James 1:23, Hebrews 12:1-2, Pslam 37:4

Philip Morris

I have recently gone through a season where I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my strengths and weaknesses are. In my role as a part time sales advisor I filled in a questionnaire which gives an indicator to what type of person you are, what your mindset is and what impact that can have on yourself and also your relationships with others. My strengths were: customer focussed, keen to help others, friendly, willing to learn new skills, wanting to get things right first time, etc. However, the weaknesses were: danger of not being assertive enough and be careful not to be a people pleaser.

The results of this personality questionnaire were not a shock as I had spoken to someone a week prior to this explaining how I felt at that time. The questionnaire was simply confirmation of what I had already psycho-analysed about myself (fun thing to do if you're ever a bit bored!!)

My main concern was about not wanting to be a people pleaser and this links in with not being assertive enough. Being a people pleaser doesn't mean that other people are actually doing anything wrong or even being pushy. It's actually the fact that you have developed a habit in your life and you react in a certain way, where you feel you can't say what you really want to say, or can't do what you really want to do.

If you are someone who finds it difficult to say "no" to people, the following thoughts may run through your mind:

• How will they react if I say no, will they bad-mouth me?


• How will they perceive me if I say no to something?


• Am I letting people down?

You may be so scared of offending someone that you just can't say no. The danger is that this can then influence how you use your time. If you don't use some common sense by being wise with your time, you will suddenly become burnt out. I am not talking about saying no to everything. I'm referring to saying no to the stuff that perhaps just isn't really a priority. The key thing is to invest time in what God has called you to invest in and listen to God. If he is telling you to rest, then rest. If he is telling you to drop an activity, then drop it.

James 1:23 says, 'Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like'.

Here James talks about the need do what the word says. It means acting on the word and sticking to your convictions and following through on what God is saying to you in your circumstances. It means being obedient to God's word and acting it out. It could be that God is trying to grab your attention again and again, but you keep ignoring him. Have no doubt that it is God who is telling you that your relationship with him is more important than the activities you do.

The person who looks in the mirror and then forgets what he looks like is double minded and this then leads to your focus being taken off Jesus. When you are double minded, you generally may say or think one thing, but then do the other. Again, this can relate to whether you subconsciously people please or whether you desire to please God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, 'Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith'.

We are told to throw off the sin that so easily entangles. How many people realise that actually the sin you are so easily entangled in could actually be the fact that you don't take a Sabbath, or that the sin could be putting 'doing church stuff' before your relationship with God.

From now on, keep checking and re-checking your priorities and make sure you are being obedient by daily worshipping God with all your heart, soul and mind. Every last bit. He will bless your socks off and as Pslam 37:4 says, 'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart'.