Fear of Man

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV)

Wow! Today’s post is the equivalent of praying that God will speak to you then taking your Bible and opening to a random page, hoping that something will jump out at you. However, in this case, I was going through the notes of potential blog notes that I’d made (and wasn’t feeling) which then led me to open my YouVersion Bible app, with the intention going through the notes I’d made on there. However, instead, I noticed that this was the verse of the day; and I just knew… this verse would be the basis for today’s blog post.

And it made sense! It spoke so much to what had been going through my mind this morning in that as I looked at the world, I noticed that we say that we’re ‘woke’ but in fact, it seems that the more the internet progresses, the more people are afraid to speak the truth. For fear of being ‘cancelled’. For fear of losing ‘followers’ or losing TikTok fame. We say ‘speak your truth’ but in reality we mean, speak the truth that caters to the masses. Speak your truth but don’t speak too much of the truth otherwise we’re going to have a problem.

It’s crazy and such an oxymoron. People are quick to say, don’t judge but when someone shares their thoughts and opinions, which might just go against the status quo; the amount of judgment they receive! It’s somewhat ironic. And I was just thinking to myself that in a world in which many feel doing whatever they like makes them free, that in actuality, many of us are not free. Not even the celebrities we admire. They’re not free to truly voice their opinions without judgment.

And, to be honest, it challenged me as well… How truthful have I been with people? How has the fear of being liked or ‘accepted’ caused me to shy away from topics that I felt I needed to share but didn’t. And I believe today’s verse of the day spoke so much on this in that, people are so afraid of others; of their opinions, that we stray away from saying the truth. And everyone is gearing towards one side of the spectrum rather than learning how to disagree with someone’s views and still be respectful.

This verse reminded me that, as a Christian, there is only one person I need to fear; and that’s God. And that I shouldn’t be afraid of sharing his heart, in love, with others because ultimately… He is the one that keeps us safe, and everything we have is from Him. He gives and gave all to us. Amen!

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 
18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 8: 17-18 (NIV)

How freeing and empowering is this?! Do you feel the same way? Share your thoughts below. ☺️

Ope O