Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Fight Approval Addiction | Historical Books | 1 Samuel 10:17-27

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

Do you worship the idol of approval? What happens to us when we worship approval? What's the difference between God's approval and man's approval? In today's episode, Tanya shares how 1 Samuel 10:17-27 encourages us to find our worth in what God says of us. If you're listening on Spotify, comment below one takeaway from today's episode! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Samuel 10:17-27

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. Many of us struggle with approval syndrome. We crave the affirming words of those that we admire, and we seek validation pretty much wherever we can find it. We read into people's words and body language to discern how they feel about us, and we longed to be acknowledged by those whose opinions we value. So the desire to be affirmed, well, it's natural. God offers us words of approval throughout Scripture, rooted in our belonging to him. John 637 says, so we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to

his dear son. Now, this approval by God isn't based on anything we've done, of course. It's not something we can gain or lose based on our good or bad days, and that's good news. But because our approval rests on the perfect and finish work of Christ, it is secure and it is unchanging. very different from the approval that we seek around us in our human relationships. Approval from God is something we receive simply by belonging to him. So the desire for approval itself isn't sinful, but we're tempted to sin when we seek it from people over God. It shows up in our words when we tailor them to what we think others want to hear.

And it shows up on our actions when we perform not from our authentic selves, but to win the favor of others. Many of us can recognize the idol of approval in our lives. We can recognize it shaping our behavior. We see it in our thoughts and in the way we interact. When we're driven by what others think, it affects what we buy, what we say, how we behave, and even how we relate to them. We may even compromise our values to gain someone's respect or admiration.

We may remain silent for fear of disapproval. instead of saying something that needs to be said. We may avoid action altogether because we're just afraid of negative feedback. This pursuit, well, it can be paralyzing. It can cause us to second guess ourselves and slowly lose sight of who we are. We risk abandoning our God-given gifts and our image-bearing identity in the process of becoming what we think others want us to be. If any of this resonates with you, I believe you'll appreciate the story of a young,

future king of Israel named Saul. There was no doubt that Saul was chosen and annoyed by God to be Israel's first king. God gave clear signs to both Saul and the prophet Samuel. He even confirmed Saul's kingship in the hearts of the people. But when the time came to publicly present him, something surprising happened. In 1 Samuel 1022, we read, so they inquired further of the Lord. Has the man come here yet? And the Lord said, yes, he, he. He has hidden himself among the supplies. Can you imagine the scene? The people are looking for their new king, and he's literally hiding in the baggage.

Despite all the signs, despite the confirmations from God, Saul couldn't fully believe he was up for the task. Verse 23 continues. So they ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people. Imagine if God said that about you. How would that change the way you see your work, your place on the team, your role as a parent, your relationship with your spouse? What if God said you were chosen to be right where you are and there's no one else like

you? Would that fill your cup and free you to be who God called you to be instead of who others expect you to be? Saul's journey would be long and complicated. Though he started strong, he would eventually lose himself in many things, including the pursuit of approval. And many of us, well, we might be on a similar path when we're looking more to what others think of us than what God says about us. The road to human approval is often a cycle. It's a cycle of striving, second-guessing, and maybe even losing ourselves. Rather than enjoying genuine Christ-like connection with others, we find ourselves tossed around emotionally, manipulating, hiding, or even posturing to gain approval. But approval from people is a destination we're never going to fully reach.

We weren't made to be completed by others or the opinions of others. We were created for something greater. When we expect from others what only God can provide, we are always going to be disappointed. And in the process, we become less of who God made us to be. Our own holy God can give us the approval we long for, an approval that is secure, eternal, and unchanging. God's approval through Jesus should become our anger. It should allow the encouragement that we receive from others just to be a gift, not a necessity. It should free us from the weight of our expectations and free us to actually and truly love others. And love, real, selfless, vulnerable love is likely what we desire most.

So I'm just wondering, in what areas of your life are you most tempted to seek approval from others, instead of resting in God's approval. Is it your job? Is it your place in school? Is it your friend group? What would it look like this week to act or speak based on God's truth about you rather than other's opinions? What would it free you to say?

What would it free you not to say? How would it change the relationship with someone that you respect or admire? As we study the Israelites' desire for a king, we see a reflection of ourselves. See, they believed God wasn't enough, and they demanded a human king. And when God gave them Saul, that man battled insecurity, doubting that God had truly equipped him. Over time, that doubt led Saul to turn inward, to turn away from God. So what do we learn from this?

Well, turning from the idol of approval means turning away from the grip of others' opinions and turning toward the truth of God's word. Paul, who certainly wrestled with these dynamics, he wrote in Galatians 1-10. obviously I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. So if we think we can serve both man and their approval and be true to Christ and his calling, well, we're deceived. Pursuing approval will always pull us away from the freedom that God offers.

Let's just compare for a moment. Imagine this is like a Venn diagram or a teacher that your high school teacher had you put on your paper. So on one side, God's approval. And just imagine an anchor. God's approval is like an anchor. It lets us receive encouragement without depending on it. It frees us to be honest and vulnerable and loving. It lifts the burden from others to fulfill needs that they weren't meant to fulfill in our lives. And it frees us to reflect the beauty of Christ. Okay, now imagine on the other side you have man's approval, and this is like shifting sand. Man's approval can distort us if we seek it over God. It may make us emotionally dependent on people. It can make us emotionally detached, even manipulative.

Seeking man's approval over God drives competition instead of fraying us to love. It can pull us away from who we are and who we're meant to become. But we are not without hope. One of the most beautiful ways to reflect Christ is to need him and then to trust him. When we're filled by our relationship with God, we no longer depend on others' approval or worth, and I think people are probably going to notice. When we let scripture root us in Jesus' approval, we can receive encouragement as a blessing, not a lifeline. We won't be crushed when we don't get it, and we'll be able to offer it to others freely. One day, we will be able to stand confidently before God. We will be approved just like his son because we belong to him.

And God said of Jesus, this is my son, with whom I am well pleased. Imagine him saying those same words over you. When we stand before God, he sees Jesus over us. That's the approval we receive. That's the approval we need. Not because of who we are, but because of who Jesus is. How does that truth change your life? Maybe it won't.

Actually, it won't shift everything overnight. but we can begin by becoming aware of the places where the need for approval is shaping us. We can ask God to reveal where it consumes our thoughts and our words. We can take small faithful steps to turn from that idol and turn toward Jesus and put our confidence in Him and what His Word says. God's approval isn't temporary. It's not based on our performance, but rooted in Christ's finished work. May that truth free us moment by moment.

moment from the idol of human approval and lead us deeper into the freedom of being fully known and fully loved by our creator.