Be Led by God, Not Others (1)

Life is like a deep forest; it’s easy to get lost. We can feel pressure from every direction to keep others happy. We look at the important people in our lives and try to decide what they want from us and how to give it to them, and in the process we can lose ourselves. You need to stop and ask, ‘Who am I living for? Why am I doing the things I do?’ Paul writes, ‘Having gifts…that differ…let us use them.’ (Romans 12:6 AMP) What has God called and equipped you to do? People who succeed at being themselves are led by God, they don’t allow others to control them. ‘As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.’ Don’t sit around being upset because people place demands on you. It’s your life, take charge of it! The pressures you feel right now may not be coming from others at all; they may be coming from your own people-pleasing instincts! Yes, there are times when we all do things we’d rather not do. We do them because we love others, and in so doing we show ‘...the fruit of the Spirit...’ (Galatians 5:22) But that’s different from being controlled by your own insecurities or the endless demands of others. When you try to become everything to everybody, you get lost in the process. Plus, when you live for people’s approval, you risk losing God’s. It’s time you started praying, ‘...Lord, what do You want me to do?...’ (Acts 9:6 NKJV) Once He reveals it to you, commit yourself to it fully, regardless of who does or doesn’t agree.