Overcoming Your Fears (2)

‘They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.’ Psalm 112:7 NIV

Let’s take a look at some of our most common fears and how we can overcome them. Fear of failure. This is the most common fear of all, and it keeps us from fulfilling any vision God may give us. If you look closely at the actual consequences of failure, chances are you’ll laugh at the power it wields. Not only are your mistakes survivable, they’re teaching tools that sharpen and make you a better person. 

So what if you make a mistake during your presentation? Nobody’s going to shoot you, right? So what if you miss the mark on the project, or make a mistake in your calculations? We all want to be perfect, but the fact is we’re all flawed. In reality, your irrational fear of failure and your refusal to embrace mistakes create far more errors in the long run. When people refuse to accept the possibility of making a mistake, often they’re reluctant to have someone else check their work or review the project they’re working on. Consequently they end up making more poor choices and mistakes, which in turn feeds their existing insecurities. 

The path to success is through multiple failures. Failing doesn’t make you a failure, quitting does; not learning from it does; refusing to get back up when you fall does. The psalmist says, ‘They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.’ Using the gifts God has given you, step out and take a risk based on faith, trusting Him for success. If you do, ‘You will have good success’ (Joshua 1:8 NKJV). 

Prayer Point: 

Ask God to remove any fear you may feel of not being good enough or failing.

Acknowledgements: Cooke, Phil, Jolt!, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 112.