Confidence Is an Inside JobSýnishorn

How to Be a God Pleaser

God created us to be needed and known—first by him, and then by others. When the Holy Spirit stirs our soul and says, “I gave you strengths and gifts for a reason, for my kingdom. Now get out there and use them,” that’s a healthy way to look at our purpose.

But sometimes the enemy uses that stirring to make us want to be needed and known in an unhealthy way. Satan can encourage a “need for more” desire within us.

The serpent said to Eve in the Garden of Eden, “God knows that if you eat [the forbidden fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

When the serpent said this, perhaps Eve heard, “You were created for more than this garden. Go on. Take the forbidden fruit. Eat it.”

So she did.

And from that day forward, humans have s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e-d to remember that the only way to feel fulfilled is to be needed and known by our God rather than our people.

There have been times when I had no idea who I was. Was I the unloved girl, the popular girl, the girl who needed attention? I had no identity of my own, and I constantly looked to others to tell me who “Ashley” really was.

Perhaps you feel lost, lonely, caring way too much about what others think of you, and exhausted from trying to please everyone. I can tell you this: You don’t have to stay there.

Like the apostle Paul, we can learn to do whatever we do for the Lord, not for humans (Colossians 3:23).

What does that look like? How do we have healthy relationships with others, where we’re needed and known by them, while also making sure that our first priority is to please God, not people?

I’ve found the answer to that question is: confidence. Confidence comes when we like who we are and trust ourselves to act in ways that align with our faith, our values, and our flourishing.

Does the person you are on the inside match the person you are on the outside? Why or why not?