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

The approval trap tells us that if we got enough likes, pleased enough people, or reached a certain level of popularity, we’d feel like we were enough. The approval trap lies!

A couple of years ago, I lost a battle with jealousy and envy. I watched another pastor grow from 10,000 to 130,000 followers on social media, even sharing a story I'd told years earlier. "Why was he getting attention for my story?!" But, as soon as that though came to mind, God immediately convicted me: this pastor posted faithfully every day while my fear of rejection kept me inconsistent.

Longing for the healing that James 5:16 describes, I confessed this to him in a video message. He responded with incredible grace, and we've stayed in touch ever since.

I envied his results while rejecting the daily work he'd done to get those results. God's responsibility is the outcome. Our responsibility is obedience. I was focused on metrics instead of faithfulness.

Here's what I learned from that experience: the difference between trying and training. When we try something, we judge ourselves on whether we succeeded the first time. When we train, we accept we're not ready to succeed yet and practice consistently to build capacity.

Most of us are trying to feel enough through approval. We need to start training our hearts to find enough-ness in God's love.

I've learned that if what God says about you isn't enough when you're unknown, you'll never be at peace when you become well-known.

What is your "it?" As you've gone through this plan, what have you discovered to be the thing you're looking for that only God can give?

Once you have the answer to that question, why don't you complete the sentence below by filling in the blanks?

Stop right now and complete this sentence honestly: "If I'm not enough without ________, I'll never be enough with ________."

Write it down. Say it out loud. Let that truth sink in.

If you're not enough without a spouse, your parents' approval, or 100,000 followers, you'll never be enough with those things.

Friend, we'll never arrive at enough followers, friends, or subscribers if we aren't enough based on who God says we are. What happens on social media cannot satisfy our souls.

So, how do you train your heart to find enough-ness in God?

Start small:

• Before checking social media, read one verse about your identity in Christ

• When you feel the approval craving, whisper "Jesus knows my name."

In John 10:14-15 NIV, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Jesus knows your name and laid down His life for you. That's why you're enough - you are known and loved by your Creator and Savior. Pastor and author Derwin Gray profoundly says, "If Jesus knowing your name is not enough, then the whole world knowing your name will never be enough."

Tomorrow, we'll create a practical plan for re-engaging the world from a place of security rather than seeking it. But today, what have you been looking for to feel "enough" that you need to surrender to God?