Are the Opinions of Others Controlling You?

Are the opinions of others controlling you?

If you find yourself worried about what others think of you, you are trapped in the web of a need for acceptance.

When we are free in Christ we have no need to worry about what others think of us. Our concern is whether or not we are pleasing Christ.

When we love Christ and care about obeying His Word, no one else's opinion will matter unless it is based on the word of God.

Placing the opinions of others above God's principles, is a little like having an idol. We must test all opinions of men by the Word of God. If we follow something it will not be the opinion of man that we follow, but God's Word.

Every person we meet has an opinion about what we do with our lives, they want us to be like them. This is why so many people lack fortitude and honesty, they restrain their beliefs out of fear of rejection by those who expect us to speak, act and pretend just like they do.

Proverbs 18:24
"24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a [b]friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Our best friend ought to be Christ, after that our other good friends ought to be those who love Him. NO man's opinion is ever as important as the commands and mandates of Christ.

If we have a friend who attempts to undermine our walk or our calling as commanded by Christ, then those people must be ignored and even removed so as not to be a hindrance to us and the purposes of God.

John 14:15 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"