00:00You know, it wasn't until I started getting this one together that I realized how much I love it.
00:10The message I'm going to talk with you about today is so true.
00:15You know, there comes a moment in life, often after disappointment, rejection, or exhaustion,
00:22when you realize just how much energy you've spent trying to be acceptable.
00:30Acceptable to family, acceptable to friends, acceptable to co-workers, and acceptable to strangers who only see fragments of you.
00:42And eventually, you start asking a question that doesn't sound spiritual at first, but is deeply so.
00:53Why does approval feel so necessary?
00:56Because the truth is, approval can become a substitute for identity when identity is unclear.
01:08And that's where faith steps in.
01:11Not to shame us, but to free us.
01:15The more you own who you are, the less you need others to approve of it.
01:21Not because you've become hardened.
01:25Not because you've stopped caring.
01:28But because you've finally become rooted.
01:33You see, scripture tells us that before you ever performed, achieved, or proved anything,
01:40God already knew you.
01:43He formed you intentionally.
01:45You see, there are things about you that are special just to you.
01:50And gifts you have within you that only you can express in the way that God intended those gifts to be expressed.
01:59You're special, and there's things you can provide to this world that not a single person in existence can today,
02:07today, can provide in the way that you can.
02:12He placed gifts in you deliberately.
02:15He allowed certain struggles not to weaken you, but to shape you.
02:21Yet, so many people spend their lives trying to earn what God already gave.
02:27We chase validation because, somewhere along the way, we were taught that love was conditional.
02:36That acceptance had requirements.
02:39That belonging had rules.
02:42Well, I guess those people didn't go to public school.
02:46So, we adapt, we adjust, and we edit, right?
02:52We silence parts of ourselves.
02:54We exaggerate other parts.
02:57We become experts at reading rooms, moods, and expectations.
03:02But living that way slowly erodes the soul.
03:06Because every time you compromise your convictions to be liked, you teach yourself that truth is negotiable.
03:17Every time you hide who you are to avoid rejection, you reinforce fear instead of faith.
03:25And God, well, our God never designed you to live afraid of other people.
03:32When you look closely at scripture, you're going to notice something striking.
03:37God consistently calls people into alignment, not approval.
03:42Moses, well, he had a horrible stutter.
03:47He didn't feel confident.
03:50Jeremiah, well, he felt too young.
03:53Gideon felt too weak.
03:56David, well, that young man felt overlooked.
04:01And Esther, she felt afraid.
04:05None of them felt approved by the world when God called them.
04:11But God never waits for public consensus before he gives divine direction.
04:17You see, that's important for us, my friends.
04:20Because if you're waiting for everyone to understand your calling before you step into it,
04:26you're going to be waiting forever.
04:29You know, Jesus himself is the clearest example.
04:33I want you to think about this.
04:37He helped people, and he was accused.
04:40He spoke truth, and he was criticized.
04:45He loved deeply and was rejected.
04:50And yet, never once did he adjust the message to keep the crowd comfortable.
04:57Why?
04:58Because Jesus knew who he was.
05:01When identity is settled, criticism loses authority.
05:07That doesn't mean criticism isn't going to hurt.
05:10Because if you can figure out how to solve that problem, let me know.
05:15I've been trying to solve it for years.
05:17One of the greatest spiritual breakthroughs that I've ever come across is realizing that you are not required to explain yourself to people who are not walking with God on the same path.
05:39Not everyone will understand your obedience.
05:42Not everyone will support your convictions.
05:46Not everyone will celebrate your growth, especially if it reminds them of where they're stuck.
05:56That verse, it always draws a clear line in the sand for me.
06:11You see, you can serve approval, or you can serve God, but you cannot serve both.
06:20Approval is unstable.
06:22Approval is unstable.
06:23It shifts with opinions.
06:25It depends on consistency you don't control.
06:30But God's calling is steady.
06:33God's truth is fixed.
06:36God's approval is rooted in grace, not performance.
06:42And when that sinks in, something powerful will happen to you.
06:47You stop begging for affirmation.
06:50You stop chasing validation.
06:53You stop living like every decision needs a vote.
06:59Instead, you start listening.
07:02Listening to conviction.
07:04Listening to wisdom.
07:05Listening to the still, small voice that doesn't shout, but guides.
07:14Owning who you are doesn't mean you stop growing.
07:19It doesn't mean you stop learning.
07:22It does not mean you stop being humble.
07:26It means you stop being ashamed.
07:30It means you can say,
07:32This is where I am.
07:35And God?
07:37Well, God is still working.
07:40This is who I am.
07:42And God?
07:43Well, God is not finished.
07:46This is my story.
07:49And redemption?
07:51Well, that's going to be part of it.
07:54And when you own who you are.
07:57You stop letting past mistakes narrate your future.
08:01You stop letting labels define your worth.
08:05You stop letting opinions override your purpose.
08:09And faith?
08:11And faith?
08:11Well, that's where faith flourishes.
08:15Because faith is strongest when identity is secure.
08:20That's why rooted people move differently.
08:22They speak calmly.
08:25They stand quietly.
08:28They don't need to announce themselves.
08:31Do you know people like that?
08:33I do too.
08:35They don't chase platforms.
08:37They don't chase applause.
08:39They don't panic when they're misunderstood.
08:42They trust God with outcomes.
08:45And here's something few people realize until later in life.
08:51The people who truly belong in your life will not require you to betray yourself to stay connected.
09:00If being honest cost you a relationship, that relationship was fragile.
09:07If standing in faith cost you approval, that approval was conditional.
09:12If obedience cost you comfort, that comfort, well, it was temporary anyway.
09:21You see, sometimes when you lose people in your life, it's not always a loss.
09:28God often removes applause, so you'll learn how to walk without it.
09:34And when you do, well, something beautiful happens.
09:39You're going to gain peace, clarity, and courage.
09:45You stop living reactively.
09:47You start living defensively.
09:50You stop living in constant explanation mode.
09:55You live deliberately.
09:57Not loud.
09:58Not arrogant.
10:00Not hardened.
10:01But grounded.
10:02So, if you feel misunderstood right now, if you feel alone in your convictions, if you feel pressure to shrink, soften, or silence who you are, I want you to pause.
10:20This may not be rejection.
10:23It may be refinement.
10:26You see, God may be strengthening your backbone.
10:30He may be deepening your roots.
10:32He may be preparing you to stand where applause won't reach.
10:39And that, my friends, is holy ground.
10:43Because when approval fades, obedience remains.
10:48When opinions shift, truth stands.
10:52And when crowds disperse, calling will endure.
10:57So, own who you are, in Christ.
11:02Walk faithfully.
11:04Stand honestly.
11:07And, and trust the one who called you knows exactly what he's doing.
11:15Because, the more you own, who God made you to be, the less you'll ever need the world to approve of it.
11:28Truth.
11:30God bless you, my friends.
11:32iken's?
11:32Third.
11:32Thanks.
11:33And, we're going to, of course.
11:35Thanks.
11:46Listen.
11:47Yeah.
11:48Thanks.
11:49Thanks.
11:49Thanks.
11:50Thanks.
11:50Thanks.
11:51Thanks.
11:51Thanks.
11:52Thanks.
11:53Thanks.
11:54Thanks.
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