God Speaks Through God’s People
January 18, 2026
The People Pleasing Trap Recap:
- Jesus lived from the Father’s approval, not for the crowd’s applause.
- Stop caring what the wrong people think and keep your eyes on Jesus.
“24Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately. 27Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.” Acts 18:24-28 (NLT)
People-pleasing can cause us to listen to the wrong voices. It can also cause us to miss the right voices.
There are a ton of voices you should ignore. But there are a few voices you should pay close attention to.
Proverbs 12:15, 15:22, 19:20 (NLT)
- “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.”
- “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.”
- “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.”
God speaks through God’s people.
- Godly men and women, pastors, leaders, small group leaders, small group members, godly friends, accountability partners, mentors, counselors, spouse, parents, sometimes even our children
- The question is: Are you listening?
The enemy uses fear of people to isolate us, leaving us lonely, defenseless, battling broken soundtracks and sin on our own.
“1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2 (NLT)
There are lots of people you should ignore.
There are a few godly people you should listen closely to.
Some of you need to receive God’s words through His people.
Some of you need to start sharing God’s words to His people.
Quit worrying about what people think and obey God!
Are you allowing God to speak to you through His people?
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
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