# NEW MERCIES DAILY!
MESSAGE TITLE:
“Can You Still Serve When Nobody is Celebrating You”?
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
Galatians 1:10 – “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
DATE: 28/2/28
BY: EFFIONG ETOK
Carrier of God’s Word
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“If applause builds you, silence will break you. Don’t live for the claps-live for the assignment.”
INTRODUCTION:
WHEN THE CLAPPING STOPS, WHO ARE YOU?
There is a loneliness that comes with purpose. There is a pain that follows obedience. It is the pain of serving faithfully and being ignored. The pain of giving your all and being forgotten. The pain of standing alone when you once stood with many.
This is the pain that comes when the applause stops.
Many begin strong, full of fire and passion, but when the audience disappears, so does their commitment. They started because people were cheering, but when the clapping stopped, so did their faithfulness.
Please note,this message is not an excuse for stubbornness in the face of correction. Some people reject wise counsel and hide behind “I don’t need people’s approval” when, in reality, they are walking in error.
Not all corrections are an attack. Sometimes, it is God’s way of realigning you.
Difference between rejecting applause and rejecting accountability. Do not mistake accountability for attack. If godly people rebuke you, do not see them as enemies-see them as lifesavers.
If Saul had listened to Samuel, he wouldn’t have lost his throne.
If King Uzziah had repented, he wouldn’t have died a leper (2 Chronicles 26:19-21).
Not all silence means you are right. There are times when silence is God allowing you to see yourself. If nobody is clapping, ask God if you are still walking in His will, or if He is waiting for you to return.
MAIN MESSAGE
1.THE CROWD IS NEVER PERMANENT.
The same people who shouted “Hosanna!” in Matthew 21 were the same ones who shouted “Crucify Him!” in Matthew 27.
Jesus understood something many do not-the same crowd that lifts you up today can bury you tomorrow. That is why He never built His life around their applause.
If Jesus had relied on human approval, He would have quit before Calvary. But He didn’t live for the claps. He lived for the assignment.
2. SAUL LOST HIS DESTINY BECAUSE HE LIVED FOR PEOPLE’S APPROVAL.
Saul was called by God, but he lost everything because he feared public opinion more than divine instruction.”I was afraid of the people and so I obeyed their voice.” (1 Samuel 15:24)
If you fear rejection more than you fear God, you will compromise when obedience becomes unpopular.
But Saul’s problem was not just seeking applause-it was rejecting correction.
When Samuel confronted him, instead of repenting, he made excuses.
3. HEROD DIED BECAUSE HE LIVED FOR APPLAUSE
Herod stood before the people in Acts 12:21-23. When they praised him as a god, he embraced the applause but ignored the one who truly gives power.
And in a moment, God struck him down.
Public approval is not a sign of divine acceptance. If applause makes you feel bigger than you are, it will destroy you when it stops.
CONCLUSION
If applause is your strength, what happens when the audience disappears?
If men’s approval builds you, their rejection will destroy you.
Live for purpose, not applause, because claps will fade, crowds will leave, but God’s assignment stands forever.
Jesus was abandoned by the crowd, but He completed His mission.
However, do not mistake stubbornness for obedience-be humble enough to accept correction, so you don’t misinterpret silence as suffering when it’s really God calling you to realign.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lord, deliver me from the need for human approval. Break every chain that ties my heart to people’s opinions. Let my worth be rooted in You alone, so that even if no one applauds me, I will remain faithful to my calling, in Jesus name. Amen!
2. Father, when the applause fades and the crowd disappears, give me the strength to stand. Let my joy and confidence be found in You alone. Teach me to serve with a whole heart, even in silence, knowing that my reward comes from You , in Jesus name.
3. Lord, keep me humble and discerning. Help me accept correction with wisdom and never mistake rebuke for rejection. Remove pride from my heart so I do not resist Your guidance but realign with Your will whenever You call me back, in Jesus Mighty name. Amen!
