Stop trying to impress others

I've always talked about how we are all uniquely designed to fill God's purpose for our lives.  That purpose is custom designed to fit us.  It's like the finest taylored suit, if you will. God created us to be something very specific

Isaiah 29:16

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁶ Surely you have things turned around!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the thing made say of him who made it,
“He did not make me”?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?

 

I bring this up because the thing that most stands in the way of being what God created us to be is "trying to impress other people".  Having a mindset where you want to impress other people robs you of your purpose because it keeps you from being who you were designed to be.  I encourage you to examine the thoughts that pop into your head as you are getting dressed, cleaning house, doing your hair, getting something done at work.  See if "trying to impress others", pops up anywhere in your thoughts and if it does bring it into captivity to the obedience of Christ, Jesus by telling it to "go" in the name of Jesus.  This thought is a robber to you, it robs you everyday of your purpose.  This must be pulled up at the root, it is like a weed.  This thought must not produce fruit in your life anymore if you are to live life as God designed you to.  You must treat this type of thought pattern like the fig tree that Jesus cursed, look below:

 

The Fig Tree Withered - Mark 11

¹² Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. ¹³ And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”

²⁰ Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”


We need to respond to this thought pattern of trying to impress people the same way Jesus responded to the fig tree:

Matthew 21:19

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁹ And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

We need to say to the thought pattern of "trying to impress other people" let no fruit grow on you ever again" in the name of Jesus "be dried up from your root" in Jesus name.  This thought pattern is a weed that permeates every aspect of your life, robbing you and robbing me.  Every time, this thought pattern springs up, you need to speak to it and say "let no fruit grow on you again, be dried up from your root", in the name of Jesus.  You will see this thought pattern start to dry up and cease from producing fruit in your life.