Are you letting what others do or say, or what you believe they think of you, direct the course of your life, behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs?

The prophets had a unique calling. They were told to speak God’s words when people despised them. I read through the book of Jeremiah last summer, and now I am reading through the book of Ezekiel. There seems to be a theme that God speaks to them when He calls them to be prophets:

Ezekiel 2:6–7
And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

Ezekiel 3:7–9
For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land— Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

Jeremiah 1:8
Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:17–19
Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land— Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

For both, God told them not to be afraid of the people, that they would still need to speak God’s words, and that the people would be angry at or ignore what they said… but God would be with them.

How would you like that assignment? This job is certainly not for the faint of heart, huh? I was reading through this passage yesterday, and it made me think of my own life. Don’t get me wrong—my life is nothing like this, and I don’t really have enemies—but I am learning about people-pleasing lately. I certainly would hate this job. People’s opinions matter way too much to me, and I take things too personally. How many of you have the same problem? Jeremiah and Ezekiel have extreme cases of going against people who don’t like them or what they have to say. They are supposed to be strong and not let it get to them; how many times do we let even things our friends or family say, or do, or what we believe they think of us, cut us down? We become afraid of even what they might do or say.

Why is this?

I am sure if I thought about it long enough, I could think of a lot of things our churches and Christian leaders and even parents say about how we should not let other people’s responses hurt us. We even have the classic, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But as I just told you, I am currently struggling with this; those wise sayings and even scriptures did not sink in. It is good to know things, but how do you get it to your heart? Well, to be honest with you, I don’t really know myself.

“So why are you writing about something you don’t have the answers to?” you might ask.

Well, because when I read Ezekiel yesterday, it stuck out to me; even as I read it today, I see applications. “Do not be afraid,” God told him and Jeremiah and so many other people in the Bible; the “why” always seems to be, “because I am with you.”

One of our staff here at YWAM Lynchburg has been speaking on identity and purpose in our Bible studies on Tuesday nights; she spoke on Psalm 23 last night. This psalm talks about how God leads us like a Shepherd. He leads us to places of rest and provision and even hard times; she shared how even when we wander away and go through dangerous places, He is with us. That’s what shepherds do and why they have a rod and staff—to protect and correct. That is another thing God promised these two prophets: “I will deliver you.” This reminds me of another verse:

Deuteronomy 32:35a
It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

Romans expands on this, bringing more clarity:

Romans 12:17–21
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In God’s deliverance, He also brings justice on your behalf. The thing with it, though, is it does not normally end up being the way we want it or even in a way we see at all; sometimes the deliverance may look a bit more like the “way of escape” rather than removing the person—friend, family member, or enemy—from your situation.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

It also says to love your enemies. How can we do that unless we forgive them? And how much more should we forgive our loved ones?

On top of all this, no matter the circumstances, He asks for our obedience. In these prophets’ cases, it was to speak the words of judgment and deliverance to their people. Maybe ours is to love someone who is hard to love. Maybe it is forgiving someone. Maybe it is holding your tongue when you want to complain about someone or a circumstance. Whatever He is asking of you, your circumstances are never an excuse to do whatever you want and not obey. The alternative is to run from God like Jonah did and see where that takes you. (Read the book of Jonah if you are curious about what this reference means. It is an interesting story.)

These are some of the things God has been showing me on how to work through people-pleasing and the bitterness and all the other things that come from it. To change our mindset to walking through life knowing that God is with you and that you do not have to be afraid or hurt by anyone. He asks us to walk in obedience, grace, and forgiveness. If you want to look at the stories of these two men to get a better perspective of your own situations, you might feel encouraged. Jeremiah was not called the weeping prophet for nothing after all.

Lord, may You grow us all to focus our eyes on You more and more each day. May You continue to teach us how to forgive. May You strengthen us so that we can walk in courage and confidence of knowing You. May You continue to deliver us from the fear of people. And may You renew our minds to see through Your perspective.

If you have any testimony of how God delivered you from the fear of people or the mindset of people-pleasing, please share with us. We would love to hear and learn from you. Have a good week everyone.