The Apostle Paul was writing to the Church, expressing the importance of preaching the good news of Jesus, and not altering doctrine to suit their audience. As children of God, our focus must always remain on being obedient to God and His Word. A well-known Preacher said, “The anointing doesn’t flow when you obey man, the anointing only flows when you obey God.” The Apostle Paul highlights the truth that if our goal is to please and win the approval of man, we might as well not follow Jesus! It certainly takes great conviction of faith to swim against the stream of popular opinion, doesn’t it. The truth is, anything done outside of faith brings no pleasure to God (Hebrews 11:6). Since faith comes from and is exclusive to the principles of God’s Word – anything that contradicts it is not pleasing to Him. In todays society moral corruption has become the norm to the extent that even those who call themselves Christians are confused about what they really believe. Be extremely cautious of the opinions you choose to side with. If you know the truth, by the standards of God’s Word alone, it will bring absolute clarity to you concerning the choices to make and stand by. Today, make the choice to remain fully committed and devoted to pleasing God. When this becomes your ultimate pursuit, you will never fall short of His approval, favour and blessing!