Do you watch American Idol? Our family watches it and the stories I love the most are the ones of those who come from hard circumstances and make it through to Hollywood. We get drawn into their story.
One year my daughter, Laura, and I were given tickets to the Idol tour when it came to Atlanta. It was the year Taylor Hicks won. He is not my favorite Idol winner and the song they made him sing in the finale I liked even less. Do I make you proud? It was a song basically crying out to someone asking them to tell you they’re proud of you.
Satan loves it when he can get us on a path seeking the approval of others. He fans the ego a while until we become hungry for it and the he has us hooked. Pride is the sin that has caused kings to fall. It is the sin that has destroys marriages, friendships, ministries, and careers. Pride is the very sin of Satan that caused him to be hurled from heaven. Psalm 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
We must always be aware of the sin of pride and how the enemy uses it. Many well meaning friends and family members may tell us how proud of us they are or how we did a great job at a task or performance. They are expressing their love for us and mean no harm; however, the enemy’s prowling around looking for an opportunity to strike [1 Peter 5:8]. We begin to believe our own press and that is the top of the slippery slope. Proverbs 29:23 says “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”
So what are we to do? How are we to handle the temptation of receiving glory when others begin to speak praise to us? 1 Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” The Lord has given us a way out. We are to focus on Him, just as Peter did when he walked on water [Matthew 14].
We need to keep our focus on the Father and be more concerned about what He is saying about us than what others say about us. Instead of seeking the praise of men, we need to do all we do for the glory of God, not the glory of self [1 Corinthians 10:31]. When our goal is to do our best so the Lord is glorified and our heart is totally committed to Him and His glory, then He will fully support us [2 Chronicles 16:9] and bring about our success. Then we will receive the only praise that matters- the praise from our heavenly Father when He looks at us and says “Well done, good and faithful servant!” [Matthew 25:21, 23] Whether we are completing a task at work, playing a sport or a musical instrument, speaking on a stage, or cleaning a house, we must always remember we are doing it for an audience of One. Whose approval will you seek today?