totallylovedbygod65
Member
- Mar 12, 2024
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GUEST DEVOTIONS
NO MORE FEAR OF FAILURE
From: Ron Hawks
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery…Galatians 5:1.”
When was the last time you failed? Was it huge or a small mistake, a breakdown or a collapse - or have you suppressed almost all memories of your failure? Most of us hate failure. Failing makes us feel ashamed. It threatens our identity - as if our identity could be built on consistent, flawless performance.
We need to remember, however, that failure is a significant and important part of life. The only way a child will ever learn to walk is by failing thousands of times. People of great accomplishment have a long string of failures to which they can very easily point. Winston Churchill, widely regarded as one of world's great wartime heroes, defined success as "going from failure to failure without loss of attitude." The best way to deal with a fear of failure is to press ahead, try some new things and fail a few times. You will find that the fear of shame associated with the fear of failure is ten times worse than the actual failure. The paralyzing questions related to, "what if I fail?" are very often tools of the enemy that keep your life experiences and impact small.
Can you think of a biblical character that was significantly used by God whose life was not peppered with significant failure? Let's reflect on just a few: Adam - apple; Abraham - Hagar; Moses - Egyptian; David - Bathsheba; Solomon - wives/idolatry; Peter - denial; Paul - persecution. The Bible is raw and honest in its "3-D" portrayal of real people. It doesn't hide mistakes and failures, and often even discloses people's negative motivations. These blunders and mishaps occur throughout the characters' lives, not just when they were young and didn't know any better. So, if God is not so freaked out about failure, why are we?
We are afraid that if we fail we will experience rejection, loneliness, shame or death. However, the perfect love of God can drive fear out of our inner soul. God's love dislodges the paralysis of fear, removing alienation and punishment. (1 John 4:18) In Christ, God has permanently absorbed and taken our punishment; we have been eternally reconciled. (Colossians 2:13-15) This is the incredible, disarming power of God's love. Can you freshly receive this miraculous omnipotent love in Christ right now?
You do not need to let the power of cancelled sin or the paralysis of potential failure stop you from boldly pursuing what you think God may have placed in your heart. Stop letting a fear of failure stop you from living. Jesus has paid your price; He has set you free from this kind of bondage to perfectionism (Galatians 5:1); He has opened the gate so you can enter in to abundant living. (John 10:10) Go for it; live freely and boldly in Christ!
Moving Ahead with you, Pastor Tom
His Love!
(Mark Webb) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
[You might want to sing/pray the following lyrics as you listen to the song.]
O the wonder of wonders, that God should love me!
Love a sinner so guilty, so vile and unclean.
To love the unlovely, O how can it be done?
'Tis only in Jesus, through His blessed Son!
Long before I ever knew Him, my Lord first knew me;
Before I ever sought Him, my Lord first sought me!
When I was in darkness, His sworn enemy,
He purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree!
His love is a mountain that I cannot scale!
As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail!
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see,
This love that in mercy first laid hold of me!
Not that I first did choose Him, for that could not be!
Still this heart would refuse Him, had He left it to me.
I'd still fight that battle that no man can win,
I'd still bar the heart's door that letteth Him in!
His love is a mountain that I cannot scale!
As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail!
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see,
This love that in mercy first laid hold of me!
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He now loved them to the uttermost!" John 13:1
"Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you!" John 15:9
"The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
NO MORE FEAR OF FAILURE
From: Ron Hawks
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery…Galatians 5:1.”
When was the last time you failed? Was it huge or a small mistake, a breakdown or a collapse - or have you suppressed almost all memories of your failure? Most of us hate failure. Failing makes us feel ashamed. It threatens our identity - as if our identity could be built on consistent, flawless performance.
We need to remember, however, that failure is a significant and important part of life. The only way a child will ever learn to walk is by failing thousands of times. People of great accomplishment have a long string of failures to which they can very easily point. Winston Churchill, widely regarded as one of world's great wartime heroes, defined success as "going from failure to failure without loss of attitude." The best way to deal with a fear of failure is to press ahead, try some new things and fail a few times. You will find that the fear of shame associated with the fear of failure is ten times worse than the actual failure. The paralyzing questions related to, "what if I fail?" are very often tools of the enemy that keep your life experiences and impact small.
Can you think of a biblical character that was significantly used by God whose life was not peppered with significant failure? Let's reflect on just a few: Adam - apple; Abraham - Hagar; Moses - Egyptian; David - Bathsheba; Solomon - wives/idolatry; Peter - denial; Paul - persecution. The Bible is raw and honest in its "3-D" portrayal of real people. It doesn't hide mistakes and failures, and often even discloses people's negative motivations. These blunders and mishaps occur throughout the characters' lives, not just when they were young and didn't know any better. So, if God is not so freaked out about failure, why are we?
We are afraid that if we fail we will experience rejection, loneliness, shame or death. However, the perfect love of God can drive fear out of our inner soul. God's love dislodges the paralysis of fear, removing alienation and punishment. (1 John 4:18) In Christ, God has permanently absorbed and taken our punishment; we have been eternally reconciled. (Colossians 2:13-15) This is the incredible, disarming power of God's love. Can you freshly receive this miraculous omnipotent love in Christ right now?
You do not need to let the power of cancelled sin or the paralysis of potential failure stop you from boldly pursuing what you think God may have placed in your heart. Stop letting a fear of failure stop you from living. Jesus has paid your price; He has set you free from this kind of bondage to perfectionism (Galatians 5:1); He has opened the gate so you can enter in to abundant living. (John 10:10) Go for it; live freely and boldly in Christ!
Moving Ahead with you, Pastor Tom
His Love!
(Mark Webb) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
[You might want to sing/pray the following lyrics as you listen to the song.]
O the wonder of wonders, that God should love me!
Love a sinner so guilty, so vile and unclean.
To love the unlovely, O how can it be done?
'Tis only in Jesus, through His blessed Son!
Long before I ever knew Him, my Lord first knew me;
Before I ever sought Him, my Lord first sought me!
When I was in darkness, His sworn enemy,
He purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree!
His love is a mountain that I cannot scale!
As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail!
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see,
This love that in mercy first laid hold of me!
Not that I first did choose Him, for that could not be!
Still this heart would refuse Him, had He left it to me.
I'd still fight that battle that no man can win,
I'd still bar the heart's door that letteth Him in!
His love is a mountain that I cannot scale!
As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail!
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see,
This love that in mercy first laid hold of me!
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He now loved them to the uttermost!" John 13:1
"Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you!" John 15:9
"The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
