Stop Trying to Please Everyone Else By Rick Warren
“I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants.” John 5:30 (GNT)
What motivates you to get up in the morning? To go to work? To study hard? To serve and give and love others? To keep going when life gets stressful?
If you don’t want to fight stress all the time, you need to know your deepest motivation.
Why? Because mixed motivations will leave you feeling pulled in different directions. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13 NLT).
Even God can’t please everybody. When somebody’s praying for it to rain, someone else is praying for it to be sunny. As a pastor for over 40 years, I knew that I was always disappointing somebody, because people often have different expectations. I can’t please everyone, and neither can you.
The Bible says the fear of man is a trap. It will capture your heart and mind and cause you to stumble. That’s why Jesus said in John 5:30, “I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants” (GNT). Jesus knew who he was trying to please.
If you’re not trying to please God, then in all likelihood, you’re trying to please a bunch of other people. It’s a lot easier and less stressful to decide you’re going to please God—because whatever you do that pleases him will always be the right thing. This is why Jesus was so resilient under stress. He only tried to please one person.
Whose approval are you depending on for your happiness? Who are you still trying to please? For some, it’s a parent who never showed approval or encouragement. For others, it may be a boss who’s impossible to please, no matter how hard you try.
But you are not a victim. You are as free as you choose to be. Nobody can pressure you into meeting their expectations without your permission.
When you live for an audience of one, you won’t be controlled by the fear of rejection. Instead, you’ll be motivated by love and free to be the person God made you to be.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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