If God can’t please every person, it’s foolish for us to try.

If you don’t know whose approval you’re living for, stress will always follow you.

Jesus models this for us. I’ve been sharing with you Jesus’ seven principles of handling stress. Yesterday, I discussed the Principle of Identification.

Next is the Principle of Motivation. You must know what (and more importantly, whose approval), you’re living for. 

Jesus showed us this in John 5:30 when he said: “I am not trying to do what I want, but only what [my Father] who sent me wants” (GNT).

Jesus wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest. He lived for an audience of one. He had a simple life in many ways. He just did what God put him on Earth to do.

Jesus never let approval or rejection of others control him. It’s part of the reason he lived without stress.

In fact, Jesus reminds us in Luke 16:13, “No one can serve two masters” (NLT). You can’t live for the approval of others and live for God’s approval at the same time.

Whose approval are you living for?

Not knowing who you are—and letting everyone else mold you into their image—is a leading cause of stress for people today.

Jesus gives us another model. He shows us the principle of identification, which is the first principle of stress management from the life of Jesus.

Jesus had no doubt as to his identity. In fact, he defines himself with “I am” statements 18 times in the Bible. He does this every time he says “I am . . .” and then declares key truths.

Jesus says: “I am the truth. I am the way. I am the life. I am the Son of God. I am sent from my Father above. I am the door. I am the bread of life. I am the living water.”

Jesus knew exactly who he was.

And we need to know exactly who we are, who God created us to be.

If you don’t know your identity, you’ll depend too much on what other people say about you.

Stress happens when you try to be something you’re not. We all start off as originals, but too often we end up as carbon copies of somebody else—because we don’t know who we are.

When you learn who you are, you’re less dependent upon the approval of others and you’re more stress-resistant.

In John 14:6, we read this: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (CSB). Jesus didn’t need anyone else’s opinions to prop him up. Neither do you.

I talk to people all the time who say, “I have so much, yet I feel unfulfilled. I’ve got a good family. I’ve got a good job. I’ve got great kids. I’ve got good friends. I’m part of a good congregation. Why am I so unfulfilled?” It’s because you were made for more than this! You were made for more than survival. You will never find fulfillment in life until you begin to live in God’s Kingdom, by God’s power, and for God’s glory.

How do you live a fulfilled life—the kind of life that you were designed by God to live?

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, “You should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (GW).

What does it mean to live in God’s Kingdom? It means you make God’s agenda your agenda. You make God’s will your will. You care about what God cares about. Whatever you want God to bless, you put him first in that area.

What does it mean to put God first in your life? I made up a little acrostic, FIRST, to give you five things you need to put God first in.

Finances. If you want God to bless your finances, even during difficult seasons, you must tithe. Sorry! There’s no other alternative.

Interests. Put him first in your hobbies, your career, and your recreation. Give God first consideration in every decision.

Relationships. Put him first in your family, your marriage, and your friendships.

Schedule. Give him the first part of every day. Get up and sit on the side of your bed every morning and say, “God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I just want to love you a little bit more and know you a little bit better.”

Troubles. You need to turn to God first when you have a problem. Prayer should never be your last resort. It should be your first choice.

Hopefully, this will help you keep God FIRST.

Parents understand the power of gratitude. Most parents wouldn’t appreciate their children always making requests without saying “thank you” for what they’ve already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, we’re told to “ask” him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness.

The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests—and our praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything,” he wants us to tell him what we’re grateful for. When I say to my wife, “I’m so grateful for you,” she tells me to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I’m grateful for about her.

God wants to hear the same things. So when you pray, tell God what you’re thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God “thank you.”

Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. The Bible says that when we have the faith to thank God ahead of time for an answer to our prayers, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He empowers and uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives.