How Do I Overcome Fear of Failure?
Feelings of fear and rejection are very common in our indifferent world. Every individual alive today is struggling with some disappointment or failure. The feelings that we experience are part of living in a world affected by the Fall. Because humans have fallen from fellowship with the Creator King, negative feelings are a byproduct of living in this cursed condition.
The root cause of these feelings is alienation. Our sins have caused us to be out of fellowship with God. The only legitimate solution is reconciliation. In Christ, God redeems us from the penalty of sin and restores us into relationship with Himself. He becomes our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us. He dismisses our fear by adopting us as His children (Romans 8:15)
In the process of healing us internally and transforming us into the image of Christ, God begins to address those dysfunctions that may linger and stunt our growth. As we get to know God more intimately through prayer, worship and meditating on His word, He helps us overcome our past failures and enable us to succeed in the matters that are important to Him (2 Timothy 1:7).
The process of overcoming our human frailties is sometimes slow. God knows our weaknesses (James 4:14; Isaiah 40:7) and his grace is ready to assist the struggling sinner. Our constant dependence on the indwelling Christ is paramount for growing as a mature believer. Jesus commands us to “abide in Him and he would abide in us . . . for without Him we can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) Paul urges us to “walk in the Spirit” and encourages us to remember, “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
No matter what emotional scars we carry, Jesus gently bids us to come to Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) The Lord Jesus Christ is our healer, our advocate. He is well aware of the heartache and disappointments that enter our lives, and he stands ready to carry us through it.
