Opinions | YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME | Pastor Joaquin Pardo

Are the opinions of others ruling your life?This weekend, Pastor Joaquin continued our series YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME with a message on Opinions.Daniel 3:1-6King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold... and whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.In this story we are introduced to King Nebuchadnezzar and the young Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego where we learn about living under the influence of opinions, both from others and ourselves.1) When your opinions of yourself become excessive, it leads to obsession.King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride led him to build a golden statue and demand worship. While we may not build statues, excessive self-focus can lead us to idolize our own opinions, creating a throne in our hearts where we crown ourselves, and in doing so we take our eyes off of Jesus and rob God of his glory.2) The opinions of others can strip away your God-given identity.Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's original names—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—pointed to God. Yet, the Babylonian culture tried to erase their identities by renaming them. Similarly, if we aren’t careful, the opinions of others can distort who God says we are.3) Pleasing God over pleasing people leads to true freedom.Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.Despite facing the fiery furnace, these three young men declared that whether God delivered them or not, they would not bow to the king’s false gods. Their faithfulness reminds us that trusting God, rather than being swayed by human opinions, leads to true freedom and safety.God stands with us when we stand firm in His truth. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we are called to let God's Word, not man's opinion, define us.Let’s choose this week to break free from the influence of others' opinions—and our own—by focusing on who God says we are!