Surviving Human Praise

I have been observing, especially in the church and politics, how easily praise can shift from God to man. Once a leader seems to carry certain talents or a demonstration of certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, you will begin to see him take the place of Jesus Christ.

This happens through human praise. People are response agents, they respond to what they like and dislike, to what they see and hear. Friends, let us never forget, that not all praise is genuine just as not all criticism is genuine.

Others can criticise you openly while they know the criticism is fuelled by jealousy. Not everyone can handle praise or being praised, it takes growth and maturity to handle it. Others are built better and stronger by praise while others are destroyed and overwhelmed by it.

When people praise you they lift you up but, don’t stay there. People can use praise to build you a mansion high in the sky with no foundation, no neighbours, literally nothing.

The danger of praise is that it has ability to change attitude, character and behaviour of the one being praised which is why only God, in my opinion, is worthy of praise – 2 Samuel 22:4.

Our praise actually doesn’t really lift God, He is already up, our praise doesn’t change Him, as He is unchangeable. Human praise doesn’t make God, He already is God. Human praise doesn’t change the praiser, but it may change the praiser.

Praise given to God, doesn’t change God but it certainly changes the praiser. It is safe to conclude thus: some of the praise we heap on others is actually uninformed and ignorant, by people who don’t know any better, praising a perennial underachiever thus misleading him and causing empty ego. Human praise usually results in a spirit of self-exaltation, Ezekiel 28:17.

Because of human praise other people have bloated egos and think they are the best and therefore despise others.

Human praise makes you think you have arrived when in actual fact you are far from it. It tells you that people survive because of you and therefore owe you lots.

A word of advice: rid yourself of all undeserved glory, identify with the lowly and frown on special treatment. Speak out; tell people you are weak and human like all of them.

“Learn to say in word, action and heart, “He must increase, I must decrease.”