I CRINGE at the word "please"

I am currently and have been currently reading for way too long, “Dangerous Prayers” by Craig Groeschel, I am also currently listening to Justin Bieber’s “Freedom” album while on an empty seat row on a plane to Miami. Just to paint a more accurate picture.

In Chapter 1.5, yes 1.5, it’s one of those books that will not give you the satisfaction of just getting out of the chapter because they all have way too many parts. So, Chapter 1.5 is titled “Reveal My Fears” and in page 43 Craig says:

“If you are afraid of failing, it could be that your spiritual enemy is trying to talk you out of doing what God has created you to do. So pray and step into your fear. Let God propel you forward by faith. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Remind yourself that you love pleasing God more than your fear of failing (Groeschel, 43).”

To everything prior to the highlighted sentences I was thinking “ SO GOOD”, “ I need to share this in my instagram stories”, until I ran into this sentence and cringed when reading the word, “pleasing” - ugh.

And then I thought about how there was no way I could share this now! I thought of my unbelieving brother’s immediate comeback saying something along the lines of “ Why would I need to please him?! He’s so arrogant”, and then I think of friends I just met that I’d love for them to embrace the love of Jesus and let go of the heaviness they carry and what would they think? “why would I look for someone else to please?”, already with the weight of the world’s expectations on us, our parents, social media, etc. They don’t need someone else to please.

Quite honestly, every time my brother challenges me and mentions how he does not understand why God created us to glorify him, how it sounds so egotistical and arrogant, when he asks why would he asks us only to glorify him only and please him when he allowed for humanity so suffer? These are all valid questions and I most definitely do not have an answer and many times I kind of agree, but I also know better questions are a good thing and God is definitely nowhere near intimidated by our questions. What I know is what he has done for ME, the way he has freed ME, and MY personal experience with my Holy friend and father, his sweetness, his grace, his kindness, I see him looking out for me in every corner and perform miracles in my life on a day to day, but I can’t teach that, I can’t show him that.

It’ s personal.

I also think that these are not necessarily the questions we should focus on, at least for me personally, this is the God who created the universe, I don’t deserve any answers or understanding, I wouldn’t even understand because his understanding is much bigger than mine, these answers I’ll get when I meet him in heaven and even if I don’t it’s okay, I trust him. It wouldn’t be faith if there was not doubt, how could we ever need or learn to trust if we had all the answers?

So why did the word “please” bother me so much? It takes me to more questions on what do I believe of God? Do I actually and genuinely love him? Why would I question what other’s think if I do. Among my church friends I can speak much more boldly than my friends outside of church, it seems like a lack of confidence in what I know. I think God is telling me I have not gotten to know him enough, taken the time to understand him and study him. He’s telling me I lack this confidence because I am insecure in the questions I’ll receive, and also in that I’m not trusting him with boldness and these questions. I don’t have to have the answers, I cannot live with the pressure of bringing people to him, no, HE brings people to him, he just happen to use us here and there but we give ourselves WAAYY too much credit.

So what is the three-point breakdown the Lord is giving me here you ask? Well,

1. Prioritize getting to know Him.

Definitely prioritize getting to know him intentionally in his word to understand his character and who he is, leading us to be clear about who he is definitely not.

2. Trust him more than I trust myself.

HE does the work, I get to be used and not knowing answers to questions is not a bad thing but don’t compromise the opportunity to plant seeds of Jesus or to talk about the love of Jesus with someone else out of fear. You have no idea how much they might need it, how much they might need to know how loved they are, the hope that exists in Him, that the weight of the world is not for them to carry.

3. Do not underestimate your testimony.

You might not know answers but what you can lean on confidently is what God has done for you and your personal experience, God has placed you in the right place, at the right time, to talk to the right people so, as cheesy as it might sound: let go and let God. Share your testimony, your story confidently and watch him exceed your expectations.

xoxo,

Rosalya