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Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Ali Yost, and I am so excited for today. How's everybody doing? How are y' all doing today? It's almost Christmas. It's literally almost Christmas. Also, I don't know if anybody noticed that last week's episode and the week before, I looked really tan. I don't know if anyone could notice, but I had put, like, a fresh. I mean, fresh self tanner on. And today I'm absolutely not giving that. Like, last week it was giving. She went to Hawaii for three weeks. This week, it's very much. It looks like it's winter time. Okay. But really, it's almost Christmas. I hope that you guys have some sweet plans for the holiday. Me? Oh, shucks. Me. I'm going to New York to visit my family. So I'm very excited for that. I am grateful for the Lord, and I just hope that he moves while I'm home. But, yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. So, anyway, today I wanted to just be vulnerable, I guess, and I just feel like the best way that the Lord uses me is just through my own experiences. And I feel like that could be for. Honestly, a lot of us. You know, the Lord teaches us that there's so much power in our testimonies, and there's power in the things that he's actively walking us through, because it just gives us authority to speak on things, because we've literally walked through it, and we've had to struggle in those things and see how the Lord prevails and helps us through it and helps us come out on the other end. And so, as you know, we walk through these things. It's not really fun. It kind of sucks, you know, and. And a lot of times it can be painful, but it's really fruitful because not only do we grow with the Lord through it ourselves, but also we get to share these stories with others and encourage them through it. And so I personally love when I can bring, you know, things that I'm currently going through or maybe the Lord has just walked me out of to the podcast and to you guys, because I just feel like it's another form of fruit that can help people, and I'm grateful for this. So I'm admitting that I am flawed. We are all flawed. But this is something that I've been kind of struggling with, y', all, and it would be really good to know that obviously, I'm not the only one. You guys, I hope that you feel heard in this too. You're not the only one dealing with this. But I wanna talk about caring about what people think. Caring about what people think. Just caring so much about what people have to say about us or what they think of us. And in other terms, as the Bible puts it, it is called Fear of Man. And so I'm just going to share with y' all what I felt the Lord telling me in the secret place this morning. And I was being just so honest with the Lord, and I was like, hey, God, this is where I'm struggling in my life, you know? And I was like, I really need clarity as to what, like, why do I keep. Because there are seasons where I don't struggle with it. And I don't know if you guys relate to it. It might not even be Fear of Man, but, like, let's say there's a certain mindset or a certain POV that you used to struggle with, and then you got really solid and at not thinking that way, and then all of a sudden, you feel the temptation to kind of slide back into that. And so I've had seasons where I've been pretty carefree of what people think of me. But then other seasons, I'm like, wait, why do I feel sensitive to what people say about me? Or why did that comment bother me? Like, I've gone through seasons where it hasn't bothered me before, and now all of a sudden it does. Right? And so I think that's also real, is that sometimes we don't just have to overcome something one time. Sometimes we kind of have to overcome things a few times. And just throughout our life, you know, we could be really solid for a season, and then maybe there's vulnerabilities and temptations and we kind of fall to it again. Hopefully we don't, because it's all sin. So it'd be great if we just didn't keep falling into it. But sometimes it's tempting, right? And so I had all these feelings kind of, like, bubbling up in me of Fear of man, essentially, of, like, being afraid of what people think of me. And there were a few things that were triggering it. One, the first thing that was triggering it was Jesus freaks. Now, you guys know that it's been launched, the trailer is out, the world knows what it is. And so now it's allowed space for people to obviously give their opinions, which can be valuable. But also, at the same time, I was just like, but how valuable is it for me to check the comment section, you know? And it's no longer like this secret between me and Ashley and the Lord anymore. It's something that's being put out into the world. And so, like I said, it's just. There's a place now for opinion and feedback and words to be said. So that was triggering thing number one. Triggering thing number two is the recent launch of our merch. You know, so everyone has been kind of giving comments and feedback with that, where that has also been something that's been a secret and I've been working on for months. And so it's like, I feel like the temptation has been through, like, things, pieces of my heart that were concealed and kind of just between me and the Lord. And now I'm putting those pieces of my heart out to the world. But it's also very vulnerable to do that. And the thing is, is that God never promised me that people wouldn't love those parts of my heart. And not everyone is going to love my heart. Not everyone is going to love the things that I create, the things that I say, my relationship with the Lord. There's just pieces of me that people won't like. So I'm bringing all of this to the Lord this morning, and he brought two points up. The first point was that I was forgetting who Jesus is, which sounds really silly because, like, obviously I know who Jesus is. I love Him, I adore Him. I strive to be like him every day. I love him so much that I put his face all over a T shirt, right? Like, obviously I know who Jesus is, but God was like, you're forgetting who Jesus is. God revealed to me that the reason I keep falling to fear of man is because I was forgetting who Jesus is. This sounds silly because obviously we all know who Jesus is, but I genuinely was forgetting who he is, that he's spotless and perfect and flawless and sinless and just perfect because He's God. I needed a new perspective, like, a fresh perspective and reminder of what that means to be perfect and spotless. And the more I think of it, the more I realized how insane that is that Jesus walked this earth perfectly. And that's the same person who approves of me. So I think sometimes we say these words and we hear these things and we just kind of say it. And I don't know what it is, but I think over time, or maybe if we're lacking just that deeper connection with the Lord, whether maybe we haven't been responsible with getting in the secret place and really letting him into our heart and. But sometimes I feel like we allow those words to lose value when they really shouldn't. Those words are so weighty and they're so valuable and they're so real. The words of Jesus is perfect. He's sinless, he's spotless. And I just needed, like, a fresh awareness of what that really means, that God walked. Jesus walked this earth, sinless and perfect. And that is the person who approves me. Like, that's the person who approves of me and approves of the things that I'm doing. Because the thing is, is obviously we should all do this, but these very important pieces of my heart that I have now launched out into the world, I brought to the feet of Jesus, like, over and over and over again. And every time I felt him telling me that he was proud and he loved it and he was excited about it. And so I just think that when we lose sight of who Jesus is, that this perfect person is approving of my ideas and projects. And that that should just hit so much harder than anyone else that could ever approve of those things. Like, if I genuinely believe that that is who Jesus is, that is, like, the cr. That is the highest level of approval I could ever receive ever, here on earth or in heaven. That is the. The highest amount of approval I could ever get. And so why am I turning to other things? Like, why do I even care about what other people think of me? And I don't know about y', all, but I feel like it was really easy for me in the beginning of my sanctification process, right in the beginning of me following the Lord. Fear of man for the world was kind of my thing, right? Where I was, like, coming out of the world and coming to truth and following Jesus and unapologetically being obsessed and in love with Him. I feel like that was something he walked me out of, was fear of the world. You know, fear of man. But in the world, not so much the church. And now I feel like I'm being challenged where I really don't get phased by what people say about me in the world, because I'm like, they don't know the truth, so obviously they're not going to get it. But the thing that I feel like the Lord has been walking me through is now fear of man in the church. Like, people in the church and fearing what they have to say and the criticism that they have. And it's been really interesting to see that God's grace, he's. He's walking me out of them. You know, he didn't. He didn't have me walk out of it all at once. Maybe that would have been overwhelming, but now he's like, walking me through a whole separate form of fear of man. But it's just in the church now. The second thing that I felt the Lord bring up to me after realizing that I was forgetting who Jesus was is also remembering who people were and that I cared so much about. So he's reminding me of the character of who Jesus is and who Jesus is to the core, right? Which is perfect, spotless lamb. But then he's also reminding me the characteristics of just people and who they are at the root, right? And I think what he wanted me to do is to see the contrast, the that these people I was seeking approval from, these people that I wanted to make happy, are flawed and have sin struggles themselves and have probably been unfair at times. And not to mention has never died for me. That sounds so corny when we, like, talk. I don't know, some Christian lingo maybe can be overplayed and oversaid and kind of cheesy sometimes, but it's actually these. So literal truth, these people never died for me. And I got to thinking, if the opportunity ever came for them to put their life on the line for me, and I don't even know if they would, probably not, because they don't actually know me. And it makes me think of that scripture, y'. All. It's Romans 5, 7 through 9, which says very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person. Though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die, but God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So that scripture alone is just crazy to me because it shows that very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person. Like, a righteous person, okay, they still probably won't die for a very, very good person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare die for a good person, okay? But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners. So we were not righteous. We were full of sin. Jesus died for us. That just shows what people will do for you versus what Jesus has already done and will continue to do for you. And so I'm, like, looking at the contrast, and I'm starting to feel a little silly, right? At this point. We're like, oh, that's silly of me to not care and neglect what Jesus says about me, what he thinks of me, at the hands of just caring about what other people think of me when there is a very clear contrast between the two. And I say that obviously not to bash the people that I'm seeking validation from. I'm not like these people are awful people, but it's like they're people, they're not perfect. And so when we look at the contrast of who Jesus is and who people are, it should be a no brainer that we only care about what the perfect person says about us and has done for us. He died for us, not the people you're fearing. Another thing that was brought to my mind when I was bringing this to the Lord was he reminded me of Barabbas and Jesus and what had happened. Well, the crowd was angry and they were shouting and they were demanding that Barabbas was actually let go and freed and to not be killed. But Jesus, they insisted that Jesus were to be killed on the cross. And so I feel like the Lord reminded me of that because when I was choosing to fear people over Jesus, that's like when the people said Barabbas needed to be spared and not Jesus. This man who was a murderer, a literal criminal murderer, awful human being, awful human being, they had more mercy and they cared more about him than they did about Jesus, who had never harmed a single person, he had never cussed anyone out, he never was easily and unrightfully angered. Like he literally lived a perfect life. And people chose a murderer, a criminal over Jesus. And I feel like that's very similar, if not like nearly the same thing that we do when we decide to care about what people say about us, no matter who they are, whether it's people in the world or people of the church. That is actually very similar to what we do when we care about what those people say versus what Jesus has to say about us. Okay, so the other thing I want to bring up is I want to just go over the definition of fear of man too. If this is like a new topic for some people. So fear of man is the desperate quest for the approval of other people. If we are going to fear God, this means that we will make decisions based on the reality of God, the commands of God and the priorities of God, this means that we will be incapable of living for the approval of other people. So if we are only seeking out what the Lord has to say about our lives, the decisions that we make, projects that we work on, our work, the way that we treat people right, if we're going to the Lord and he's the first and only thing that we ever find validation through, we will actually be incapable of living for the approval of other people. There, there won't be any room for it. If we're consuming all of that in the Lord. And so maybe a tempting thought that we could have too is like, I mean, what's the harm in us just caring about what so and so thinks of us this day and here and there, like, maybe there's a temptation to think that it's like, not that devastating or not that big of a deal to fear man every once in a while. But I want to list off some consequences of fearing man because it's actually something that could steal so much joy from you and actually rob you the intimacy of your relationship with you and the Lord. So just a few examples is spiritual dryness. So the fear of man can lead to spiritual dryness, irrational anxiety, and emotional isolation. The fear of man can lead to bad decisions and cause people to sin. Fearing man is straight up denying Christ. It's giving. Like when Peter denied Jesus three times when the people were asking him, hey, you know Jesus, you walked with him, didn't you? You were a disciple of him, didn't you? And he denied him three times before Jesus was murdered. Fearing man is denying Christ. It can lead people to denying him that. Fear of man can be an insult to God as it means fearing the human consequences of obedience more than the divine consequences of disobedience. Ooh, that one's crazy. Fearing the human consequences of obedience more than the divine consequences of disobedience. That's crazy. Fearing man can lead to denying God's worth. Fear of man can mean denying the holiness and worth of God and his son, Jesus. Fear of man can cause us to compromise our values, which can also look like people pleasing. So if you identify in people pleasing, stop doing that. You are not a people pleaser. But it is very tempting sometimes to maybe just sacrifice certain morals and things and values that you have to make people happy around you. But what's interesting is that when we do that, it's not really that fulfilling, is it? Like when you feel like something in your gut isn't right, but you do it anyway out of just not wanting to offend people or whatever the motive could be, you don't really feel good after. You know, it's not the same as, you know, laying down your life for others and sacrificing for others, because there's. There is a discomfort in that, but there's also a reward in that. And there's also a heart posture of God. Like, we know that serving people is also a way to serve the Lord. And so I believe that that is very different, though, than people Pleasing, because people pleasing is like bending your values or just things that you would, not necessarily would have done, but you're doing it out of pleasing others. So the heart posture is very different in those two things. Another example of fear of man, too, could be peer pressure. So that can come in a form of peer pressure where fear of man can manifest as being pressured to do something that you wouldn't have done or, you know, God wouldn't want you to do. You know, like that conviction in your tummy or wherever you feel it. For me, I always feel it in my gut. But, you know, God wouldn't be proud if you did it. And then you do it out of being pressured by the people around you. If people are pressuring you to do things that you don't want to do around you, those people are not your people. And that might just be a whole nother podcast episode, but if you have people in your life who are pressuring you to do stuff, that does not build you up, edify you, bring you closer to the Lord, make you a better person, those people are not your people. And so I'm gonna let that simmer and cook in someone for a second. If you're in high school or middle school, I just. College. I feel like it happens a lot in school where there's certain people around us, it actually does not matter. In a few months, in a few days, in a few years, those things won't matter. And I think that nothing is worth sacrificing trust that God has in you one and the intimacy that you have with the Lord. Because whenever we go against the Lord and whenever we partake in sin or anything that he just wouldn't proud of, it does cause a wedge between us and the Lord. And so those people in your life that. That are pressuring you to do things or maybe have successfully pressured you to do things, or you've just been feeling that whenever you're with them, they're not worth it. It's not worth it. And there's a good chance that none of that will even be relevant in a few years. But what will always be relevant in your life is the Lord. He will never leave you. He will never abandon you. And just like we said at the beginning of this episode, he was the one who died for you. And so he is the only one that matters. And you're gonna see the fruit of that obedience. This wasn't even a part of today, so I know that this must be straight from the Holy Spirit. Somebody needed to hear this. Keeping our Eyes on Jesus and realizing that he is the perfect one. He is the one who died for us is the thing that we need to keep in mind when these temptations of being pressured into doing things or just fearing man comes up. But just as we mentioned in the beginning of this episode, he's the only one that matters. You will see the fruit of that obedience. It's really cool. I feel like the Lord has actually let me see a little bit of that. Where there have been things that I've had to make decisions in that maybe it would have been easier to make a different decision. But I did not feel the Lord on it. I didn't feel his approval on it. I didn't feel his grace. And I didn't feel that he would feel proud of me if I had decided to do these things. And so I just want you to know that there will be fruit. There will be a reward. Maybe if it's not even here on earth, it will be in heaven, right? That we store our treasures in heaven. And so just know that God remembers every moment that you're obedient to him, every moment that you sacrifice, you know, being uncomfortable, losing friends, losing relationships, losing jobs, y' all losing opportunities to make money, like, whatever that looks like. Just know that God does not keep record of our wrongs. But I know that he keeps records of our rights. He keeps records of the moments where we said yes to God and no to the world. I know he remembers them. And so that alone, like, just know that there is a reward for you, even if it's just him simply saying, good job, my good and faithful servant, like, I'm proud of you. Thank you for saying yes to me. Thank you for caring so much about what I have to say that you denied those people or that money or those situations or that job, whatever it looks like, that our obedience doesn't go to waste ever, ever. Even if you don't simply see the immediate fruit of it does not mean that the fruit ain't coming. Okay? You will always see the fruit. You'll always see the reward of your obedience with the Lord. Even if that's simply just like feeling ten times closer to God, like maybe you just walking in like crazy. Obedience allows you to just feel the spirit of God even closer than you ever have before in your life. That alone. Thank you. I will take that reward. That's fruit, you know? So, anyway, next thing, I like that we mentioned jobs and money and opportunity. Because the next thing that I want to touch on is just remembering too, that God is our provider. So when we remember that God is the one who provides us with all the things that we need, we stop caring so much about what people think. If he is clearly telling us to do a certain thing or to live a certain way, or to deny certain things, that should be the only thing that matters. Because we also remember that God is the one who gives us all, all the things that we need. Sometimes, y', all. It's tempting to bend our moral compass when we feel like we have no other choice if we just simply want to survive. We let the enemy make us believe that our fate is in the hands of other people. And so that turns into a very easy gateway to no longer fearing God first. Fearing God first takes trust and faith, knowing that at the end of the day, he is in control. And I don't just mean fearing God first. I want to actually correct myself and say, fearing God only. Fearing God only takes trust and faith, knowing that at the end of the day, he is in control. I think a lot of times, too, when it comes to just simple survival, like, let's move past, you know, just simply wanting to please people in community and having friendships. But what does that also look like with just wanting to live and survive? What does that look like financially? You know, what does that look like morally, with maybe the jobs that come in our path as opportunities? You know, there are brand deals and things that were very tempting when it came to the amount of money that I could have been paid, especially. The enemy loves to do this. He loves to do it when you're in a drought, too. Like, he loves to give you these things that would go against what the Lord would ever approve of, Right? And let's say you're going through a season where you really, really need money. And the enemy knows that because he's watching, and he sees that, and he sees that it's a vulnerable place in your life. And so that would be the time to send in something that would make you kind of bend your moral compass, you know, because you see that dollar sign and you're like, wow, this would actually really, really help me right now. And I think that it takes really big faith to believe that God is the one that is providing, and he will continue to provide and so believing that he will never leave you and abandon you, and that if there's something that you so desperately need, he will provide it. But there's temptations, and it just wouldn't make sense for the enemy to come in and send those types of things when you're Already chilling, and you're financially stable, and you're like, you know what? I'm fine. Like, I don't even need that money. Like, obviously, it'd be so much harder for him to get through to you if you were already secure in that area of your life, you know? And it doesn't have to be money. It could be anything. Maybe singleness is kind of a tender place in your heart, in your life. And so that would be a really great time for the enemy to send a counterfeit or somebody who just is simply not your partner into your life. I think it could really be applied to so many different ways, so many different scenarios. But normally, when we're in a very vulnerable space or time of our life, that is a perfect opportunity for the enemy to try to swoop in and tempt us. I'm gonna take a sip of my coffee, y'. All. I realized that I never told you guys that I had coffee today. We normally always do that on the intro. Today we have an iced caramel macchiato decaf, though, because it's midday right now. It's, like, almost 3pm and I do not need, like, another cup of caffeine. But how many of us have this cup already? Say aye in the comment section if you do. This actually might be aside from the T shirt. Cause I'm still. I love that T shirt. I'm still proud of it. But this cup is definitely, like, my second most favorite piece from the merch. It's just precious. The stars, right? Right. We're reaching for the stars with the Lord. Okay, this is us dreaming. This is us dreaming with God. Okay, so now that we're on the topic of the devil, we're just gonna expose him today. So the devil operates through manipulation. That is just. I don't know about y', all, but that is what I have observed and seen just throughout my life, but also my journey with the Lord is that the devil, his, like, literal language, the root of him, is manipulation. The way that he talks, the way that he operates, the way that he moves, the way that he's slimy, the way that he tries to tempt us. It's legit all through manipulation. Also, the definition of manipulation is the action of manipulating someone in a clever way. Manipulation is the skillful handling, controlling, or using of something or someone. So, I mean, is it fun to call the devil dumb and an idiot and sometimes, yes, that's true. He is. And it's fun to call him those things. He is actually mostly dumb, but he also can Be skillful and clever, y'. All. And I don't think, like, we don't say that to toot his horn, all right? He ain't getting no spotlight, but he is a master manipulator. And if he wasn't good at it, okay, I know this because if he wasn't good at it, first off, there wouldn't be so many people going to hell and even fooling us Christians at times and getting into our own heads. So he definitely has fooled the world and fools the church. So if he wasn't that good at it, I mean, none of those things would be happening. So he's got to be kind of good at it. His motto is to kill, steal, and destroy. And so the thing he wants most is our faith in God and our relationship with him. And so the minute he has us looking at anything else other than God, he's winning. And so one of the things that he loves to do to put a wedge between us and God, having faith in him and our intimacy with the Lord is through fear of man. We're no longer looking at Jesus. We're looking at everything else. We're looking over here at what this person thinks of us. We're looking over here at what this person said about what we wore. We're looking over here about what this person says. If we do this, like, we're no longer looking at Jesus. And so that's a W to the enemy. We've kind of already covered this already, but I just want to say it one more time. So, okay, devil starts with devil. Devil manipulating us, getting us to look in other ways, ways that we could get manipulated into fear of man. So now we've been manipulated into falling into fear of man and caring about what people say. Think whatever. Some things that the enemy will use to manipulate us into, that is money, our careers being canceled, not having any friends, not being loved by others. Okay, those were just a few examples that I could think of. But those are things. Those are mediums. Those are tools that he uses to manipulate us into fear of man. And we've seen this in the Bible. We've seen stories of people falling to just fearing others over the Lord. And one example in the Bible is the story of King Saul where he is consumed by fear of David's growing popularity, leading him to actively pursue David's destruction, even though he knew David was favored by God. The fear ultimately drove Saul to make poor decisions and act against God's will. This was all illustrating how the fear of man can lead to destructive Actions. When David gained popularity among the people, Saul became increasingly threatened and acted out of fear, attempting to kill David and even trying to use his daughter as a trap. So do you see how Saul was, like, truly acting absolutely insane because he wasn't as loved and popular as David was becoming. So it made him spiral so much that now he is attempting to kill David like it's giving extreme. But that is how dangerous fear of man is, where it's just this tumbling snowball effect where now you are doing things that you would never probably ever have imagined doing. And he was completely out of God's will. Like, he was going against God's will out of God's will, which is a very dangerous place for us to be in. The consequence of fearing man for Saul was Saul's actions, driven by fear of man, ultimately led to his own downfall and a loss of. Of the kingdom. Yeah, that's like, a really big pill to swallow. But I think that this is also a reminder that there are consequences to sin. Hello? There are consequences to sin. And fear of man is a sin, which means there are consequences to that. And so Saul ate the fruit of that. Like, he ate the fruit. And the consequences of fearing man and caring way too much about his popularity and the fact that now somebody else was coming up and being a threat to his popularity. He cared too much about that than something that was way more important called God and the Lord's approval of Saul and not comparing himself to other people like David. One other thing to remember, too, when it comes to fear of man, y', all. And this. This, again, was another realization that I'm having, right? So I'm sitting down with the Lord, and I'm like, why am I feeling like this, God? Why do I care so much about what people say about me, think about me? God gives me those two things to reflect on. And then he reminds me of another thing which feels really simple, it feels really obvious and right in front of our face. You might as well just stamp it on my forehead, but it's that obvious. But that people literally didn't approve of Jesus. Hello. Okay, so now we're gonna go back. Remember how he said that Jesus was perfect, spotless, never committed a single sin in his life, and he was not approved by all man. There were a lot of people who hated him, hated him so much that they wanted him dead. He didn't even commit a single crime. He did not even commit a certain crime or sin, and people wanted him dead. And so I think it came also to a place Where I needed to realize that there was a bit of pride in my heart to expect that, like, some people wouldn't, like. Like, for me to not expect that some people wouldn't like me. Are you okay, Ali? Are you literally okay? Can we remember the fact that Jesus was not loved by everyone and he was perfect? So who are you? My girl, right? Who are you? My girl? The most perfect man to ever walk the planet wasn't approved by all men. So it also takes a sense of pride to believe that we are any different or better than the treatment Jesus got. Like, how prideful is it of me to think that I could just go about my life as a Christian representing Jesus. By the way, that's my life. That. That's my life. I am here to represent Jesus. I am a Christian. My biggest goal in life is to act, be, serve like Jesus. Okay? So if I'm here representing Jesus, who was literally hated by some people, like, how does that make sense? Like, when we say that out loud, like, we hear the math, right? And it's not really mathing. Like, if I'm here and I'm saying I want to be like Jesus, and then I don't like the feeling of people hating me. Well, I'm sorry, Ali. But also, if you want to be like Jesus, that. That's very much something Jesus had to face as well. That obviously we. We enjoy the really incredible things that come with having a relationship with the Lord and being like Jesus. You know, the fulfillment, the purpose, the joy. Oh, my gosh, it's amazing. It's like a high sometimes. But also, we must suffer with Jesus as well, just as he did. And so, yeah, it takes a little bit of pride, doesn't it, to think that every single person is supposed to love me. Girl, are you okay? But that's what I'm talking about. So it's like, obviously the enemy, he can manipulate us into these silly, silly thoughts. And when we're in it, it, like, it kind of. It makes sense, right? When we're in it and we're spiraling in it, we're like, no, it does make sense because you're, like, so clouded by his silliness. But when you sit with the spirit of God and you just let him reveal how silly it is, it really does show how ridiculous we sound when we expect to make everyone happy or to be loved by everyone. When we say that out loud, y', all, it's like, oh, yeah, that's so silly of me to think that everyone is going to love everything I Do. It's so silly of me to think that everyone is going to love everything I have to say, because that was not Jesus's life. And so if I'm here saying, I want to walk like Jesus and I want to be like Jesus, that comes with it, too. Okay, guys, another sip of coffee. This is a convicting episode, y'. All, Isn't it? Mm. Okay, we can take a break. Okay, break is over. Next. This is good, though, y'. All. All right. We got through the tough stuff. We got through the convicting stuff. This is, like, the solution stuff stuff. So now we know all about it, and now we say, how do I stop doing this? I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to be prideful, Lord. I don't want to be in, like, a victim mentality where it's like, everyone hates me. How do I stop caring about what people think of me? Step one, acknowledging your fear. I think the healthiest thing that we can do is acknowledging that it's there and saying, okay, God, yeah, I do have fear of man. Yes, I do. I'm not proud of it. It's ugly. It makes me feel really icky. But it's there. So acknowledging it. Second thing is rebuilding your mindset through the Word and through the Spirit of God. So whenever we fall to a mindset that is just not heavenly, we need to be reminded through two things, which is straight from God himself, the Word of God and the Spirit of God. So that's what I needed to do. I literally needed to sit in a place that was small and tight and intimate. I closed the door and I said, God, tell me the truth. Reading the Word of God. Right? Which I want to also. I'm going to read some of that to you guys. The Word of God. I'm going to read some scripture to y' all of just some encouraging scripture about fear of man. So we're going to do that shortly. Next step, though, putting your trust in the Lord. Wow. Yeah. Putting your trust in the Lord. Why didn't I think of that? I don't know. But put your trust in God. If you're not putting your trust in men anymore, who should it be in? The Lord. And it should always be the Lord forever, first and foremost, right? So acknowledging our fear, rebuilding our mindset, a fresh washing of the truth from the Word and the Spirit of God. And then putting your trust in the Lord, acknowledging that you don't need the approval of others, that's really Good to say, even out loud to yourself, even if you sound crazy. But guess what? We have no fear of man anymore, so who cares? You could say it out loud in the middle of a Starbucks. Don't matter. But acknowledging that you don't need the approval of others, and last but not least, this actually should be the first thing you do after acknowledging your fear is repent. I had to repent. I did. I had to repent. You gotta give it to the Lord. You gotta say, God, I'm sorry. I'm a fool. I'm a fool. I fell for it again. I fell for it again. Fear of man has been sneaking up on me and I'm so sorry, God, I'm so sorry. Repent. Surrender it, Give it to him, and admit that you need the Lord in this area and ask for his strength. That's what you have to do. Repentance is so, so, so crucial. If you ever want to move on from anything, if you ever want to overcome anything spiritually, mentally, with the Lord, is first step is repentance. You have to mean it. You have to be like, gosh, I'm so sorry, Lord. This is so dumb of me. How silly of me to have believed these lies. I'm sorry. Anyway, okay, I have some examples of scripture, and then we'll call it a day. This was really fruitful, y'. All. This was really, really helpful for me personally, so I hope that it was also super helpful for y'. All. So Bible verses surrounding fear of man, right? We have Proverbs 29, 25, which is kind of a classic when it comes to this topic. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Hebrews 12:1 reads, the fear of man is a closely clinging sin that entangles our legs in the race of faith, and we must lay it aside. Wow, I Love that. Isaiah 12:2 reads, Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Psalm 118:6 reads, Now I know, Lord, that you are for me, and I will never fear what man can do to me. Isaiah 51, 12:16, I even I am he who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of? A man who will die and of the Son, of a man who will be made like grass. Oh, it's almost like Jesus reminds us that all these people we're fearing, we're all going to cease to exist here on earth. You know, who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die and not fearing the man who is everlasting eternally and alive right now and forever. It's silly. It's so silly when we say it out loud, but that's why we need the spirit of God to remind us of these things. We need to be reminded. We need to be reminded all the time. That is why he wrote us this giant love letter. This is a love letter from our dad. And that's why he left us this. That's why he gave us this. That's why he provided us this key to life. Because we need to remember. I really believe that, like, honestly, we wouldn't have even really needed the Bible like this if it wasn't for just needing reminders over and over and over again. It's his patience. For me, it's his patience, y'. All. I love you guys so much. I pray that this episode was fruitful for you and that you enjoyed it. Feel free to check out the merch. I've linked it somewhere. I think it should still be available, but I hope that you guys have been enjoying that and loving it. Reminder also that Jesus Freaks goes live December 28th on YouTube. Oh, my gosh. I'm literally so nervous and excited about it. And I have no fear of man. I only fear what the Lord has to say about that. I'm excited. I know that you guys are gonna love it. I love y'. All. Hey, guys, can we do something cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Let's walk more like him, be like him and not fear what people have to say. That's also a quality Jesus had. If we're gonna walk more like him, if we're gonna be more like Jesus, if we're gonna show somebody how cool Jesus is today, we probably should practice what he did, which he did not care what any man had to say about him. He was bold, and he continued to do what his heavenly Father was telling him to do. And so that's what we're gonna do. I love y'. All. I'm so proud of you. And I will see you next week. Bye. Are some of y' all still listening? Okay, if you're still here, that means you're a real one, which is why I'm about to share this with you. If you've already caught up on all the episodes so far and you don't want to wait until next Friday for a new one, I have really good news for you. Subscribe to our Patreon to get early access to the episodes every week, early access to merch launches or any other exciting news, and receive personalized encouraging messages or Bible verses from us. Subscribe to Our patreon at www.patreon.com backslash c backslash cwcoi I do also want to mention that there is a way to give to the podcast, so if you ever feel led to donate, it blesses me so much and it helps allow the podcast to keep running. 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