for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." --Galations 1:10
Be wise when making decisions. You are the only one who will have to live with the decisions you make for the rest of your life. Other people are well-meaning, and in trying to influence your decisions, they may have your best interest in mind, but they won't have to live with your decisions. You do.
Ask the Lord for guidance, follow His leading, and make the decisions you believe are best. Don't let others pressure you into making decisions you may later regret.
In Reassess Your Chess, Silman tells us that we have to defend our position and prove it is superior. You need to believe in what you are doing. If you don't, no one will. Your opponent will insist that his position is better, but don't listen to him. It's your job to prove your position is the best.
Seize the opportunities you have; if you don't they will soon be gone. But don't go into commitments half-heartedly. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, and He will direct your paths. As Davy Crockett said, "First make sure you're right, then go ahead."
Pleasing others is a hopeless cause. It doesn't matter what people think of you; they come and go. Don't depend on other people's principles. People fail. People change. But God is always there; He never fails or changes. Nothing can be hid from him. On Judgment Day you won't be answerable to anyone else. You don't have to give account of your deeds to friends or church or anyone. You will give account to God.
We each must have the attitude to say, "I'm going to do what God wants me to do, regardless of what anyone else in the entire world says, does, or thinks." Only people with that attitude will be able to stand in the face of trial.
Throughout history most people simply flow with the tide. In Nazi Germany most churches started singing the praises of Hitler from the pulpit and the pews. Only a few dared to stand against it; they suffered persecution. Under other wicked regimes the story has always been the same; only a chosen few will raise their voices against evil and refuse to bow to the devil when all their friends do.
God is your Judge. What you do in your life is between you and God. It doesn't matter what other people say. Please God.
We each must have the attitude to say, "I'm going to do what God wants me to do, regardless of what anyone else in the entire world says, does, or thinks." Only people with that attitude will be able to stand in the face of trial.
Throughout history most people simply flow with the tide. In Nazi Germany most churches started singing the praises of Hitler from the pulpit and the pews. Only a few dared to stand against it; they suffered persecution. Under other wicked regimes the story has always been the same; only a chosen few will raise their voices against evil and refuse to bow to the devil when all their friends do.
God is your Judge. What you do in your life is between you and God. It doesn't matter what other people say. Please God.
"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou has possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well." --Psalm 139:7-14
and that my soul knoweth right well." --Psalm 139:7-14
