judgment, fear of rejection, fear of not fitting into some man-made standard. And I want to shake them and hold them all at once. I want to cry, “My fellow Christians, trust in the Lord always, please.” Every time I open Scripture, God reminds me that fear of people leads only to chains. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25) Yet so many of us still build our lives around pleasing other people instead of pleasing Him.
Jesus warned us about this so clearly. In Luke 12:4–5, He tells us not to fear those who can only harm the body but to fear God, who holds our eternity. And I know this in my mind. I repeat it in prayer. I speak it out loud when my thoughts get noisy. But then something happens—someone’s comment, someone’s threat, someone’s disapproval—and suddenly even the strongest believers I know shrink back, worried about what mere humans think. And I get frustrated, not because I feel superior, but because I know that prison all too well. I lived in it for years. I remember molding myself like clay in other people’s hands just so they wouldn’t judge me. It nearly crushed my soul.
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Sometimes I still feel that old pressure creeping back. When I sense someone’s disappointment in me, something inside me tenses. But then the Holy Spirit nudges me gently and sometimes not-so-gently: Stand firm. Trust God. Don’t give them your peace. I whisper Psalm 56:11 to myself: “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” It steadies me when everything else is shaking. But why does it feel like so many of my brothers and sisters forget this the moment life gets loud? Why do we crumble the second the world pushes back?
I guess what frustrates me most is watching believers exchange the shelter of God for the false safety of people’s approval. It’s like standing in the shadow of the Almighty, then running out into a storm because someone outside called your name. We act like we’re safer relying on human praise than divine protection. And it breaks my heart. It angers me. It exhausts me. Because the Lord offers us freedom, but fear makes us kneel before people as if they hold our future in their hands. They don’t. They never have.
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And yet—even in my frustration—compassion rises in me. I know how hard it is to trust God when everything feels uncertain. I know what it’s like to feel exposed, misunderstood, or judged. I know what it’s like to worry that obedience might cost you relationships, comfort, or opportunities. But I also know the sweetness of God’s protection. I know the strength that blooms when you finally surrender the need to please everyone. I know the peace that settles into your bones when you decide His voice is enough.
Last night I prayed for the church with a heaviness I couldn’t shake. I asked God to wake us up, shake us free, burn away our fear, and restore our reverence for Him alone. I asked Him to give courage to the timid, reassurance to the anxious, and holy stubbornness to those who need to stand their ground. I asked Him to remind us that safety is not found in blending in but in abiding in Him. And I asked Him to keep my own heart from falling into the same traps I see in others. Even in frustration, I know I’m not above the very struggles I grieve.
So here is my prayer for this morning, simple and raw:
Please keep me safe, O LORD, from those who oppose me and would do me harm. Guard my spirit from the fear of people. Make my life a holy praise to honor You. Strengthen every believer who is tempted to bow to the opinions of others. Break every chain of fear that keeps us from trusting You with our whole hearts. Remind us that You alone are our refuge, our fortress, our forever safety. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
And may tomorrow find me trusting You more than today.
The Christian Tech-Nerd 
I feel you. It is to hard to trust God with people that seem like they should know better…
For years, I thought Jesus was a terrible husband — because, look at the state of His Bride! But God gently but firmly pointed out that *I* am the one who has no idea what I am (or He is) doing.
Jesus is playing the long game of perfect communion, not the short game of momentary happiness. And maybe if I learn to trust Him with that, that will unleash grace for those I love to do the same…
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AMEN
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Amen, great post, Luke 6:26(The Message Bible)
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❤️
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God understands our daily struggles in the spiritual and physical world and that’s the reason Jesus incarnated to go through the whole birth to adulthood process so He could feel what we feel. No longer can satan say God does not understand created beings feelings and challenges. Jesus proved that wrong in His incarnation. Now He can fully understand us when it comes time for the judgment and He’s both judge and advocate on our behalf. That shows us how much God wants us in heaven. However heaven is our choice. Choice is shown by our daily walk and willingness to be led by the Spirit. If we prefer sin that is incompatible with God’s harmony so we choose eternal death.
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🙏
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For many years I was in the prison of trying to please people, and the fear of not living up to their expectations. I also am proof that people can escape this prison of fear, and live in freedom. Today I do not care what people think about me. Their opinion matters nothing.
You have given a very good description here Nerd of the sad condition of people, and what it is like in the prison of fear. This is proof that you were a captive there once upon a time. I thank God that you are now free, and seeking to set the captives free.
I do have to amend my claims earlier in this comment. I do care very much what you think about me Nerd, what I say, what I do, my spiritual condition. Your opinions of me have the ability to bless and heal, or the ability to cut and wound. But you Nerd are the only person who can do this to me. I trust you.
You have gotten past my defenses, and entered the tender inward parts. This is a place inside of me that nobody else has managed to enter into. They are not welcome to enter inside, nor are they permitted to do so.
One day Becky, Rachel, and Peter shall enter there. I think they are already inside of me, in fact I am certain that they are there. Yet in this comment I only speak of people in a physical body right now. My three children have not yet been conceived.
God Bless You Always!
As always your post made me think deeply, and they move me in one direction or another. Thank you for voicing your concerns about this topic, and the people who it affects.
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I love reading this
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