Today’s Bread ~ Discipleship Denied

Luke 9:26 – If a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

Sometimes I look at myself and just sigh.  Am I ever going to make it through an entire 24 hour period without having to confess and repent?  As of right now, the answer appears to be a resounding “no.”

I had well crossed the threshold of 30 before I can honestly say I grew anything that resembled a backbone.  Chalk it up to an anxious nature, or chalk it up to my sinful heart (that’s where my money is), but any way you slice it, the bulk of my life has been plagued by insecurity.  Specifically, the fear of man.

In Junior High, I went along with the crowd, ganging up on another poor girl, even though everything inside me knew it was wrong.  In 9^th grade, the desire to be popular led to a binge drinking incident that landed me in the back of an ambulance.  In fact, almost every poor decision I made growing up was driven by the quest for peer approval.

In my 20s I sat idly by, watching as a friend made one bad decision after another, bringing tremendously difficult ramifications on herself, never saying a word so as not to jeopardize the friendship.

I’ve listened to and partaken in gossip, too timid to call it out or walk away.  And most recently, I failed to share the Gospel with someone, even as the Lord whispered direction and instruction.  I simply sat, listening, as the individual told me of their difficulties and struggles, and how they simply couldn’t understand why life wasn’t going their way.  All because I worried about what they would think of me if I stated their desperate need for Jesus.  I place the opinion of an individual (that I don’t even know very well) over the opinion of the One who created me and loved me enough to die for me.  All for the fear of man.

The Bible has much to say about placing more importance on the opinions of others over God’s.

Proverbs 29:25 – The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

According to Jamie Munson, author, lead pastor and president of Mars Hill Church, the fear of man leads to 8 snares:

1. Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.
2. Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.
3. Lack of love. When we’re overly concerned with “getting it right,” we turn people into projects to accomplish. We withhold our compassion and grow reserved and calculating in our pursuit of people.
4. Fakeness. If you’re overly motivated by the opinions of others, you won’t act like yourself. You’ll be a chameleon, adapting yourself to any situation for the sole purpose of fitting in.
5. Apathy. Fear man and you’ll quit taking risks because of the potential for embarrassment in failure. If an endeavor is unlikely to succeed, you’ll never take the chance. In other words, you’ll never do much of anything.
6. Dishonesty. It’s tough to speak truth into someone’s life because the truth can be painful. If we fear somebody’s response, however, necessary words will remain unsaid because we care more about ourselves (being liked) than we do about the person (seeing Jesus work in their life). This negligence always creates more long-term damage than the hurt it avoids in the present.
7. Isolation. Fear of man won’t let you delegate anything because others might not do a good job (or they might do a better job), which could reflect poorly on your performance and reputation. Fear of man compels you to control everything—even if that means going it alone.
8. Decision Paralysis. When we live out of fear rather than out of the convictions God has given us, we spin in circles unable to move forward (taken from a blog post by Pastor Jamie, found at theresurgence.com).

Guilty, guilty, guilty.                                                                                                                           

The fear of man leads to a stressful, anxiety ridden, fruitless life.  In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells the crowd that the Word of God is sown like a seed.  There are four types of soil the seed lands on: a hardened footpath, shallow dirt with underlying rock, thorny, and fertile.  Jesus goes on to explain in Matthew 13:22 that, “The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth, so no crop is produced.”

Where is your heart?  When a group at the office starts to bad-mouth the boss, do you join in, stand and listen, or turn the conversation to something positive?  What kind of jokes do you laugh at?  Can you speak the truth in love or do you endorse someone’s sin by remaining silent?  What kind of crowd do you run with?  What are your words and actions saying about you to your children and the others in your circle of influence?  How do people know you’re a Christian; by your bumper sticker or your attitude?  By your church attendance or your heart?  Sadly, churches are not exempt from back-stabbers and hypocrites. 

If I can take comfort in anything, it’s this: while salvation takes a moment, sanctification takes a lifetime.  And I’m in good company.  Not one of the disciples stood by His side when Jesus was accused, tried, and crucified.  Peter himself, whom Jesus called the rock upon which He would build His church, denied Him three times. 

My failure to disciple has shown me an area of weakness in which I need to be held accountable and covered in prayer.  I’m asking the Father to give me holy boldness, not just to proclaim His Name, but to let my words and actions reflect my identity in Christ.  Until He returns, we are the only voice Jesus has on this earth; the only hands and the only feet.  If we won’t stand up for the work on the cross, who will?

Dear Heavenly Father, I confess my weakness in this area.  Please prune this from me and help me to repent.  God, we ask that You would bring us to a new level of intimacy with You.  Let us grow so close to You, and be so filled with the Holy Spirit, that boldness is our natural response.  Please help us to value You above all else.  Help us to delight in Your will and walk in Your ways.  Jesus told His disciples that He would know His followers by their fruit; we want to live rich, fruitful lives.  We want to help others grow in their faith, and in order to do that, we need to tell them the truth in love.  Forgive our shortcomings, Father.  We thank You for endless second chances.   We thank You for the marvelous work on the cross, and ask You to help us not take it for granted.  We love You God, and we want to love You more.  We pray these things in a spirit of both humility and victory, knowing that we are praying in line with Your will for our lives.  It is in the beautiful name of Jesus that we pray, Amen.