Tuesday September 30th, 2025
« For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ »
1“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.
3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
We discussed the first season of life yesterday and will be discussing the second season today.
- In the second season of life, a person’s greatest desire will be to impress.
At this stage, he or she wants to be perceived as a success by everyone.
For example, choristers and pastors in this stage will typically seek to impress others when they sing and preach respectively.
A person in this stage may be financially comfortable already, but would be seeking prestige.
This is the season that King Saul was in 1 Samuel 15:24GWT
« Then Saul told Samuel, “I have sinned by not following the LORD’s command or your instructions. I was afraid of the people and listened to them »
King Saul had money and power, but he also wanted to impress the people and that got him into trouble.
If you are doing things because of what people think of you, you are likely to get into big trouble soon.
The cheer of people may seem good now, but soon you will realise that those who are shouting, “Hosanna today” will be the same ones shouting, “Crucify Him” tomorrow.
This is why you must shun what people think and do what is right, whether it is the popular opinion or not.
The Holy Ghost Congress which we hold in Nigeria is a week-long programme, with Friday recording the largest attendance – running into millions. There was a singer who was invited to minister on the Thursday of the Congress. She refused, saying she would only come to sing on Friday when the crowd would be largest. Of course we withdrew the invitation because she was not interested in singing for God but for the crowd.
Those who are more concerned about how they look on social media are risking being destroyed by the same people they are trying to impress.
- Think about it: if you are trying to impress people, it means that you will always want to jump on the next trend.
Trends never end; this means that you would be caught in a never-ending rat race.
If you are currently at this stage of trying to impress people, you are still immature and must be deliberate about growing into the next season of your life.
Food for thoughts – Why do you do the things you do and buy the things you buy? Sincerely check yourself: are you living to impress people or please God ?
Author – Bishop Enoch Adejare Adeboye; General Overseer of the RCCG
Posted by Naomie Joseph
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Freely you received, freely you must give (Math 10:8) , kindly share this devotion, and the Lord will bless you for it.
