Lately, I have been thinking a lot about opinions.  Every day we deal with opinions.  We have our own opinion, the opinion of others and the opinion of our Lord.  Most of my life I struggled with opinions.  What I found out was that I was basing my opinion of myself on the opinions of others.  Along with this, my judgement of others caused me to be overly critical of myself.  If you read any of my post you will see very quick that what means most to me is being close to God.  I had an experience with Him that allowed me to see how much knowing Him and being close to Him met the need of my heart.   In fact, it’s the only thing that makes life amazing. Knowing Him intimately makes all the other blessings in your life sweeter.  It magnifies the blessing of your relationships, your things, your call and employment…all joy hinges from this place. Happiness is fleeting and dependent on our circumstance but joy is within you and cannot be taken away.  It withstands all circumstances and all things!

Judgement and opinions keep you from intimacy with God. There are numerous scriptures in the Bible on this topic but there are a few that I feel God is wanting to highlight in this post.  Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”  If pleasing other people is what drives you, then you are not pleasing God.  This can include living to please your own desires.  I want to encourage you to not beat yourself up if this is where you are at.  The flesh will always try to meet its own needs.  “The mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7) If you go on to the next few verses you will find your answer to this problem—“However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God]. ¹⁰ If Christ lives in you, though your [natural] body is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness [which He provides]. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.” (9-11) The Spirit of God within you can cause you to operate in this manner.  He will make you able to live in a way that is pleasing to God.

How do I do this?  This was my question.  Daily I struggled with low self-image, a desire to please people and most importantly MYSELF!  It wasn’t until I decided that what really mattered to me was God and my relationship with Him.  This was not a decision based in my feelings.  I still experienced thoughts of insecurity and judgement but my decision to love God and seek Him overrode those impulses.  The more time you spend seeking the Lord through His Word, prayer and your actions—the easier it becomes!   It’s like lifting weights.  When you first start out, small weights can seem difficult but if you stick to it, you become stronger.  The weight becomes easier and you can do more.  The more time you spend with the Holy Spirit the stronger your spirit becomes and the easier it is to be like Him.

I encourage you today to set aside opinions, judgements and insecurity.  Make a deep decision within you to desire to know God in intimacy and to avoid anything that will hinder this process.  I can say that today, I am so much happier than I was years ago.  Daily, I grow stronger in Him as He strengthens my Spirit.  There is such an amazing promise that comes with this sacrifice.  ITS HIM!!!  John 15:7 is so sweet—“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”   This is worth any sacrifice and is truly what life is all about.

As always, I want to say how much William and I love you all!  Keep up the good work in seeking the Lord.  He will help you to run your race with excellence!