“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”; Sven Eriksson
“Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” Zig Ziglar
“It is a mistake to suppose that people succeed through success; they often succeed through failures.” Author unknown
Have you ever failed at anything? I’m not talking about failing a test in school, although that can be pretty traumatic. I’m not talking about a health related test either although failing one may mean life or death and even long term suffering. Let me give you some examples of things I’ve failed at. I failed at my first marriage, I failed at jobs resulting in layoff and being fired, I’ve failed at managing my finances, and there have been other failures.
How did you feel when you failed? Here’s how I felt. I felt that I left my family down and by family I mean my entire family from my ancestors to my immediate family. I felt I let my friends down. I let my employer down. I let God down. I felt terrible. In short, I felt like a failure.
Everyone wants to be a success. I have never met anyone who purposely set out to be a failure,but what’s important is what happens after failure. Do you wallow in the failure? Are you so afraid of failing again that you don’t do anything?
The fear of failure paralyzes or neutralizes many people. We consciously or subconsciously ignore our sins and failures because we believe to admit them is to admit failure. People often refuse to tackle a job or take on a responsibility for fear of failure. People believe if they fail theyare no good. They think failure means you are a bad person and that YOU ARE A FAILURE!.
I’ll let you in on something that I learned even in the midst of my failures. God doesn’t care that you failed He can still use you. Think about that.
Romans 8:28, 35-37 (NLT) 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours throughChrist, who loved us.
Failure can be the result of others’ actions, circumstances beyond our control, our own actions, or a combination of all three.Whether caused by sin or something else, all failure teaches us the important truth of just how desperately we need God, His mercy and His grace in our lives. Failure can become tools for growth and deeper levels of trust and commitment to God. Failures are reminders that we must live with eternity in mind.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
“Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” Zig Ziglar
“It is a mistake to suppose that people succeed through success; they often succeed through failures.” Author unknown
Have you ever failed at anything? I’m not talking about failing a test in school, although that can be pretty traumatic. I’m not talking about a health related test either although failing one may mean life or death and even long term suffering. Let me give you some examples of things I’ve failed at. I failed at my first marriage, I failed at jobs resulting in layoff and being fired, I’ve failed at managing my finances, and there have been other failures.
How did you feel when you failed? Here’s how I felt. I felt that I left my family down and by family I mean my entire family from my ancestors to my immediate family. I felt I let my friends down. I let my employer down. I let God down. I felt terrible. In short, I felt like a failure.
Everyone wants to be a success. I have never met anyone who purposely set out to be a failure,but what’s important is what happens after failure. Do you wallow in the failure? Are you so afraid of failing again that you don’t do anything?
The fear of failure paralyzes or neutralizes many people. We consciously or subconsciously ignore our sins and failures because we believe to admit them is to admit failure. People often refuse to tackle a job or take on a responsibility for fear of failure. People believe if they fail theyare no good. They think failure means you are a bad person and that YOU ARE A FAILURE!.
I’ll let you in on something that I learned even in the midst of my failures. God doesn’t care that you failed He can still use you. Think about that.
Romans 8:28, 35-37 (NLT) 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours throughChrist, who loved us.
Failure can be the result of others’ actions, circumstances beyond our control, our own actions, or a combination of all three.Whether caused by sin or something else, all failure teaches us the important truth of just how desperately we need God, His mercy and His grace in our lives. Failure can become tools for growth and deeper levels of trust and commitment to God. Failures are reminders that we must live with eternity in mind.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
A Prayer to Defeat Your Fear of Failure
By Rick Warren
“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” – Proverbs 24:16
Satan’s favorite tool to diminish your faith is the fear of failure. But you cannot serve God and be constantly worried about what other people think. You have to move forward. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (NIV).
So how do you get rid of the fear of failure?
One way is to redefine failure. What is failure? Failure is not failing to reach your goal. Failure is not having a goal. Failure is not failing to hit your target. Failure is not having a target. Failure is not falling down. Failure is refusing to get back up. You’re never a failure until you quit. So if you’re attempting something for the glory of God, that’s a good thing. Failure is not trying and not accomplishing anything. Failure is failing to try.
Another way to get rid of the fear of failure is to never compare yourself to anybody else. You’re always going to find somebody who’s doing a better job, and you get discouraged. And, you’re always going to find somebody who’s not doing as good a job as you are, and you become full of pride. Both of them will mess up your life. Discouragement and pride will keep you from serving God’s purpose for your life.
The Bible says in Galatians 6:4, “Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others” (GW).
Did you notice that the Bible says there is a legitimate pride? There’s a good kind of pride and there’s a bad kind of pride. The bad kind of pride is comparing: “I’m better than so and so!” The good kind of pride is, “God, I’m proud of what you’re doing in my family, my business, my life, my walk of faith.” That’s the good kind of pride.
When you get to Heaven, God isn’t going to say, “Why weren’t you more like so and so?” He’s going to say, “Why weren’t you who I made you to be?”
Let go of your fear of failure, because anything you’re attempting for God in faith is a good thing, regardless of the results.
Lord, help me let go of my fear of failure. I know Satan wants to use my fears to hold me back from living boldly for You. Forgive me for not living in faith, and help me from this moment on to live with bold confidence in You. Lord, help me not compare myself to others around me. I pray instead that I can keep my eye on You and live a life that proclaims Your excellence. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
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