The fear of man, by contrast, is when you look at people and say, "You mean everything to me. I want to live my life for your approval. I want to live my life for your obedience." This is a dangerous place.

The Case of King Saul: A Study in the Fear of Man

The Command and the Compromise

Let's examine 1 Samuel 15, where we see the tragic story of King Saul.

First, some context: Over 400 years before this account, when the children of Israel escaped Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them in their vulnerability and weakness, killing many and plundering their goods. God's heart hates when people of power attack the vulnerable. Now, 400 years later, God remembers and calls Saul to complete justice.

God commands Saul through the prophet Samuel:

"I have noted what Amalec did to Israel... Now go and strike Amalec and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep and camel and donkey. Destroy everything."

Saul summoned 200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah. But here's what happened:

"Saul defeated the Amalekites... But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs and all that was good. Saul spared them and he would not utterly destroy them."

Saul completed only a partial obedience.

Issue One: Partial Obedience

Saul's first issue was that he thought partial obedience was enough. This is fundamentally wrong.

When we're talking about the fear of the Lord, it manifests itself as total obedience to the Lord. Partial obedience is total disobedience. It was not enough for Saul to simply carry out part of the Lord's instruction. He killed some Amalekites but spared the king and some of their livestock. The Lord said, "Destroy it all," but he spared some of it.

If you're still obeying the Lord half-heartedly, only when it's beneficial to you, you don't really have the fear of the Lord in your heart. You cannot obey Him in one area of your life but disregard Him in another. You can't be obedient in your church life and then disobedient in your career decisions. You can't be obedient in your business ventures but disobedient in your relationships.

Look at Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Isaiah 11:3 that His delight was in the fear of the Lord. And in Philippians 2:8, it says:

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

If Christ was only partially obedient, I don't know where we would be today. If He only healed people around Him or only blessed babies but didn't take on our sufferings and shed His blood, where would we be? There was a need for Jesus to be completely obedient. This is what the Lord longs for: a people that walk in total obedience, not partial obedience.

Audience-Based Obedience

One of the ways you can tell if you have the fear of man in your heart is when your obedience to the Lord depends on your audience. This is audience-based obedience.

When your convictions change depending on your company, you're in trouble. You're one person in church but another person at work. You're one person around Christian friends but another around unbelievers. You're one person in public but another in private.

If your obedience changes based on your audience, then your audience is your master.

The fear of the Lord produces consistent obedience because God is your primary audience. This is how you know where your heart truly is.

Listen to what Saul said in 1 Samuel 15:24:

"I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice."

Saul made it clear: he feared the people more than he feared God. And here's the principle: You will always be obedient to whoever you fear the most, to whoever you honor the most, to whoever you hold in highest reverence. That's where your obedience will lie.

Unfortunately for Saul, the one who held that position in his heart was the people. If your fear of man is higher than your fear of the Lord, you will obey people. You will obey man. This is something we must be very careful of.

Issue Two: Desiring Man's Glory

Saul's second issue was that he desired the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from the Lord.

Saul claimed he saved these sacrifices so he could offer them to God. But I don't think that's the real reason. I think Saul saved King Agag and spared the sheep and oxen because he wanted to celebrate. He wanted to show the people of Israel, "Look at what I've done. Look at the Amalekites who dealt with us 400 years ago—see the evidence of my victory."

He desired the glory of man more than the glory that comes from God.

When you desire to be celebrated by people more than you desire to be celebrated by the Lord, you're in a very dangerous place.

Look at John 12:42-43:

"Many believed in Jesus but would not confess him publicly, for they love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."

Many people were afraid to confess Jesus because they feared man more than they feared Him. They desired man's glory more than God's glory.

Where in our hearts is this evident? Where do we show this in our lives? Do you stay silent about your faith because you're afraid you won't fit in? That's a sign of the fear of man, because you know in your heart that you love Him and believe in Him, but when you're around those who don't, you stay silent.

Do you compromise on some of your beliefs and play with sin because you're afraid that if you don't, they might not want to hang out with you or be around you? That is the fear of man. You compromise on what you know is wrong because you're afraid that maybe they won't invite you out next week, or maybe they won't give you that promotion at work, or maybe you won't go up the career ladder if you don't compromise.

Maybe you go against serving in unseen ministries to serve in visible ones because you desire the glory of man more than the glory of God. If you're not on the worship team, you have no desire to serve. If you're not teaching, you have no desire to give your all in serving, because nobody's going to give you glory and praise if you're on the sanitation team or behind a camera.

Every single moment, we must check our hearts: Are we doing what we're doing for the glory of God or for the glory of man?

I had a conversation with someone recently who was serving on a visible team in the church. He told me, "Pastor, I feel led by the Lord to take a season off from serving in this way, because I'd rather serve somewhere that's more hidden, for the sake of my own heart."

I responded: "That's one of the best things I could ever hear."

Why? Because your soul is far more important than your gift. If you realize that by virtue of your gifting, it's affecting your soul and the way you view the Lord—if you're desiring the applause and esteem of men more than God—make a decision that ensures that Lord, my desire for your glory is the only thing I want, and nothing else.

We must constantly check our hearts. Whose glory am I living for? Whose approval am I living for?

The reason the Lord is so passionate about this topic is simply because He loves you. It's not because He's narcissistic or desires fear and glory. He doesn't need that. If He wanted to, He could raise rocks to worship Him.

It's because of His love for you.

The Foundation of Love

God knows that man will let you down. He knows that man will reject you. He knows that man will forsake you.

If you're living your life for the approval of people, the Lord knows that at some point that will destroy you. If you find your security in what people say about you, that will destroy you.

So God says to you: "Don't put your approval in them. Don't put your heart and your desires in what they say about you. But come to me—the one who will never leave or forsake you. Come to me, the one who will never neglect you. Come to me, the one that will never reject you."

If my approval is always in what people might say about me, if my fear is in man, man will let me down. If all of my life is living onto the approval of man, think about your career for a moment. If your career has such a high place in your heart that everything is for the sake of others saying yes to you, and you literally live your life for their approval, they will reject you. And at some point that pain will be too much for you to bear.

But if you put your fear in the Lord, if you make a decision in your heart that "I don't live for these people, I live for God"—then if they reject you, you're fine. Why? Because you know that He'll never reject you.

If they forsake you, you're fine. Why? Because you know that He will never forsake you.

If they say no to you, you're fine. Why? Because even if He says no to you, He'll still be with you.

Don't put your fear in man, my friends.

Do you now see how this is actually a message of love? The fear of the Lord—it's actually a message saying, "Hey, listen. I'm the only one that you can really find security in."

I love how David pens down Psalm 27:10:

"For my mother and my father have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in."

It shows that even the people closest to you can abandon you. But the Lord is the one that takes you in. I'm far safer putting my fear in the Lord than putting my fear in somebody who will leave me at some point. It's the beauty of the fear of the Lord. It's built on a foundation of love.

The Tale of Two Voices

Hearing vs. Following

In 1 Samuel 15:19, Samuel asks Saul, "Why did you not obey the voice of the Lord?"

Then in verse 24, Saul admits: "I obeyed the voice of the people."

Notice what's at play here: This is the tale of two voices. Saul's issue was not that he did not hear the voice of the Lord. He admits that he hears God's voice.

We often put such emphasis on the ability to hear God's voice. But can I tell you something? Discipleship is not found in simply hearing God's voice. What follows after hearing God's voice is what truly marks a true disciple.

Saul heard God's voice but chose to follow the voice of the people.

This is why James says, "Don't just be hearers of the word, but actually be doers of the word."

The voice that carries the most weight in your heart will determine the direction of your life. If the voice of people carries the most weight in your heart, people will determine the direction of your life. If the voice of God carries the most weight in your heart, then the Lord will determine the direction of your life.

I want my steps to be ordered by Him—the one who is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the last, the everlasting God, the sovereign God, the all-knowing God. Why would I need direction from man who doesn't even know what's going to happen in the next hour? No one knows what's going to happen next. But why do I need direction from man who knows nothing when I can get direction from the all-knowing and all-seeing God?

It's about whose voice carries the most weight in your heart, because that is what will determine who directs and orders your steps.

The Distinguishing Mark of True Discipleship

In John 10:27, Jesus says:

"My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me."

His sheep do not just hear his voice. I think anybody can maybe hear his voice. In fact, demons heard his voice. But the difference between His sheep is that they hear my voice and then they follow me.

If it was just about hearing His voice, then Saul would count as one of His sheep. But what distinguished him from someone like David was the fact that Saul heard His voice but did not follow His voice. David, on the other hand, chased after the heart of the Lord. That's what distinguishes us—whether or not we're His sheep. That's a true sign of discipleship.

Saul wasn't truly a disciple. We know this because in 1 Samuel 15:15, Saul constantly refers to God as "Samuel's God." He says, "We brought these sacrifices so that we can sacrifice to your God." He's exposing his poor relationship with the Lord. He was never a true disciple, because true disciples of Jesus do not just hear his voice—they obey his voice.

In John 14:21, Jesus says:

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me."

Are we really true disciples? Whose voice carries the most weight in our lives? It doesn't matter how wise or smart or even how much of a Christian that person next to you seems. Their voice can't carry more weight in your life than God's voice.

No matter who it is—my dad, whom I love and go to always for advice and counsel—his voice means a lot to me, but it does not mean more to me than the Lord's voice. There is nobody in this world whose voice means more than His.

This is actually an encouragement to believers because we have far too many Christians that carry the voice of their pastor higher than the voice of the Lord. If you come to me for something, I'm going to tell you what I think the Lord is saying. But you better go and pray and ask the Lord: "Is this what you want?" His voice is far more important than my voice.

You come to me for advice on something—I will first ask you, "Have you asked the Lord?" Because trust me, I don't know as much as He does. Trust me, I don't love you as much as He does.

His voice has got to carry the most weight in your life, my friends. And I'm telling you, this is the best way that you can live your life in the fear of the Lord, in obedience to the Lord, saying, "Lord, my life belongs to you. What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go, Lord?" And He'll direct your paths. There is nothing greater than obeying the voice of the Lord.

The Cost of Disobedience

Rejection from God's Kingdom

Because of his fear of man, Saul received a damning verdict. Listen to 1 Samuel 15:26:

"The Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel."

The Lord rejected him.

This is probably the scariest verse in scripture for me. One of the quickest ways to cancel yourself out of God's plan is by having the fear of man. It's one of the quickest ways that you cancel yourself out of God's plan for your life by having the fear of people more than you fear the Lord.

Why? Because when you have the fear of man in your heart, God can't trust you anymore.

How can we cry out, "Lord, use me! Lord, use me! Lord, I want to do this for you. I want to do that for you," but we live for the approval of people? And the moment people say, "Do this," we go ahead and do it? How can He trust you?

This was Saul's issue. The Lord told him one thing. The people wanted him to do another thing. And God looked at him and said, "Because you obeyed the people, I have to reject you because I can't trust you."

People who carry the opinions and thoughts and instructions of man at such a pedestal higher than what God has said are people that cannot be trusted with kingdom affairs. You cannot be trusted with the affairs of the Kingdom, with the affairs of God.

God doesn't owe anybody ministry. Some of us think we deserve ministry. Some of us think we're owed this thing of ministry. He doesn't owe you ministry. He has every right to kick you out of His kingdom business because if you fear people more than you fear Him, how can you do the work of the Lord?

If your obedience is always found in what people might say, how can I even expect great things from people who see themselves as ministers of God, which we all should be—called here to minister the Lord to people?

For all of you that see yourself as ministers of God, please understand: If you have the fear of man in your heart, God is waiting for you to repent. Everything that they say is what you take in. Everything they say about you, once they say this thing about you, you just change and follow the way they've said it.

I need to say this plainly: There are some things that you have to stand your ground on. This person around me is saying, "Do it like this. Do it like this." But I believe that this is what God has said to me. Some things you have to stand your ground on and say, "Lord, if they're really for me, God, say it to them the way you said it to me."

But you cannot allow the fear of man to make you so wishy-washy. Every time you just flow with the current—whatever they want, if they want this this week, that's what you'll be. They want this next week, that's what you'll be. You must stand on who God has called you to be and what He's called you to do and walk in obedience to that. Because if you don't, He cannot trust you with kingdom business.

Paul says in Galatians 1:10:

"Am I now seeking the approval of men or of God, or am I trying to please man? If I was still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

In other words, what Paul says is: If I live my life for the approval of man, I'm not even fit to be a servant of Christ. I don't have the right mentality. I don't have the right mindset. If I'm still living for the approval of people, if I'm still living for the applause of people, I'm not fit to be a servant of Christ.

Who do you live for? Who do you live for? You must check your heart. Who has your heart? Which voice are you living by—the fear of man or the fear of God?

The Ultimate Irony

Here's something very interesting and sobering. After God had rejected Saul, look at what Saul said in 1 Samuel 15:30:

"Please, please, please listen. At least, Samuel, just follow me back to Israel so that the elders can see that you're still with me, so that I can be honored a little bit."

Even after God had rejected him—after God said, "No, you're no longer going to be king"—Saul still asked Samuel to make him look good in front of the elders.

People who have the fear of man in their heart more than the fear of the Lord are more concerned about their image than they are their soul.

Instead of Saul having a broken heart and crying, "God, how can you reject me? Even if I'm not king, even if I'm not in the position of king, please at least let your hand not leave me," the first thing Saul says is, "Samuel, at least just walk with me so that people can at least still think that God is with me."

Saul didn't care if God was actually with him. What Saul cared about was what people thought. He said, essentially, "I don't even care if God is actually with me. Just let it look like He's with me."

For many people, the appearance of God being with you is enough. The appearance of a man or woman of God is enough, when your soul is perishing and dying. This is what happens when the fear of man has taken such a hold in your life.

A Sobering Conclusion

Here's something very, very interesting. If you read further on in the scriptures, there were still many more Amalekites who lived. In fact, Haman in the story of Esther, who wanted to persecute the Jewish people, was a descendant of King Agag.

Saul's disobedience didn't actually accomplish anything. But here's the sobering part: In 2 Samuel 1:8-10, a man comes to David claiming that he was the one who dealt Saul his final blow. And you know where that man was from? He was an Amalekite.

Whether or not this is historically true, it's still sobering to think about: The very enemy that Saul failed to deal with because of his fear of man was potentially the same enemy that was part of his ultimate destruction.

Your disobedience to God because you feared people can truly end up being the very thing that destroys you. The compromise that you refuse to kill today may become the sword that ends you tomorrow.

Why? Because Proverbs 29:25—the fear of man is a snare. Saul didn't realize. He just thought, "Oh, it's just a little thing. It's what the people want. It's what the people desire. Let me do this for the people." He thought it was just something small. He didn't know that that was the very thing that would destroy him.

You don't know, my friends. Your small compromises, your small listening to the voice of man against the voice of God—just that small action can be a seed that births the very thing that destroys you.

You must search your soul. Ask yourself: Who do I fear more? Who do I fear more?

A Prayer of Surrender

Reflecting on Our Hearts

I want you to genuinely ponder now. Genuinely meditate. Think about your life. Who has my ears? Who in my life? What in my life has too much of a hold on me that I'll compromise what God has said for the sake of this thing?

It's an act of mercy that the Lord is speaking to us about this topic, because He knows that as long as your fear lies in man, your destruction is imminent. Your destruction is inevitable. So the Lord in all of His mercy is coming to us today and beckoning us: "Please, please, please. That reverence, that awe, that honor that you have for people—take it out and bring it to me."

By His mercies, He's crying out to us because He knows at some point, your destruction will come.

A Simple but Profound Prayer

I want you to pray one very simple prayer from the depths of your heart:

"Lord, may the fear of man never trump the fear that I have of you."

You've taken a moment to meditate. You've taken a moment to reflect. Now, I want you to actually cry out from the depths of your soul. You might look at yourself today and think, "Oh, this doesn't concern me." But you don't know. You don't know that somewhere in your heart, somewhere in your life, the voice and the approval of man still holds great weight.

You might think, "Because in ministry I obey God, I'm fine." But you don't know that in your career life, God doesn't have your ear. You might think, "Because in my friendships I obey God, I'm fine." But you don't know that in your relationships, God doesn't have your ear. You need to pray now. You need to pray.

In my life, oh, may the fear of the Lord always be my highest regard. May the fear of the Lord always be my highest regard.

I cannot be like Saul. No, no, no. I cannot be like Saul. God, You cannot reject me. No. I will not allow the voice of man to lead me in my life. No. For I belong to the flock of the Great Shepherd. I cannot allow the voice of man to lead me.

No, I cannot be rejected by the Lord. No. Samuel said to King Saul that the Lord has found somebody else. But God, You can't find anyone else. No, I must not be replaced.

Let it be a genuine heart's cry, my brothers and my sisters. I don't know the destruction that awaits if you continue going on like this. I don't know the destruction that awaits if you continue going on like this.

"Lord, silence every other voice in my heart until you are the only one that I hear." For the Lord said, "Oh, that you will hear a voice in your ear telling you the way that you should go."

How is that possible if I still hear many other voices?

Judas's issue was that he rejected the voice of Christ and heard the voice of others telling him, "We'll give you money to betray the Christ." That was the beginning of Judas's downfall because he feared man more than he feared the Christ.

Ask the Lord to give you a heart of total obedience.

The reason why you haven't moved forward in your ministry is because you're still being disobedient. The reason you haven't moved forward in your ministry is because you still fear the voice of man. You still worry about what people might say about you. God, you must do something different.

"I cannot fall prey to the voice of man. No. Lord, let it not be my disobedience that causes you to replace me."

The Bible says that Samuel called for King Agag to come, and Samuel cut down the king. The job that Saul was supposed to do, God found a replacement simply because Saul fell victim to the fear of man.

God has a plan and a purpose for every single one of you. But believe me, He will not hesitate to replace you. He will not hesitate to find somebody else to do it if you still have the fear of man in your heart.

So pray this last prayer point from the depths of your heart:

"Lord, let the fear of man never allow it to be that I'm replaced by somebody else. God, I cannot be replaced in that which you want to do in your kingdom. God, don't replace me."

Saul was supposed to be king. God rejected Saul and found David. God said, "I'm done with this man. He cares too much about people's opinions. I'm done with this man. He cares too much about what people say. I'm done with this man. He cares too much about the voice of man. I'm done with him."

May it not be so. May it not be so. May it not be so that You find someone else, Lord, to do the work that You called me to do.

Father, I pray over every single person here today. God, rid us of the fear of man. God, rid us of the fear of man. And may we be a people who fear the Lord and fear Him alone. May our reverence and obedience be to Christ and to Christ alone. Restore to us the fear of the Lord. Restore to us obedience to Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alone. For my life is unto you and no one else. Thank you, Jesus.