Understanding and Overcoming the Fear of Man.
‘ The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high. ’ Proverbs 29:25 (AMPC)
There are so many conditions that are birthed from the fear of man- people-pleasing, toxic perfectionism, pretence, bootlicking, and analysis paralysis, to name a few. The fear of man is that stifling weight that makes you think first of what others are going to say, think, or do as a response to some sort of undertaking or endeavour you embark on.
It floods your thoughts and emotions, makes you second-guess, over-analyse, overthink, and self-criticise before you embark on any endeavour (that’s if you get around to doing it in the first place). On the flip side, it pushes you rather quickly into doing, saying, or endorsing things you know you shouldn’t. The fear of man places more importance on the approval of people than that of God. This, the Bible calls a snare.
A snare is a type of trap that prevents the animal from moving freely. It stifles it, keeps it at the same place until it is eventually collected by the hunter and killed. The same applies to the fear of man. It becomes a weight that prevents us from moving towards God’s purpose for our lives.
The Fear of Man and Obedience
Often times, when we fear a person, we tend to obey them. We are afraid of their disapproval so much that knowingly or unknowingly, we act in ways that portray obedience to their desires. They become functional gods while God Himself merely assumes a ceremonial role in our lives.
A classic example of obedience to the people we fear rather than obedience to God is the case of king Saul in 1 Samuel 15. God had given specific instructions to Saul to wipe out the Amalekites from the face of the earth- people and livestock alike. However, Saul spared their king and some of the livestock with the intention of offering the latter as a sacrifice to God. When Samuel arrived on the scene, he rebuked Saul and his confession is one of the saddest I have ever come across in scripture:
And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. [1 Samuel 15:24 AMPC]
With this singular act of fearing man rather than God, Saul’s reign was taken away from him and God regretted He had ever made Saul king of Israel [see 1 Samuel 15:35]. Was the fear of man in Saul’s case worth the loss of his kingship, his relationship with God, the removal of his bloodline from royalty, and his eventual death?
Is your fear of man worth the abortion of your destiny?
Overcoming the Fear of Man
Now that we understand how destructive the fear of man is to the fulfilment of God’s purposes in our lives, we can look at the following ways of dealing with it.
- Become aware of your fear of man.
By means of introspection and with the help of the Holy Spirit, identify the ways in which the fear of man pops up in your life. How does it gain expression? Does it crop up when you need to share your faith, condemn evil, start a project God has asked you to, or stand by godly values in the face of opposition? - Channel your fear to the right person- GOD.
The Bible is overflowing with passages that admonish us to fear God. We are to fear Him in a way that makes us respect, admire, and adore Him but we are also to fear His judgement on sin. Essentially, we are admonished in scripture both to respect/adore God and be in terror of His judgement. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:28 — ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell’ [AMPC]. Simply put, the fear of man is misplaced. Fear GOD instead. His approval is more important. - Trust God.
Our introductory scripture mentions this as a sure way to escape the snare of fearing man. Trust God wholly. Confidently rely on Him. Trust in His love for you, trust in His ability to protect you from any attacks, trust in His provision for your assignment… Put your faith in Him for everything and in every circumstance.
Finally, an understanding of the fact that you cannot please everyone is paramount. We fear people because we fear their disapproval. Well, even Jesus faced disapproval, rejection and criticism so it’s no news if it’s the same for you. Focus on pleasing the One whose opinion matters the most- GOD.
