The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Beware of   practicing your righteousness before other people in order   to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.    “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may   be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have   received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Proverbs 29:25, Matthew 6:1-3

Rev. Dan Whang

Fear of man. We often strive for approval and appreciation from others. How often do we check how we look in the mirror? How often do you update your Facebook status or profile picture? Do you suffer from FOMO, fear of missing out? Many of us struggle with this. Do you define yourself by what others think of you? Are you a slave to their opinion of you? Is your identity tied to the approval and acceptance of others?

Addiction to attention or fear of rejection. This sums up what it looks like to be a slave to fear of man. The workaholic looks for validation from his coworkers and superior. Social media addicts look for likes and comments for validation. We might never share or speak up for fear of rejection. We don't want others to judge us or think us stupid or lacking.

Dealing with the fear of man

We can avoid people entirely. But this does not address the issue. We can put on a different attitude, be ourselves and be our own person. But this is ultimately self centered..

How then should we deal with it?

Firstly, we are not the center of the world. No one looks at you that much.

Secondly, there is no judgement. God has taken that away. God rejoices over you. In Christ, we have acceptance and identity.

Fear of man will be replaced by a fear of God. Good tells his prophet, Isaiah, to speak a message that the people will reject. So God dominates his temple with His presence and the prophet is freaked out. God is more fearsome than man. When we are reminded of God's greatness, our other fears are diminished.