Fear is a beast. It can grip your soul and squeeze so tightly you can actually feel its power.
I’ve had a tendency in the past to be consumed with the fear of failure and being fearful of what others think of me…especially if I failed. It’s been a long road but the Lord has been teaching me so much about my weaknesses, flaws, and insecurities. Having the fear of failure brought isolation, exhaustion, and ultimately, it stifles God’s design for our lives.
The only fear we’re meant to live under is the fear of God. Reverent fear. It’s incredible to experience but the lower we bow to God, the less fear we face anywhere else in our lives!
Fear of Failure, Meet God.
The truth is, I used to know fear a ton better than I knew God. In a sense, you could say we were close friends. Fear went almost everywhere with me.
I had it all backwards.
Then, little by little, by God’s grace I began to grasp the truth of who God is and how mighty He is to all things, including fear.
Psalm 114 is one passage that got my attention when it tells us that the earth trembles at the presence of the Lord. It says, “The sea looked and fled; …the mountains skipped like rams. What ails you, O sea, that you flee?” v4-5
This is God’s power over the world. This is what He created and what He holds in His hand! All nature obeys Him and even trembles before Him!
This is just one example of His great power and all of this is for the sake of His people!
Or move on to the New Testament and we see again God’s power and sovereignty over creation when Jesus calms the storm in Matthew 8.
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Matthew 8:23-27
His disciples were terrified, and full of fear. By His mighty power, He calmed the storm!
Perfect peace and calm are the polar opposites of fear. Our perfect peace and calm can only come from God alone.
If we rely on ourselves – we lose. If we rely on what we can do – we will eventually fail. But if we rely on God and who He is and not only what He’s done but what He is doing, we truly have absolutely nothing to fear!
I want to share one more passage from Matthew 14 of when Jesus walked on water. It was late at night and the disciples were in the boat while the waves and wind were pushing against them. It says:
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:25-27
Immediately. Further it goes on to say that when Peter was afraid and cried out, “Lord, save me”. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him.
He is there for us, too. And is ready for the moment we cry out to him in desperation for His help.
Our Shelter and Refuge
I mentioned earlier the peace and calm that God gives. When dealing with the fear of failure, you know the turmoil it can bring.
Psalm 91 shows us where to find rescue and shelter.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Ps 91:1-4 NLT)
For so long, I trusted in myself and was armored in a whole lot of self-talk and self-confidence. I definitely did not find rest and rather than feeling protected, I felt completely exposed.
That’s not God’s design. We were created to be dependent upon Him, not ourselves. Our Creator designed us to need Him. When sin entered the world, it hijacked our hearts and turned them towards ourselves and away from God.
But God…
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— Ephesians 2:4-10
He had His affections on us from the beginning of time and being so rich in mercy and love, He came after us while we were living in sin. Through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, we are made alive with Christ! A brand new creation, covered by Christ’s righteousness.
This covering – Christ’s righteousness – makes us right with God. What can fear do to us when we are alive together with Christ!?
What is there to fear when we have God as our shelter, our place of refuge, our safety, and His faithful promises are our armor and protection?
Our Identity is no longer found in ourselves but in Christ!
Related Post: What Is the Good News of The Gospel?
Three Ways to Overcome the Fear of Failure:
1. Grow in Reverent Fear of God.
To grow in reverent fear of God, we must become small. Bow low to Him. When we try to take glory and honor, be reminded that it is always meant for Him alone. He is worthy of all!
2. Grow in Knowing Who God Is.
Get in the bible daily. Saturate your mind with scripture and be captivated by your Creator. Spend time Psalm 91 until it penetrates your heart of where your true protection, safety, and refuge comes from.
3. Grow in Surrender.
Finally, surrender your fear of failure to God in prayer. The bible tells us that Jesus’ grace is sufficient for each of us and His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) He will meet us in our place of need when we confess our desperation for Him.
We’ve been fully exposed and God calls us His. Fear of failure has no place in our lives now.
Heavenly Father, you have given us Jesus Christ to be in us and cover us completely. The magnitude of this sacrifice is beyond our comprehension but we desire to rest fully in Him.
Help us to surrender our fear to you today. Help us to rely on your strength and give us faith to believe your words. Nothing is hidden from you and anything that tries to convince us otherwise is deceit. We believe that your power is made perfect in weakness and we confess our need for you!
Shine Your light in us and through so we can become your beacons of hope instead! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Call to Action:
Write down Psalm 91:1-4 and underline the words that describe who God is and what He will do.
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