Who Are You Trying to Please?

Be honest—who’s running the show? Your boss? Your spouse? Your social status? Your dog? Yourself?

Here’s the hard truth: Anything you put ahead of God is an idol. Approval. Love. Comfort. Security. Significance. They seem harmless, but they demand more and more—until they own you.

Let’s get real about how idolatry sneaks in, and then we’ll crush it with a better way: fearing God more than anything else.

Meet an Idol Worshiper

Linda (not her real name) wants one thing: for her husband to stop binge-drinking. Nothing wrong with that, right? But here’s where it gets tricky.

She believes that if she plays the perfect wife—tidy house, homemade meals, never rocking the boat—he’ll change. And when he doesn’t? She panics. She pleads. She obsesses.

Her idol? Security. She tells herself, I need a godly, sober husband to be happy.

You Worship What You Fear

How do you know if you’re worshiping something other than God? Elyse Fitzpatrick puts it bluntly:

“If she is willing to sin to obtain her goal or if she sins when she doesn’t get what she wants, then her desire has taken God’s place and she is functioning as an idolater.”

Ouch.

Look at Linda. When her husband disappears into the garage with his 12-pack, she melts down. She pouts, pleads, worries, and spirals into self-pity. Understandable? Sure. But still sin.

It’s the old domino effect:

• Husband yells at wife.

• Wife snaps at kid.

• Kid kicks the dog.

Sound familiar? Idols will do that to you.

Choose Better: Please God Only

Want freedom? Fear God more than people. Christina Fox lays out three ways to make this shift in Holy Fear:

1. Know God Better.
   Get into His Word. Ask, What does this teach me about God? The more you know Him, the more you’ll stand in awe—and stop bowing to lesser things.

2. Remember What He’s Done.
   God rescued Israel from Egypt. Jonah from a fish’s belly. Paul from death over and over. He’s got you too. Worship, sing, take communion—remind yourself who’s really in charge.

3. Pray for the Right Fear.
   Fear of God shrinks fear of everything else. Ask Him to make you crave His approval more than anyone else’s.

So … Who Do You Aim to Please?

God doesn’t share His throne. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Linda got it. She saw that her craving for security was running her life. She confessed it, and let God be her safe place.

Does her husband still drink? Sometimes. But less. More importantly, she’s changed. She knows now—God alone is enough.

P.S. Grab my free 14-page, scripture-rich guide, 7 Keys to Panic Freedom here.