Comments
Jack
on 08/14/2023 at 06:21 PM
Yes I consistently give my joy and peace away to work and trying to please people. My joy should and is founded in Christ alone! Amen!
shane
on 03/22/2023 at 07:32 PM
Hi all new here … what is FOPO? I struggle a lot with this issue of anxiety as well. Sometimes it’s like an out of body experience where the real me is watching myself do stuff to be the center of attention. Being true to God and true to society is like wearing a mask . You wear the mask to fit in but deep down you really want to be close to God. Hence anxiety creeps in cause and you follow society instead of standing on your own with God .Society has claimed if you follow God your an outcast.
Leonard
on 03/22/2023 at 11:40 AM
Great comments as usual! Guys thank you for allowing God to use your testimonials to encourage me! I never met you in person but I feel like I know you personally.
GW
on 03/22/2023 at 05:57 AM
Great comments
adrian van wyk
on 03/22/2023 at 04:42 AM
Loving the message guys. So very applicable with what I experience regularly. Joy cannot be stolen.
Kevin Miller
on 03/21/2023 at 06:06 PM
I also struggle with this. When I was younger I would go as far as lying to impress other people. It never worked out well. Now if I’m in the middle of God’s will I will be accepted by those that matter to God. That’s all I need.
Nick W
on 03/21/2023 at 03:58 PM
Thank you all for sharing. There's nothing unique for me to add to this except a great big "me too!" Praying for each one of you guys, and praising God for the influence your testimonies, and courage to share them are having on my life. I'm proud of you guys, and blessed to call you my brothers in Christ.
Ashley Jarvis
on 03/21/2023 at 03:00 PM
Excellent shares today brothers! I’ve spent my morning pondering on what y’all have said. First thing that came to mind, if someone tries to tell you that “you don’t fit in”, maybe we should take their advice and thank them, instead of trying to change. As a recovered alcoholic, I’ve learned that any group I felt that I “needed” to drink to be a part of, or fit in, wasn’t my group. Atleast not yet anyway… that’s why the craving to drink existed. Now that I think about it, never not one time had I ever craved a drink or drug in church, even before I knew I belonged 🤔. As my FOPO subsided in recovery, so did my craving to drink. As I began focusing my time around those who met me where I was, supported who I was trying to become rather than who I’d been, and cared more about my life than my feelings speaking honesty to me and expecting the same in return, my FOPO has dwindled significantly. Brandon hit on a very key element of that process, turning our “what ifs” into “even ifs”. Even if she leaves, even if I’m fired, even if they laugh, even if something happens to my children… Whatever fears plague your mind from the enemy, shining “EVEN IF X, God will be with me. He will strengthen me. He will help me. He will take hold of me with His righteous right hand and carry me through. Isaiah 41:10” back at that fear, removes any power it has. We should seek out and face all fears that plague us, and exterminate them with the truth of Gods word. Amen 🙏🏻
Delray Sheen
on 03/21/2023 at 02:54 PM
satan stalks and prowls the path, looking for ways to rob of of the gift of joy. He tries to shake us, lie, and make his voice seem to be ours or God's. Bind these attempts and strike them down. We know the truth and that is God's opinion is all that matters, so the next time that enemy whispers do as Jesus did declare back the words of the Lord God.
Tommy Williamson
on 03/21/2023 at 01:55 PM
I agree that FOPO has probably been an issue with most of us. As I look back over my life I know that most of it has been driven by what thought of me. After all the emotional and sexual abuse that my brothers inflected on me I had very little self esteem left which of course caused me to want to prove myself to others and yet never feeling that I could accomplish that feat. Even today no matter how hard I try to please my wife it never seems to be enough. More and more I am trying to accept that the only opinion I need to try to match up to is that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Brandon Pembleton
on 03/21/2023 at 01:34 PM
I hear the world is supposed to end again... seems like everywhere a person may go for news on current events there's nothing but doom and gloom. It's no wonder our society as a whole is like a beaten child with a severe anxiety disorder looking for escape anywhere they may find it. Tie that in with what Elliot said about FOPO and social media and wow thats enough to short circuit the battery of life. If I give into it. That is if I start playing the what if game instead of the even if game. I do my very best to remind myself of the hardships I have been pulled through by God. These memories serve me well to remember that He carried me through some pretty intense trials before and He will carry me through the everyone of them in future. So why stress and worry. Easier said than done for sure. I must meditate on the fact He will and ground myself regularly in prayer to this moment and this existence right now to remove fear of the future and of other people's opinions. The only opinions that really matter are God's and the way I talk to myself. Thank you God for teaching me this way. I am in awe all the time of the gift of life you breathed back into me. Make me a channel of Thy peace Lord. I love you God amen 🙏
Tim
on 03/21/2023 at 01:18 PM
Thanks for sharing Elliot!! I think FOPO is one of the most difficult things to kick. I really struggled with that through high school. Wanted to be cool so bad that I would do things I knew deep down weren’t right. If I make sure God is first, honestly it seems everything thing else falls in place for the most part.
Ethan Rogers
on 03/21/2023 at 01:09 PM
We can't let things, nor others take away our joy. Knowing that I am a child of the omniscient God, I don't have to. Sometimes, it is easier said than done, but if I focus my mind on the truth that God made us all unique, and we all have our failings and shortcomings, I can feel more at ease. I know I control my joy.
My coach once told us that no matter what the size of another man, he still trembles in a fight. And there are those that do, and those that lie about it. This has stuck with me.
God wants me to have constant joy, to spread happiness. Why would I not keep that in who I am ?
God knows all, He knows not only the number of hairs on your head but also he knows, and made every proton and neuron of every atom, and controls the movement of such in every molecule in a grain of sand on the beach, to a single hydrogen molecule in a supernova on the other side of the physical universe. Not to mention the spiritual realm and in Heaven. So, God is with you, in you, and Loves you. There is no reason to loose my joy because of someone else.
Praise be to the God of Love.
Steven
on 03/21/2023 at 11:44 AM
I also have struggled with FOPO. I always wanted to fit it and never felt like I did. But "I am fearfully and wanderfully made." If I believe that, it gives me the confidence to refocus on what is God's opinion of me. He loves me with all my quirks and shortcomings. I don't have to be the clown or steal the attention of a group. I wish I could say that fixed everything but I have a lifetime habit I need to break. But God loves me just the way I am and that blows my mind!
Barry Percival
on 03/21/2023 at 10:43 AM
Elliott, dude I wish there was a support group for FOPO. I would be there sipping coffee and eating donuts. This is one of my biggest issues, that still at 50 I can’t break. I want people to like me, I have to be the center of attention, and not in the way I’m supposed to be. It’s frustrating when I look back on it and see the vicious circle left by my attitude and actions. You only have one time to lay an impression down and unfortunately I leave the wrong one some of the time.
randy swopes
on 03/21/2023 at 10:20 AM
Awesome testimony Elliott, our God has equipped us, now let us go forward with him and spread his word!
Landon R
on 03/21/2023 at 10:01 AM
Amen Elliott, well said. Our value does not increase or decrease by what others might say, or think about us. Our value comes from the ingredients God used to make and save us.
Elliott
on 03/21/2023 at 09:18 AM
I suffer from FOPO (fear of other people's opinion), in the past I have been struggling with convincing myself self that I'm worth it. But since October of last year my life has gotten so much better because I have fully giving my will and my life over to Jesus he has put me on a path to share positive emotions to others that are going through the same or similar events in their life. In James it talks about how the human tongue is so powerful but it's such a small part of the body. it's like you can control a horse by putting a small bit into a horse's mouth, or how a small rudder can direct a big ship. The human tongue can be used as a weapon or as a way to lift the spirits of another person. Loving who I am today allows me to be a vessel of Jesus. to look for graduate in life and not tear myself or others down. Never stop loving your self and help other people. you can only keep what you have by giving it away.
80/365: Joy Cuts Through Worry
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. ~ Proverbs 12:25
The world can throw some serious weight onto your shoulders. Whether it be a sickness, loss of work, unexpected setbacks, or pandemics - none are greater than God's power over them.
When worry and heavy thoughts drag you to the ground, remember the only person strong enough to take your joy - is you.
Don't give your peace away, and never exchange joy for hopeless thoughts. God designed you to live with joy and hope. Embrace it.
GO DEEPER: Colossians 3: 15-17
NEXT STEP: Are you giving your joy away to something or someone?