Approval Comes From God

When God gives us something to do, why do we need to wait for man's permission to do it? God can give us all the supplies we need. But we tend to go to man and say, look at this for me and let me know what you think. While we are waiting, we are doing nothing. If it takes a while to hear back we just assume the other person thinks it's a bad idea or not worth the effort.

We want to use the excuse that we really don’t have man’s approval or we don’t think it will be well accepted in the community or in the church. However, God only knows how others will react. Look at Moses. He went to Pharaoh many, many times and was laughed at, fussed at and threatened. The people who he was there to help were hurt because of him doing God’s will rather than man’s but he continued on until God’s will was done and the people we set free.

John 5:41-44 “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

If we have God's approval, what else do we really need? Are we really that interested in pleasing man more than God? If God places on hearts something that He wants us to do, He will give us the resources to do it. He will put us with other people who can help us but we don’t really need their approval about what God has already said to do. We need to just step out and do it.

If others don’t believe what God has told us to do is a good idea, we need to get started without them. As long as we have the right relationship with God, we are reading His word, we are talking with Him daily, He will tell us what to do. He will give us what we need. He will make things work according to His plan and no one else can know what His plan is until someone starts to take action.

That action is up to us. When we seek to have the praise of others rather than God’s approval, we are hurting ourselves and we are not obeying Him. God’s plan is one He made just for each of us. He approves and knows what will happen if we start and if we persevere. Waiting for the right time or a certain person to approve is just a means of delay.

We need to look deep inside and ask God to reveal to us why we are putting it off. We need to write out what God is asking us to do and begin taking steps. If there is a resource we need to get God’s job done, we need to keep searching until we find it. If we have barriers, God will give us what we need when He is ready. He wants us to be obedient so that He can use us to make a difference.