Is Fear of Failure Holding You Down This Season?

“I’m done.”
These are the words I said to myself this morning …
“I’m done … I’m done believing the lies … I'm done holding back … I’m done bowing down to fear.”
Have you ever sensed God calling you to some task? No sooner does He give you the vision, that you begin making excuses. Like Moses arguing with God that he couldn’t speak well. Or Jonah, who believed the people of Nineveh were beyond God’s mercy.
How often do we do the same? We argue with God, making excuses, even running away. Recently, I asked God to expose my fears. I needed to know what was holding me back from fulfilling the tasks God has given me to do. Simply put, it was fear that pride would dig its claws into me and bring me down. The thought of grieving God kept me paralyzed with fear. How tragic!

I was giving victory to the enemy! Fears can be subtle: even appearing noble (“I don’t want to disappoint God”). These fears are rooted in pride and unbelief. And there is nothing noble about that.
This reminds me of the parable of the talents that Jesus taught. The Master, who represents Jesus,
gave resources to each of His servants to invest “in accordance with his ability.” Two of the men invested wisely. However, the third man buried his gift. When the Master returned, the man made excuses,
“I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid and I hid your talent in the ground. Here, [take back] what is yours.” (Matthew 25:24-25 ESV)
The interesting thing about this parable is that the Master never defends Himself. He never corrects the lies His servant believed about Him. He doesn’t need to. The man’s own words condemn him.
“You knew [this about me]? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.” (Matthew 25:26-27 ESV)
I believed the lies. I was keeping Jesus’s gift buried in the sand, as if this would save Him grief. Which grieves God more: taking a risk or burying His gift?
The truth is that God is for us. No One is more invested in our victory than the One who paid for it with His own blood.
I confessed my fear. Fear that my pride would become a stench to God and He would regret ever trusting me with His gifts. God responded with such kindness. Opening my Bible to Joshua, I read three times, “Be strong and courageous.” And “For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Then, as if to ensure I heard Him, He confirmed His message once more. I opened my journal to write. At the bottom of each page is a random Bible verse. I opened my journal to the next blank page. Tears of joy and peace welled up when I read this verse at the bottom:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV)
God is faithful. He is for us. But our window of opportunity to invest in His Kingdom is closing. Immediately preceding the parable of the talents is a sober warning. Concerning His return, Jesus implores us, “…keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” (Matthew 25:13 NLT)
Friends, our time is short. Are there any lies you need to surrender? Gifts you need to invest? What would it look like for you to take a risk with God?

The Wilderness

The term “God Adventure” sounds kind of intriguing and exciting, doesn’t it? Even a little mysterious! If you have an adventuresome spirit, just those words may make you want to explore what a God adventure is – learn more about it!
A “God Adventure” could be following God’s leading to take a new job. It could be a missions trip or a move to a new city. Maybe you’re actually going to commit to leading a Bible study at your church or reach out to a needy family in your area. How about working on reconciling a broken relationship with a family member or friend?
Not all God Adventures are so positive or encouraging. Sometimes a God-adventure comes your way uninvited and unexpected. It can come in circumstances that involve loss, unfair treatment, illness, or broken relationships. These are the wilderness places that God uses to shape, refine, and carve character into us, if we’ll let Him. The process is so painful, but the result is pure gold.
Some dear friends of mine, a married couple, have been through this recently. A cancer diagnosis brought surgery, radiation, doctors, doctors, and more doctors. Pain, loss, rehabilitation, fear and uncertainty.
Who’d sign up for that? But, now let me tell you what I saw this “wilderness” produce in their lives …a sense of God’s presence that over-rode all the circumstances, a trust in God’s goodness and faithfulness (which is never really fully experienced until you find yourself in the furnace of affliction); a deeper love and appreciation for each other as a couple; and peace, real peace, in the midst of the storm.
They were not delivered from the experience, they were lifted above it and carried through it. Isaiah 40:31 outlines the promise of God to those who are walking through trials.

“They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. They shall rise up on wings like Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”

The Bible is filled with the stories of great men and women of faith, and almost all of them had one or more defining wilderness experiences that God used to prepare them for even greater use. My favorite is the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongly accused by the wife of his employer, thrown into jail for something he didn’t do, and seemingly forgotten by those he had helped. In all of this, a span of 13 years, the Bible never once records that Joseph complained or railed against the Lord. Read this amazing story yourself – Genesis 37 – 47. Through his years in the wilderness, Joseph learned humility, obedience, patience, and responsibility. In God’s perfect timing, he became ruler over all of Egypt delivering the Egyptians and his own family from the famine in the land.
How can you turn your wilderness into a God Adventure? For starters let this scripture sink deeply into your heart and mind – Romans 8:28

“ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord, who are called according to His purposes.”

ALL things – even your trials and afflictions.
Give them to God with a sense of anticipation. You are being refined – prepared for something. Look for the lessons.
Surrender your “rights,” your arguments, and your confusion to Him. God never makes mistakes.
Rest in Him – climb up into his lap and let Him refresh you with His strength.
Trust His timing – He’s got it all together. Jeremiah 29:11 says this,

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Stay close to Him and watch your wilderness become a God-Adventure!