Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 (NKJV)
Do you worry a lot about what others think? I used to, until I realized I was allowing myself to be bound by their opinions.
If you allow others’ opinions to dictate your life, you’re also letting their judgements define you. All of your decisions will be bound by their standards. I don’t know about you, but I want my decisions to be determined by what God thinks of me, not by what my critics think.
Don’t even let your parents or spouse define you. Only Holy Spirit can accurately show you who you are as a believer.
One way to tell if you’re tied up in others’ opinions is if you always seem to be fighting battles to be right. If you need people to think you’re smart to feel okay about yourself, you’re in trouble. These attempts to boost your self-esteem will hurt your relationships.
You need to develop a good sense of who you are in Christ. Then you won’t feel like you need others to validate you all the time. Instead, you’ll be free to lift others up because you won’t feel like their success diminishes you in any way.
Learning who you are in Christ leads to the most freedom and security you can have in life. So, next time you’re feeling a bit insecure, don’t run to the phone to call a friend. Don’t just work harder to make others happy or frantically complete a task so you can feel okay. Instead, go to God first. Take in His completely unconditional love and acceptance.
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