The fear of man
I published the last post the week of Charlie Kirk’s assassination—a very traumatic event for our nation and our world. Here’s a short excerpt:
Charlie Kirk demonstrated the peace and joy of Christ. (Watch the tribute by Candace Owens to see fun examples of his humor.) Even when people were literally shrieking at him and calling him names during debates, he maintained his composure, clarity and calm. What an ambassador for the Lord!
Part 5 explored the issues of truth and peace as seen in Charlie Kirk’s life, and included an important new documentary about truth.
Many of us have been hungry for the truth about this event. One thing’s for sure. The feds and politicians are lying big-time. Why did a team jackhammer the concrete platform where Charlie Kirk was shot—obliterating the crime scene? Explain to me the book about his assassination that was published on Amazon the day before said assassination? (Links below.) And why was his body transported in a friend’s SUV instead of an ambulance?
Where the September 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk is concerned,
the questions are many, and the logical, acceptable answers are few.
Digging for the truth about Charlie Kirk
The important podcasts below will get you thinking about many things. Despite some coarse language here and there, I highly recommend them all.
The investigator
To drink in some outstanding investigating, watch these three Candace Owens podcasts (and more):
1. Candace, episode #235, September 15
“They Are Lying About Charlie Kirk”
Make special note of the threats made at the “intervention” with Charlie this summer in The Hamptons. Bribery was pushed hard by some powerful people in exchange for Charlie’s silence about Israel. Despite the pressure and threats, Charlie said no.
2. Candace, episode #237, September 18
“Who Ordered the Hit on Charlie Kirk?”
This show begins with “Let’s play a game.” And it’s a game you absolutely must play. The feds obviously wrote the alleged texts between “the shooter,” Tyler Robinson, and his roommate/trans boyfriend. Lies, lies and more lies.
3. Candace, episode #238, September 19
“EXCLUSIVE: Another Photo of Tyler Robinson”
(Title on cover image: “The Bibi Doth Protest Too Much”)
♦ Consider the donor pressure at Turning Point USA. Translation: “If you want my big, fat donation, you’ll do what I say.”
♦ Not once—but twice—Bibi went on television and insisted that Israel didn’t kill Charlie Kirk. Hmmm. The Beebster never leaves Yours Truly feeling warm and fuzzy. (Bibi = Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.)
♦ In the comments at the end of this show, a viewer mentions a book about Charlie’s assassination that went for sale on Amazon on September 9, one day before the shooting. Candace, too, was aware of this. (See this article for more.)
The revealer
To dig deeper, think long and hard about these three Michael Jaco podcasts:
1. Michael Jaco, September 12
“The party and people associated with death and destruction…”
This 18-minute video provides a gentle intro to what I consider a shocking reality. (Ignore the “love vibration” stuff.) Michael Jaco’s move from Seal Team 5 to Seal Team 6 illustrates a valuable concept.
2. Michael Jaco, September 14
If you watch only one podcast listed in today’s post, watch this one:
“Charlie Kirk assassination was a captured and staged event after learning of deep state plan.”
After watching this 34-minute podcast several times, I watched it with my friend Sam. She was in shock, saying “No!” several times. As she kept watching and drank it in, she understood. It takes about 24 hours to really absorb this important mind-shift. (“Q” and “Q-team” = deep, deep White Hat military intelligence.)
3. Michael Jaco, September 19
“BLM protests begin in New York will they spread over the weekend? Trump and Melania Helo Scare in UK”
♦ Early in this 42-minute podcast, you’ll see a video of President Trump walking in front of King Charles during a recent visit to the UK. Watch how the lead guard responded. What does this tell us?
♦ Zero-in on the video of the jackhammers obliterating the Charlie Kirk assassination crime scene.
♦ Watch this one to the end. Jaco reveals what Erika Kirk’s rings communicate.
The violence
In the second Michael Jaco video above, he considered the hidden faces of the Kirks’ children in all public photos as evidence for his position. I found out from my pal Charlene that he was mistaken.
Popular conservative voices are attacked physically. They and their families receive death threats from “the love party”—I mean the left. Hence, conservative speakers must be extremely vigilant in protecting their families—hiring round-the-clock armed security, hiding their children’s faces/locations, etc. For more on this disturbing subject, watch the 3-minute clip below of Steven Crowder on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” Steven Crowder mentions a “concrete milkshake,” which is a milkshake cup filled with hardened concrete. The assailant says, “I just threw a milkshake! It was harmless.” In reality, it was a block of concrete. Slashed tires. Fire bombing. Terrorists coming from outside the country…. We’re talking about extreme leftwing violence. Watch Steven Crowder’s powerful description of the danger. “It’s real life out there, and the left wants you dead.”
Prayer and encouragement
That video is very serious. Watch it several times and drink it in—all the way. Please pray faithfully for the truth-speakers who risk their lives for us. Lord, protect your bold truth-speakers, their families and their teams with legions of angels. Protect them with your mighty armies. Amen.
These are hard, disturbing times.
Be wise. Be discerning. Be prayerful.
Obey the Holy Spirit.
Do you need some encouragement? Enjoy this 9-minute video from A Righteous Perspective: “I Wore a MAGA Hat in Utah….”
Heavy sigh.
What does the Lord have for us today? What does he want us to see and understand?
Let’s wrap up my 12 favorite mirror verses—key truths covered in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We’ll explore (1) how to be free from people-pleasing, also called “the fear of man,” and (2) bearing fruit—the life-changing virtues that blossom by faith in Jesus Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.
List
If you’re just joining this series, here’s a list of the 10 mirror verses or passages we’ve covered so far:
PART 1 mirror verses
1. Working for our good
2. God is for me
3. My shepherd
4. Finding rest
PART 2 mirror verses
5. Kind words and health
PART 3 mirror verses
6. God’s purposes
7. The word and light
PART 4 mirror verses
8. God’s faithfulness
PART 5 mirror verses
9. Truth
10. Peace
11. Freedom from people-pleasing
(also called the fear of man)
Old Testament truth
The fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in the LORD will be set on high. Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man’s justice comes from the LORD.
Proverbs 29:25-26, New Heart English Bible
New Testament mirror
For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? For if I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10, New Heart English Bible
The snare and the cart
The first phrase of our Old Testament truth shows us the danger of people-pleasing: “The fear of man proves to be a snare” ~ Proverbs 29:25a, NHEB. What’s the purpose of a snare? To capture. To disable. To freeze in place. To kill.
When we’re captured, disabled or frozen in place, we can’t move forward. We’re stuck. Can you remember a time when you were a people-pleaser and said yes when you should’ve said no? What were the results? Close your eyes and ask God to show you the impact of people-pleasing on that relationship or situation.
Our New Testament mirror—Galatians 1:10—communicates boldly that we can either serve Christ or we can be afraid of what people think of us. We can’t be both. As we honor and obey the Lord, his transforming and sanctifying work moves forward. It’s that cart and horse thing. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Put the Lord first, and see what he can do in, through and for you.
Rewind and repeat
Here’s excerpt 1 from the post on people-pleasing:
Today we’re going to look at a rampant malady in The Self-Control Department, better known as People-Pleasing…. [One] of my dad’s favorite mantras was this People-Pleasing doozy: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.”
…Here’s the 411 on this problem.
People-Pleasers say yes, even when it makes no sense.
…I realized that People-Pleasing is a type of neglect—of ourselves and others. A failure to display the virtues of life. A failure to prioritize. A failure to admit our limitations. A failure to ask for help. A failure to stop and think.
Excerpt 2:
Seeing ourselves wrongly
…When we’re People-Pleasers, we think we’re such nice people—despite all the evidence to the contrary. The devil loves People-Pleasers because (1) we add frustration (and sometimes pain) to the world, (2) we’re slaves to public opinion—an ever-changing mark, and (3) we see ourselves oh-so-wrongly….
Vulnerability
On a much more serious level, since we say yes without thinking, People-Pleasers are extremely vulnerable to manipulators, abusers and dangerous people with personality disorders. We don’t say no. We don’t say stop. We don’t say that’s inappropriate. We don’t say I’m not available for…. (Until we do.)
Because we’re gullible and we don’t possess the protection that wisdom gives, we have a big, red sign on our foreheads that communicates, loud and clear, “Whatever you say.” In other words, “You’re the boss of me.” Control freaks use heat-seeking missiles—their tests and shocking behavior—to locate us. They’re the hunters and we, The People-Pleasers of America, are the hunted. We’re the targets.
Excerpt 3:
Excuses
During his series on The Ten Commandments, our preacher mentioned this quote from evangelist Billy Sunday, and it stuck with me. “An excuse is a skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.” Yes, indeed.
People-Pleasers make excuses. Instead of telling the truth—a la “I forgot,” “I was wrong,” “I changed my mind,” “I shouldn’t have said yes,” “I’m really sorry”—we make up an excuse so we don’t look bad or “hurt so-and-so’s feelings.” And we think we’re such nice people. When we’re trapped in People-Pleasing, we’re prideful (“I must appear to be good, even when I’m not”), we lie to ourselves and we lie to other people. More than we realize. Like I said, the devil loves People-Pleasers.
Enslaved by people-pleasing
Galatians 5, the chapter where we find The Fruit of The Spirit, teaches about slavery vs. freedom. I didn’t realize that People-Pleasing—with its pride, lying, stealing, disrespect, laziness and more—is slavery. But it is. It really is.
For more on people-pleasing, read part 2 of The Fruit of The Spirit.
Seeking and finding favor
We find the word favor in both our Old Testament truth and our New Testament mirror:
…Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man’s justice comes from the LORD.
Proverbs 29:26, New Heart English Bible
For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? For if I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10, New Heart English Bible
These two verses draw a picture of our desire for people to view us with favor. We can all remember times when we wanted so-and-so to think highly of us, to agree with us, to like us. When we put people’s opinions above God’s opinion, we can get into serious trouble.
Example: the story of Esther
In the wonderful story of Esther in the Old Testament, Esther was humble and devoted to the Lord. God gave Esther favor with people before and after she was made the queen of Persia. People’s favor toward Esther was a gift from God. And that favor played a major role in the unfolding of God’s purposes.
Let me say this again: When we put people’s opinions above God’s opinion, we can get into serious trouble. In the story of Esther, the bad guy—Haman—displays the dangers of people-pleasing. Haman wanted the king’s favor and the people’s favor. He wanted attention and power. And he’d do anything to get it, including lying to the king, plotting the genocide of the Jewish people, and more.
Was Haman really a people-pleaser or simply the poster child for The Malignant Narcissists of Persia? (I asked the Holy Spirit to show me the answer.) Narcissists and people with other similar personality disorders actually demonstrate extreme people-pleasing. They’ll go to disturbing and sometimes murderous lengths to be viewed highly by “the right people.” To be admired. To be part of “the in crowd.” To be in positions of authority and power. To control others. To punish and ruin people who won’t worship them. They’ll scheme, slander, lie, flatter and much more to aggressively keep their Us vs. Them warfare raging. If you know a narcissist or two, beware.
Getting free
Hopefully, we can acknowledge the dangers of people-pleasing. So how do we get free from that slavery? We live the second phrase in our Old Testament truth:
Whoever puts his trust in the LORD will be set on high.
Proverbs 29:25b, New Heart English Bible
When I think of achieving freedom from people-pleasing and other vices, I think about peace. This verse says it all.
You will keep him in peace, in peace whose thoughts are fixed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3, NHEB
When I find myself concerned about what someone thinks of me, I ask God to show me what he thinks and if he has any instructions for me. In other words, “Lord, what you think is supreme. I cast my cares on you because you care for me. I trust you.” God sees and knows what we don’t see or know. He keeps us in perfect peace when we humbly fix our thoughts on him.
Depending on our upbringing and mental and spiritual health, replacing vices with virtues can be a very long or perhaps a life-long process. Be kind, forgiving and understanding to yourself. Stay close to God and receive what he has for you each and every day.
Our last set of mirror verses flows from this one—filled with images of staying close to God, trusting him, abiding in him.
12. Bearing fruit
Old Testament truth
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8, New Heart English Bible
New Testament mirror
Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
John 15:4, New Heart English Bible
The fruit
What fruit do we bear as we love Jesus and grow closer to him? From part 2 of The Fruit of the Spirit:
Can and will
If our parents failed to demonstrate, teach and instill virtues in us while we were growing up, our mighty God can and will demonstrate, teach and instill virtues in us—if we’re willing to learn and receive them. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Plus… Truth. Wisdom. Courage. Strength. Honor. Respect. Forgiveness.
The Lord has taught me so much. He continues to teach, refine and transform me. Thank you, Jesus.
From part 1 of The Fruit of The Spirit:
Why does The Fruit of The Spirit list begin with love and end with self-control? Why are love and self-control the two bookends of The Fruit of The Spirit?
If I love myself rightly—not too much and not too little—I’ll grow in the discipline and the virtue of self-control. I’ll care enough about myself to say no to things that are bad for me and yes to things that are good for me. I deeply appreciate this aspect of The Fruit of The Spirit. I’m not left out of the equation. It isn’t only about how I treat others. The Fruit of The Spirit addresses how I view and treat myself—with love, patience, kindness. And self-control. Saying yes and no wisely—to myself, first of all—allows me to say yes and no wisely to others. Right?
And, finally, from part 12 of The Gift of the Bible:
God replaced my core, underlying sins—pride, secrets, fear and people-pleasing—with virtues like humility, truth, faith, courage, wisdom and discernment. My weakness was replaced by the Holy Spirit’s strength. Interestingly enough, the four categories [described in that post]—(1) abuse and neglect, (2) marriage, (3) life and (4) extended family—were filled with steps away from vices and toward virtues. From lies to truth. From darkness to light. From silence to speaking. And that, Peaceful Readers, is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit—one thought, one day at a time. All glory to God.
For more about vices and virtues, see Virtues in the index.
Your turn
Get out your journal or a piece of paper and reflect on these things. How have you changed since you started walking with Jesus? How would you describe yourself before you were saved? How would you describe yourself now? Consider your transformation—the vices partially or largely conquered and the virtues that have blossomed in your life. What virtues has God brought forth in your life? What virtues do you desire to demonstrate more? How have you positively impacted others?
Pray and thank the Lord for his sanctifying and transforming work in your life!
Fresh voices, virtues and laughter
On Choosing Peace, I feature a variety of podcasters and alternative media show hosts, like Candace Owens, Brylan Riggs, Liz Wheeler, and Roman Balmakov. I found a fresh, relaxed, truth-speaking voice recently on The DeVory Darkins Show. His tagline is “Common Sense Commentary for Uncommon Times.” When I was making notes on one of his recent shows, I wrote: “Excellent video clips; well done!” Check him out.
A combo deal
Truth and joy are two of the virtues or fruits listed in the Can and Will section above. And we know that laughter is good medicine—needed most during challenging times like these.
For a combo deal of current events and humor (with some language), watch this Benny Johnson video: “JD Vance Goes Viral, NUKES Obama Bro Over Left-Wing Terrorist Violence….” I laughed and laughed. I’m not on social media, but I get some occasional entertainment via the X posts featured in various podcasts, like this one. A clever intro short (video clip). Hilarious memes. And the character nicknamed “Radio Rwanda.” Truth, truth and more truth. You gotta love it.
Straight-up laughter
Obviously, a lot of people need laughter these days. Last week, Brandon and I watched a video of custom-decorated tandem bikes competing on a course above water. Absolutely hilarious and highly recommended. Published on September 19, “100 FUNNIEST Bicycle Rides (& fails)…” has almost 9 million views already. Tell them Frankie Ann sent you.
Coming next: Are there other concepts about mirrors that we need to explore? Time will tell. Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Hebrews 12:1-3
Song: “Every Step” by CityAlight
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