Proverbs 29:24-25 When I first married, I was so bound by the fear of what others thought of me. I wondered if my mother thought I was a good mother. Did my husband think I was a good wife? Did my neighbors think I was a good neighbor? I remember my next door neighbor coming to my home and telling me how she cleaned her oven and range every day. From that day forward I made sure my oven and range were spotless just in case “Mrs. Clean” dropped by uninvited. Before I was delivered from the fear of man, I never really listened to what people were saying. I was too busy thinking about what I would say to them when they finished talking.
One day I was listening to a teaching tape on my back patio. The subject was “The Fear of Man.” As I listened and discovered how the fear of man is a snare, I asked God to deliver me from that fear. That day I was delivered, and now I can honestly say I fear God more than I fear man. I desire to please God first in all of my ways and honor Him instead of trying to please man.
Since that significant prayer of deliverance from the fear of man, I have been free to esteem others higher than myself, to think of others rather than myself, and I don’t seek to impress people. Instead, I now want to make a spiritual impact for God upon people. I seek now to put His best foot forward instead of my own. What a blessing to be free from the tension and pressure of trying to please others. Now I just want to please God.
Has the fear of man been a snare in your life? If it has, maybe you would like to get set free of that wicked snare today. If you do, you can pray with me the following:
Father, set me free from the fear of man, and fill me with the fear of You only. In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind the spirit of fear of man in my life and command it to leave me this moment and never return. I refuse to ever receive the fear of man again. I will no longer be concerned with what people will think of me. Instead I will only be concerned with what You think about me. Thank You, Lord, for delivering me from the snare of the fear of man.
READ: Obadiah 1:1-21; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 29:24-25
