Surrendering Fear of Failure to the Force of Love
16th Day of Lenten Devotional Series
Guest Post by: Michael Nichols, The ConneXion Fellowship
1 John 4:18 NASB There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to
do with punishment, and the one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Ever since I was very young, I was always afraid to disappoint. Whether I was afraid to let myself down or others, the fear was present in most things I did or wanted to do. Fear can be extremely paralytic, and over time, like venom in my veins, fear poisoned my ability to try things, take risks, and live life. It drove me into hiding for a long time because I didn't want to fail.Sometimes this fear was the result of bullying. Other
times, my own mind worked against me. Sometimes, it was self-consciousness.
Other times, it was the risk of doing actual damage to my life. But let’s call
it terror instead. Legitimate fear can protect you, but terror only enslaves
you.
To live in fear is to accept a version of reality that is in
opposition to God’s ultimate will for us to flourish and thus bring glory to
His name and declare His beauty. He never intended for us to be dominated by
our circumstances or our shortcomings.
In response to this fact, here’s a question: if fear opposes
our flourishing, then what aides it? One word: love. Remember this truth: God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay for our sins and overcome the
grave, beckoning us to walk in a brand new life. How can we not be loved?
When He gives us this new life, we then have His power in
us, and as we follow Him, He is faithful to see us through all things in His will.
If this is true, then as we continue to devote ourselves to Him, then He will
ensure that His plans for us are fulfilled. And yeah, we’re going to fail
somewhere along the way, but Jesus will never fail us.
To live in fear is to accept a version of reality that is in opposition to God’s ultimate will for us to flourish and thus bring glory to His name and declare His beauty. He never intended for us to be dominated by our circumstances or our shortcomings.
In response to this fact, here’s a question: if fear opposes our flourishing, then what aides it? One word: love. Remember this truth: God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay for our sins and overcome the grave, beckoning us to walk in a brand new life. How can we not be loved?
When He gives us this new life, we then have His power in us, and as we follow Him, He is faithful to see us through all things in His will. If this is true, then as we continue to devote ourselves to Him, then He will ensure that His plans for us are fulfilled. And yeah, we’re going to fail somewhere along the way, but Jesus will never fail us.
May all our fears
never convince us that they are stronger than the name of Jesus. As we are led
once again to remember the cross that He bore for us in love, may that same
love cast out all our fears and invade the hearts of all that we meet until the
day of the Lord. Amen.
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