Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting for the first time, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my purpose is to nourish your soul and inspire you to live a powerful life on earth.



I remember one day, many years ago, when during a time of prayer, the Lord whispered across my heart, "Susie, I want there to be a bigger gap between how people affect you and how I affect you. My opinion should far outweigh the opinions of others."

I realized right then and there how bound I was by other's opinions of me.

In Proverbs it says, "The fear of man brings a snare, but the fear of God brings safety."

When our thoughts are consumed with others' thoughts towards us - we are walking in the fear of man.

When our day goes south because we feel slighted by a comment or a cross look - we are walking in the fear of man.

When we feel the need to get others on our side by speaking ill of another - we are walking in the fear of man.

When our goal is more to impress than to bless - we are walking in the fear of man.

Fear of other's opinions doesn't just show itself through insecurity - it's also revealed through pride (which is another form of insecurity, I suppose).

There's no winning the battle of other's opinions. It's a trap and we will be its slave if we reduce our lives to a series of actions that will please others and give them a momentary favorable opinion of us.

However, when we walk in the fear of the Lord - when we love Him enough to do what He says - we will be safe.

Not that other's won't gossip - they will - but when they do, He will be our defense.

To walk in the fear of the Lord is to say, "Help me not to gossip, Lord. Help me to make choices from a place of fullness, not emptiness. Help me to believe that I all I could ever need or want is found in You."

When we sin and we are quick to repent to both God and man - we are walking in the fear of the Lord.

When we are considerate of other's feelings without giving them the power to decide our value - we are walking in the fear of the Lord.

When we are willing to step out in faith to places that are beyond our reach - regardless of the cynicism of others - we are walking in the fear of the Lord.

When we pursue a holy, obedient life and entrust our reputation to the Lord Almighty - we are walking in the fear of the Lord.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

We will be blessed with wonderful relationships along the way. We will be hurt by divisive people along the way. No matter. We love people and we hope in God.

Have a blessed week~