Seeking Approval - Chasing Carrots Part 4 with Pastors Craig Groeschel & Chris Beall

Set Free from the Disease to Please

Scripture References

Primary text

• Proverbs 29:25
• Galatians 1:10

Other references

• John 12:42
• 1 Thessalonians 2

Overview

Chasing other people’s approval is like living with a hook in your nose—every opinion yanks you in a new direction. In this message, Pastor Craig Groeschel and Campus Pastor Chris Beall expose “the disease to please,” show how it traps us in fear, and point to the one cure: anchoring our identity in what God already says about us. When we trust His verdict, we are free to say no, endure criticism, and live the good work He has prepared for us.

Main Points

The trap of people-pleasing (Craig)

• “The disease to please is a form of addiction.” We look for approval the way an addict looks for a fix.
• Fear of what people think is a snare—Mukesh: a noose or hook that drags an animal wherever the handler wants (Proverbs 29:25).
• The snare keeps us from God’s will, but “whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe.”

Three symptoms that expose the snare

• Obsessing over others’ opinions — constant need for likes, texts, or verbal pats on the head.
• Oversensitivity to criticism — a hundred compliments erased by one negative remark.
• Inability to say no — over-committing, avoiding conflict, buying what you don’t need, dating who you shouldn’t.

Pleasing people is a form of idolatry (Chris)

• Anything we pursue more than God becomes a god. Even “good ministry” can turn into idolatry when driven by applause.
• Pharisees believed Jesus’ miracles but “loved human praise more than praise from God” (John 12:42).
• First commandment violation: placing human approval above God’s approval.

You can’t serve two masters

• Paul’s line in Galatians 1:10: seeking to please people would disqualify him as Christ’s servant.
• You can stand under only one authority—people’s opinions or Christ’s lordship.

The approval of God sets us free

• 1 Thessalonians 2: We speak “as those approved by God,” not looking for praise from people.
• We cannot please everyone, but in Christ we can please God. His verdict is settled: forgiven, accepted, loved.

Replacing lies with truth — Chris’s story

• Story: Decades of craving affirmation, even after entering ministry, led Chris into moral failure and near-loss of marriage and calling.
• Life.Church walked him through restoration; a mentor handed him a bookmark of 32 “I am” Scriptures.
• Daily—out loud—he wielded the “sword of the Spirit,” declaring:

  “I am God’s child… I am Christ’s friend… I have been justified…”

• After a year the truth moved from head to heart: “I’m enough.” The lie “I’m a failure and everyone knows it” lost power.

• Transformation comes by renewing the mind with God’s Word, not by accumulating compliments (Romans 12 paraphrased by speaker, no reference given).

Living from who God says you are

• Because we are accepted:
  • Joy can’t be stolen by critics.
  • Purpose can’t be derailed by rejection.
  • Identity can’t be redefined by culture.
• Blessed coming in and going out, overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony — all true for those in Christ.

Key Truths

• Fear of man is a hook that drags us away from God’s will.
• Obsession with opinions is the quickest way to forget what God thinks.
• Seeking human praise is functional idolatry.
• You can’t live for people’s approval and serve Christ at the same time.
• God’s settled approval, received through Jesus, is the only cure for the disease to please.

Response

• Identify where others’ opinions are steering your decisions.
• Confess any people-pleasing as idolatry before God.
• Speak Scripture aloud daily to replace embedded lies with God’s truth.
• Practice saying a clear, respectful “no” when commitments would pull you from God’s purpose.
• Step into necessary conflict or criticism without fear, trusting that you are already accepted in Christ.

Closing

The opinions of “they” are a moving target; the verdict of God is fixed. Choose which hook will guide your life. When you trust the Lord, the snare breaks and safety is found in His approval alone.

“You are not what you think they think about you; you are only what God says about you.”

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your goodness and for coming after us with relentless love. Renew our minds with Your truth, break the prison of people-pleasing, and let Your approval define our worth so we can live fully for Your purpose and glory.