The Approval Trap: Finding Your Worth in God, Not Othersનમૂનો

We all want to feel valued and appreciated. But somewhere along the way, many of us crossed a line from healthy affirmation into an exhausting approval trap. As someone who shares God's word in various forms, I had no idea that going to work meant walking into this trap every single day.

The Apostle Paul understood this struggle. In Galatians 1:10 NIV, he wrote: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?”

When I get sucked into the approval trap, my brain transforms into a tornado of questions. "Did I get more subscribers this week? How was that sermon? Sure, you said I did a good job, but why do you say that?"

Words of affirmation are how I receive love, but there's a thin line between healthy affirmation and an unhealthy approval trap. Our God-given need for encouragement can become an obsession with others' opinions. We begin to look to other people for what only God can provide.

In order to determine if you’re stuck in the approval trap, consider the following questions.

• Do you frequently check for likes, comments, or social media engagement?

• Is your sense of self-worth tied to job performance or career success?

• Does someone's disapproval trigger anxiety or depression in you?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you aren't alone - 49% of adults struggle with people-pleasing. Consider this warning from Proverbs 29:25 NIV: "Fear of man will prove to be a snare.” The word snare is another word for trap!

Breaking Free from the Approval Trap is Not Easy

This plan is designed for those who began looking to approval from others to fill a hole inside themselves that only God can satisfy. Over the next five days, I want to help you take five significant steps toward freedom. Today, we'll start with the first step: recognizing the area where you’re trapped.

Take a few minutes to honestly ask yourself: “Where am I looking for approval from someone instead of God?” Let the Holy Spirit bring specific situations to mind. Once you identify your approval source, consider what you can do these five days to turn down the volume on others' opinions.

Several years ago, while recovering from surgery, I returned to preaching but skipped my usual post-service lobby conversations to avoid over-exertion.

As I took a break from that approval source, God invited me to focus on His approval instead. Sometimes, He uses circumstances to wean us off approval addiction and tune our hearts to His voice.

I want you to be free from other's opinions, so that you can find your true worth in what God says about you! That’s the purpose behind this entire plan. To do that, you need to hear from God! He wants to be the primary voice shaping how we see ourselves. We cannot become free to be the people God made us to be while we are looking to someone or something else for what only God can give.

When we're heartfelt in repentance, God responds with grace and equips us for bold steps of obedience.

Tomorrow, we'll discover how to build an 'approval hierarchy' - learning whose voices deserve your attention and whose opinions you need to ignore. But today, what approval source will you step away from so you can hear God's voice more clearly?