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

Yesterday, we built an approval hierarchy. Today, we discover what should be at the top: God's voice telling you who you are.

When we turn to people for what only God can give, we aren’t satisfied. When we look to people who only know us online for what those closest to us are not sharing, we end up in the approval trap and believe lies rather than the truth.

Truth vs. Lies About Your Identity

• Lie: Your worth depends on others' approval
• Truth: You are God's beloved child (1 John 3:1)
• Lie: You must earn your value through performance
• Truth: You are God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)

For many years, I struggled in my work as a writer. My email list didn’t grow. I rarely received replies from readers. I contemplated giving up on this calling. During a particularly discouraging season, I received a powerful email. A man shared about how he looked forward to my Tuesday emails and how God worked through them. “Don’t stop writing. This is what God has called you to do, and we need your words.”

While the man’s words made me feel good, their most significant power was showing how I’d fallen into the approval trap! That email reminded me I'd lost sight of what God said about me and needed to renew my identity in Christ.

Once you've stepped away from unhealthy sources of affirmation (like constantly checking social media or people-pleasing) and evaluated where your focus has been on the approval hierarchy, you must recognize that you're turning down the noise long enough for you actually to hear from God.

Now it's time to start tuning in to healthy sources of soul renewal.

God rarely shouts over the noise of life. Like Elijah experienced in 1 Kings 19:11-13, His voice is found in the whisper. If life is always loud and chaotic, we can miss God's whisper.

So, if what God says about you is the truest thing about you, how do you tune in so you can hear what God is saying? Start by reading what the Bible records regarding your identity in Christ. I've already mentioned Psalm 139, Romans 8, and Ephesians 1-2. Those would be great places to start.

Start by finding 2-3 verses about your identity in Christ - check out Romans 8, Ephesians 1-2, and Psalm 139 first. Keep them where you'll see them daily: on your phone, in your wallet, or in your journal. Better yet, memorize them! One friend records himself reading identity verses as voice memos for discouraging moments.

Tomorrow, we'll discover why you're already "enough" in Christ - no achievement required. But today, which identity verse will you choose to memorize and make your new soundtrack?