Fear or Faith

Ready: 

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” -- 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

Set:

My dad was my high school basketball coach, and after every game, we would watch the game’s film. He had the same complaint every time, “Why are you not taking the shot?” He finally got me a poster to hang in my room with the quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” The reality was I was scared to miss. I was scared to let the team down. I feared failure. I feared being a failure.

But what I didn’t realize then was that failure is an event but never a person. Yes, we are going to fail. Yes, we are going to fall short. But just because we fail, doesn’t mean we are a failure. Imperfection is what makes us human. We serve a God who knew that we fall short so much that we needed to be sent a Savior to not only save us from our sins but to help us overcome our fear of failure. Galatians 2:20 says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

It is through Christ that we have power, love, self-discipline, and the confidence to take the shot, make the catch, and walk in faith never in fear. 

Go:

1. How has fear stopped you in your sport?
2. How do you handle failure as an athlete, student or just a person in general?
3. How does our faith in Christ help us in our fear and failures as athletes?

Workout:

Psalms 56:3; Isaiah 41:10; Romans 8:31

Overtime:

“Lord, I confess that sometimes I fear failure, but I am asking You to strengthen my faith. I know through You I have all I need to accomplish what You want and be who you called me to be as an athlete and a person. Amen.”

Sarah Roberts