Mensa Otabil - Don't Be a Man-Pleaser
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Well, this week we’ve had a time talking about God’s purpose for our lives and how we should respond to God’s purposes and prepare ourselves to receive the promises of God for our lives. So, we are looking at Mark chapter 10, verse 48. In conclusion, then, many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, «Son of David, have mercy on me!»
What is this about? A blind man hears that Jesus is coming his way, and he cries out, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» The crowd tells him, «Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!» Even as they tell him to shut up, he still cries out all the more, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» He cries out until Jesus turns to him and heals him. This tells us that if you want to be a man-pleaser, if you want to please people, or if you want to live your life just to make people happy, you will never receive what God has for you. Society will always want to shut you down, and in this man’s case, it was well-intentioned people who told him, «Shut up! Don’t go any further! It’s too late; Jesus is passing this way. He’s not coming here for you; he’s on his own journey.» But he cried out all the more.
The devil will always have somebody placed in your life to tell you it’s not possible, it can’t be done, don’t try it. When you fall down, they will tell you to lie down: «Don’t get up! Don’t get up because it’s too late; it’s not possible; it can’t be done.» There will always be people telling you that. But if you believe God has a purpose for your life, if you believe that God is on a journey with you, if you believe there is a due season of God for your life, and if you believe that there is a fullness of time in that due season, and if you believe that God is no respecter of persons, then when they tell you to shut up, you’re going to be like this blind man. You’re going to cry out all the more!
Listen, life will never be easy for anybody, even for the person born in the most privileged home or family. They still have their battles to fight; everybody fights battles in this world. Everybody does. They may not be your battles, so you may not appreciate them, but everybody is faced with one challenge or another. Many times, when we are coming against our challenges, people will tell you it’s okay. For this man, his challenge was his sight; he couldn’t see, and he was trying to get better, yet people were telling him, «No way! Just sit down! Just be quiet! Don’t try!»
Many times, when you want to change your life-maybe you want to work harder so that you become more financially independent because you need more money to take care of your family — people will tell you, «Why do you want to kill yourself? Why are you killing yourself? Take it easy!» Or if you want to achieve something in a field, people will say, «Oh, other people are not able to do it; why do you want to do it? Why do you want to be the only one who changes the course of time and history?» Well, the reason why you want to change the course of time and history is that you believe God has a purpose for you, and if God has a purpose for you, then God’s purpose for you must come to pass.
Now, God is no respecter of persons. God is not going to say, «Oh, because you’re Ghanaian or you’re Nigerian, you are African, you live in a developing country, or because of the color of your skin, you should take it easy; relax where you are. Your people are supposed to be at this low level.» That’s the devil, and the devil is a liar. God has a plan for you; He has a purpose for you, and His purpose is that you will become the person He intends you to be. Don’t rest, and don’t give yourself rest until you become that person. Like this blind man, if they shut you up, you’re going to cry out all the more, «Jesus, Son of David, favor me, increase me, bless me!» and the Lord will hear you, and He will bless you.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to look to You alone and seek You with all my heart. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»