Looking for Approval and Being Alert!

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt left out and there's no clear reason why?  Have you ever been in a situation where the people you care about most clearly show favoritism toward someone else?   I have been pondering both of these types of situations in my life lately...and probably too much.  As I've learned all too well, my brain runs rabbit trails!   

What usually starts out as a legitimate situation as mentioned above turns into my brain creating a mountain out of a molehill, so to speak.  My brain starts with the basic truth and reality of a situation, which may indeed hurt my feelings, and then runs with it down to so many other conclusions that are actually false (or at least, not quite on target).  Having a history of depression, this is a dangerous path for my brain to go down.  I think I know why my mind does that, but never ever does it come out to a conclusion that is encouraging. No one, besides maybe my husband and sister, would ever know the kind of turmoil my mind has gone through by the time I reach a breaking point, and so to others, I must appear that much crazier. (I look upon this statement with both humor and sorrow.)    

I exhaust myself trying to figure out what others think about me and then trying to figure out how I can do better to gain their approval when I so often feel like I've lost it.  This morning, I was reminded again that I need only to be concerned about what God thinks of me.  If I can focus on His approval alone, it's much less exhausting because unlike man, God is always faithful, never changing, His love is unconditional, and He knows me better than anyone (even myself).  

I know why my mind goes down those rabbit trails...like anyone else, I have an innate desire to be loved and cared about, but I hate being misunderstood (which is almost a foregone conclusion based on who I am) and I have an unquenchable (and unhealthy) desire for the approval of others -- not necessarily the approval of "the world" (Biblically speaking), but the approval of those directly around me who are important to me.  

This morning, a few thoughts came to mind: 

**   The Lord uses His Word, situations, and other people at different times to speak to our hearts, whether in admonishment or encouragement.  Knowing that I have such an existing struggle with caring too much about the approval of others, I ought to focus on the Word of God that much more to feed on the Bread of Life that will encourage my heart and direct my paths.

**   The Devil will use every weakness I have to distract my focus from where it needs to be:  God, my King! Jesus Christ, my Savior!   The Holy Spirit, my intercessor!  

**  I was also reminded of this verse:  Matthew 26:41 -- "Keep alert and pray. Otherwise, temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak." (NLT)   I typically don't read NLT, but I like the NLT translation here particularly because of the word "alert" -- I need to be alert and pray consistently.  As I have been reminded several times recently, if I don't remain in God's Word and in prayer, it's incredibly easy for the Devil to slip in unnoticed and take away all my focus on the true Life-Giver, Jesus Christ. 

It's easy to say what I need to do, but it's not easy to follow-through. The Devil throws every single obstacle and distraction in my face that he can to keep me from being a strong vessel for the Lord.  The Devil is like a noxious gas that has no scent...he will slip in unnoticed, pervade your entire existence if you let your guard down even a little, and he will corrupt every ounce of your soul if you let him. He will give you a little truth with a lot of lies so that it you will end up believing all the lies because they're masked in a little truth; he will distract you so much that you are no longer able to enjoy the peace of the Lord. 

If we will only use them, God has given us the tools we need to remain in Him.  I love the Scripture on the Armor of God - you could do an entire study on each facet of the Armor of God!  Paul was not speaking in hyperbole when he said that we would indeed need the Armor of God!  Being a child of God inevitably means that we can be assured that we will be attacked by the powers of the dark world - the Devil and his evil spirits - and they will attack cunningly.

Ephesians 6:10-18

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

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Thank you, Lord, for these essential reminders in my life this morning.  Thank you for giving us the Bread of Life by which we can live daily in perfect peace.  Help me to focus on you and on you alone so that my only goal and desire is to have your approval, and by this, my relationships will be well.  I pray for all of my Christian brothers and sisters that they too would put on the armor of God and be alert against the schemes of the devil so that they can live in your peace and be mighty vessels for your kingdom!  I pray also for the lost -- those who I know and those I don't -- that they would see you today in a way that they can't ignore; I pray that you would soften their hearts to receive salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ!  In reverence, I thank you for your sovereignty and the grace you extend over all of us.  I love you!  In Jesus' precious name, Amen.</sup>