Happy Sabbath, friends!

The holidays are officially over, and we are settling back into our normal routines. While I loved the joy and meaning of the season, I have to admit — having a dedicated series made writing each Sabbath feel a bit easier. I always knew what topic the Lord had placed on my heart for that week.

Now that our Christmas and New Year’s series have come to a close, I found myself unsure of what message God wanted me to share this Sabbath. That was, until I was listening to the song Learning How To Love Myself by Katy Nichole. In that moment, I felt the Lord gently impress this message on my heart.

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Knowing How God Sees Us — But Do We Believe It?

We know — at least intellectually — that our Heavenly Father views us as beautiful, wonderfully made, special, chosen, and deeply loved. But the real question is this: do we truly believe it?

I can only speak for myself, but while I know how the Lord sees me, I do not always believe the attributes He speaks over me. And I’m sure I’m not alone. If this resonates with you, then this message is for you.

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When Other Voices Become Louder Than God’s

This week, I became aware that I have been placing other people’s opinions — and even my own opinions of myself — above our Heavenly Father’s opinion. This is not a small thing. When we elevate any voice above God’s truth, we are allowing those opinions to take a place that belongs to Him alone. In doing so, those voices can subtly become idols.

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Maybe this is something you can relate to. I pray the Lord fills both of our hearts and minds with His mercy so we can overcome this area of struggle in our faith.

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When Opinions Affect How We Pray

One example of how I have placed others’ opinions above God’s truth is in the area of prayer. If someone were to point out that I “pray weird,” instead of grounding myself in the Word — which clearly shows that there is no “correct” way to pray — I might take that opinion to heart. I could become self-conscious, hesitant, or even pull away from prayer altogether.

But who does that serve? Man, or God?

In that case, without question, it serves man.

And that is unfortunate, because man does not know our hearts — God does. So why do we allow human opinions to shape how we live out our faith, when only the Lord has the authority to transform our lives for the better?

The Spirit Helps When Words Fail

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Jesus Warned Against Performance-Based Prayer

Matthew 6:7 (NIV)
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

God Welcomes Childlike Prayer

Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

God Looks at the Heart, Not the Formula

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

Each of these passages reminds us that prayer is not about performance, eloquence, or sounding a certain way — it is about sincerity, trust, and a heart turned toward God.

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The Lie of Being “Too Much”

Another area where I have placed my own opinion — or someone else’s — above God’s truth is when I have been told, or told myself, that I am “too much.”

I have experienced many moments of feeling not good enough, whether those thoughts came from others or from within myself. And while those moments are painful, they are not truth.

Let us turn to the Word and allow Scripture to debunk the lie that we are “too much.”

God Fully Knows You — and Still Loves You

Psalm 139:1–2 (NIV)
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”

Psalm 139:4 (NIV)
“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”

God Does Not Grow Weary of You

Isaiah 40:28 (NIV)
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

God Invites You to Come — As You Are

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

God’s Love Is Not Conditional on Your Emotional State

Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”

God Chose You — Fully and Intentionally

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.””

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

These passages clearly show that being deeply emotional, expressive, or human does not disqualify us from God’s love — it places us right where His grace meets us.

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Choosing God’s Voice Above All Others

These are only two examples, yet Scripture is full of truth that confronts and dismantles every negative label, comment, or belief — whether spoken by others or whispered by our own minds.

I encourage everyone reading this today to bring every opinion, critique, or remark before our Heavenly Father. Compare it to His Word. I can promise you this — His truth will always expose the lie.

People will always have opinions about us. But we have the choice to not allow those opinions to define us. Instead, we can choose to allow what our Heavenly Father says about us to shape our identity — because our identity is found in Him.

Romans 8:14–15 (NIV)
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.””

If others’ opinions — or even our own thoughts — are leading us into fear or captivity, that is not from God. In Christ, we are loved, chosen, and called His children.

Amen.