Chosen, Not Just Liked
Study The Word
Galatians 1:10 (KJV)
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
Let me start by saying something we need to hear without any guilt: most of us want to be liked. We want to be validated, accepted, welcomed in. And listen, there is nothing wrong with that. It is deeply human. God made us for connection, and the longing to belong is not a flaw in you.
But here is the tension I have come to understand, and I want to be honest with you about it: purpose and popularity rarely travel the same road. At some point, the two paths split. Because purpose, by its very nature, will step on some toes. That is not a sign you have done something wrong. It is simply inevitable.
Listen to how plainly Paul says it. He asks himself whether he is living for the approval of people or the approval of God, and then he draws the line clearly: if I still sought to please men, I would not be the servant of Christ. He is not being harsh. He is being free. He had settled the question of whose smile he was living for, and that one decision quietly settled a thousand smaller ones.
Now can I be vulnerable with you for a moment? I know this struggle from the inside. For a long time I had such an issue with people-pleasing. I would want everyone to be pleased with me, to the point where I would neglect, and even abandon, myself to keep the peace. That hunger to be accepted ran my decisions for years. And I had to learn, slowly, that you cannot pour yourself out to win everyone’s approval and still walk faithfully in the thing God actually called you to.
So let me remind you of something foundational: you have a purpose. This is not a maybe. Every single child of God has been given a unique purpose in the earth, something only you are shaped to carry. And you did not talk God into it. Jesus said, “ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John 15:16). Sit with that word for a moment.
ἐκλέγομαι eklegomai to choose – To pick out, to select for oneself, to choose out from among others
Do you understand what that means? You were not overlooked. You were chosen out: handpicked and set apart, on purpose, for a purpose. And I believe that is exactly why the enemy works so hard to whisper the opposite. So much of his strategy is simply distraction: getting you to abandon your assignment by convincing you that you were never worthy of it to begin with. You’re not good enough. You’re not the one. You weren’t really chosen. Remember what the Word actually calls him: the father of lies (John 8:44), and the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). Accusation is his native language. If he can get you believing you are unworthy, he never even has to fight you for your purpose. You will quietly hand it over yourself.
And I want to speak so tenderly here, because I know this terrain. So often we want to dim our own light because we are afraid: afraid that shining will make others uncomfortable, afraid we will be rejected, afraid we will be pushed aside or cancelled for being different. Especially when you come from a background of neglect, abandonment, or dysfunction, that hunger to finally be liked can feel so much louder than the call to your purpose. The wound makes the approval feel like oxygen. And that is precisely the place the enemy presses. Why do I say this matters so much? Because fulfilling your purpose will sometimes make people uncomfortable: in your family, among your friends and colleagues, even with the very people who were entrusted to help take you higher.
So I have to be honest with you, the way a friend who loves you would be: when you set out to fulfil your purpose, be prepared to lose some people. You will not always get to be the popular one. That is part of the cost, and pretending otherwise would not be kindness. But hear the beautiful other side of it, and hold onto it: as you grow into who God made you to be, the right people will begin to gravitate toward the gift inside of you. The ones meant to walk with you are drawn to your purpose, not repelled by it. You do not only lose people. You find your people.
And listen, the word of God says part of the reason He brought you to this earth is to let your light so shine before men, that they would see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). If you keep dimming your light to stay liked, how does the Father receive His glory? So at some point you will reach the crossroads every purpose-carrier reaches, and you will have to choose: the fulfilling of your purpose, or the comfort of being liked. You cannot always have both. And the bravest, most loving thing you can do for the world you were sent to serve is to choose your purpose. Hallelujah! That one decision changes everything that comes after it.
So choose wisely, friend. You were not merely made to be liked. You were chosen, handpicked by God Himself, to bring forth fruit that remains.
Pray The Word
Heavenly Father, thank You that I did not choose You, but You chose me, ordained me, and set me apart for a purpose only I can carry. I lay down the desperate need to be liked by everyone, even when it has cost me myself, and I receive the courage to be faithful to You instead. I refuse the lies of the accuser that say I am not worthy, not good enough, not chosen, for Your Word says I am all three in You. Give me grace to shine my light and fulfil my purpose even when it costs me, and surround me with the right people who are drawn to the gift You placed within me, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Speak The Word
I am chosen by God, ordained and set apart for a unique purpose in the earth. I refuse every lie of the accuser; I am worthy, I am good enough, and I am called. I will not trade my purpose for the comfort of being liked, because I live for the approval of God and not of men. I let my light so shine, and the right people are gravitating toward the gift inside of me. I bring forth fruit that remains, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
Soul Wellness: An Introduction To Receiving Healing In Your Heart
$2.99
- Formats: PDF
- Total download size: 249.25KB
- 1 included file