The Trap of Being a People-Pleaser

I need to stand firm as a God-pleaser, not a People-pleaser.

Jesus warned that some people would not believe in him because they loved the praise of man more than of God.

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How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
John 5:44

Fear of man, trying to win man’s approval, loving to be liked, is all a trap. Not only do these make us slaves of others (in a bad way), they nullify our usefulness for Christ. Paul said he could not even be called a servant of Christ if he was still trying to be a People-pleaser.

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.
Galatians 1:10 NLT

Paul was so radical on this point that he wrote to the Corinthians:

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5

In no way does this mean that I should not be winsome with unbelievers (Paul was – 1 Cor. 9), or be rude or unkind to people. It simply means I must evaluate my motivations for doing things. If my motive is to please people so that they like me or so that I won’t get in trouble, then I need to really get with God and see what He wants me to do. Where God’s will and people’s will are at odds, I must choose the will of God. I must live for an Audience of One.