“God, give me a dream that requires me to fly, and the faith to pursue it no matter how high” (Richard Christenson).
Similar to the third servant in the parable of the talents, Christians often face battles with the fear of failure as Satan attempts to use it to curb our effectiveness as faithful stewards of our talents in our pursuit of living a godly legacy through the completion of our God-given dreams (purpose).
“Everyone is born with a certain mission to accomplish. Everyone who walks on the earth, has his responsibilities in life” (Ernest Hemingway).
God created us to live a godly legacy as we pursue our God-given dreams, which involves being faithful stewards of our gifts and resources for the benefit of others, to the glory of God.
“Every man is capable of fulfilling his mission” (Lailah Gifty Akita)
Jesus said in John 15:5-6: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” We can fulfil our purpose, because when we abide, we receive the power of Christ to do all things (Philippians 4:13). According to “His power at work within us”, we can do “immeasurably more than we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
“Dream big and dare to fail” (Norman Vaughan).
“The only way to accomplish big results is to think big and set big goals” (Mark Victor Hansen). God has given each of us a giant-sized purpose to achieve, requiring great faith on our part.
“Faith is taking risks, trying the impossible, and trusting God for the incredible” (Corrie ten Boom). Just as a farmer must generously plant seeds to reap a harvest someday (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), we must be faithful stewards of our talents, consistently sowing seeds of love in this world through our purpose. When we fail to make a difference in this world for the glory of God, man remains in darkness as our purposes remain unfulfilled. Therefore, we must be faithful stewards of our talents as we chase our God-given dreams.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears” (Les Brown).
In the parable of the talents, the third servant allowed the fear of failure to prevent him from chasing his God-given dream and from being a faithful steward of the talents the Master gave Him. Instead of actively using his strengths and gifts to serve God and others, the third servant, because of fear, chose to neglect them, “burying them in the ground.” The Master was pleased with the other servants, whose risk-taking faith led them to act against their fears of failure, as they doubled their talents’ return, but was very displeased with the third servant, who chose not to act against his fears and do his best to be a good steward of the resources the Master had given him. The Master considered the third servant “unprofitable” on judgment day, and the Master held the third servant accountable for his unfaithfulness (Matthew 25:14-30).
We cannot allow fear and doubt to prevent us from being faithful stewards of our talents as we chase our God-given dreams.
“If you believe you aren’t good enough, you are more likely not to believe in your abilities, and when you believe you will fail, you will act like it, and you will lose” (Denzel Washington).
Because of the father’s wound, many Christians today feel unworthy, robbing them of confidence and courage, hindering them from having a vision of creativity and leading them to future life regrets as they do not believe in themselves. Being told by their earthly father they “couldn’t do anything right” as a child, those with a father’s wound have become very fearful of failure and unconfident in their abilities. Many of them have also become the third servant who decided to “bury and hide their talents” because of fear.
In a childhood where a child constantly experienced hurt and rejection after making a mistake in front of their earthly father, many Christian sufferers of their father’s wounds also fear experiencing similar treatment from God after making a mistake. They have distorted perceptions of what God is like, having learned to equate the perfect Abba Father with their imperfect earthly father. Many Christians are afraid to fail in front of God, and since they fear shame from failing, they choose to either not try or to dream small.
The truth is, even though God will hold us accountable for our unfaithfulness, He is still a perfect father, the same God who chose to have His Son die for our sins. Before He decided Christ to die for us, omniscient God knew every mistake we would make, and still decided to eternally love, totally forgive, and completely accept us, which happens when the unbeliever becomes a Christian and gets justified. Well aware of all the times we would fail Him, He still yearned for an intimate love relationship with us so profoundly that Christ died for us.
A perfect Father may be temporarily displeased with His children for a short time, but ultimately, He unconditionally loves, cherishes, cares for, forgives, and accepts His children. God is such a father.
All God desires us to do is our very best to be available for Him to do His work in our lives. God looks at our hearts more than our actions. He is pleased with those whose hearts are pure, even if their performance is not. Remember, “there is no condemnation for those who belong in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Those with a father’s wound need to humbly come as a child to Abba Father, asking Him to take them on a journey with Him to heal their wounds. Once you firmly know you are perfectly loved by the Master and who you are in Christ, the shackles of unworthiness can be released in your life, and you can be better equipped to handle the fears of failure that Satan uses to hinder your legacy.
The Spirit of Fear Within Us
Fear holds us captive, preventing us from walking in boldness. Fear magnifies challenges, causes mental torment, keeps our minds in constant cycles of negativity, distorts truth, and minimizes the effectiveness of God’s power being used in our lives. It overestimates the risk associated with failure and underestimates our ability to recover from it. Instead of viewing failure as a teacher that can potentially make us stronger and wiser over time, and that everyone fails, and that can ultimately be an overcomer if they decide to rise above it through power of Christ, many think it is safer not to try because of fear of shame and unworthiness, so they choose inaction over risk. The devil then wins as the world fails to change from our unmet purposes.
“Your mind will always believe everything you tell it. Feed it faith. Feed it truth. Feed it with love” (Unknown).
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” (Paulo Coelho).
Your legacy and the lives of those affected by your purpose desperately need your dreams to be achieved. Therefore, we cannot build our lives and decisions upon doubt and fear.
“God never planted a dream in your soul to watch it die in fear. He never gave you a vision to leave you empty-handed, but He does require belief, because belief is the bridge that connects you to where you are and where you’re called to be.” (Denzel Washington). “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
We must believe in our hearts: “I am enough”, “I am powerful through Christ”, “I can do all things through Him,” and “I am always perfectly loved and accepted by God.” Believe in truth and not Satan’s lies. “And you shall know the truth, and it shall set you free” (John 8:32).
“Belief is the engine that drives the direction of our destiny” (Washington). Both unworthiness and lack of faith, in self and God, these negative patterns in your thinking, need to be changed, to change the path where Satan and our fears of failure want to lead us.
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T. Bennett).
Live Boldly Daily
Having strong faith in God overcomes fear, as it shifts our focus to the power of the Spirit within us. Each step of boldness increases confidence, courage, faith, and hope. Choose to live boldly every day, empowered by the Spirit:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Feed your faith and starve your fears. Recognize that you are not alone, be encouraged, and rely on His strength” (Kerry Shook).
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“Courage grows every time you face fear. It’s a muscle that grows. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s something you develop over time. Every time you decide to act against fear, you become stronger” (Washington)
God is perfectly sovereign, loving, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and good. He is always in perfect control of everything that happens to us, even our failures, sufferings, trials, and setbacks, which ultimately work together for good” (Romans 8:28). As we take each step in faith, leaving comfort zones and doing things that stretch us, our confidence in our abilities (led and empowered by the Spirit) will grow as we experience successes. Fear gradually becomes less of a stronghold in our lives through these experiences.
“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). Our purpose should be greater than our fears.
Conclusion
“Fear, failure, courage, and purpose: these are the things that will shape your life. They will challenge you, push you, test your limits, and force you to confront the deepest parts of yourself. But you are stronger than you know. You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. “I don’t let fear be the thing that holds you back”. Let it be the thing that moves you forward. Don’t let failure define you. Let it refine you. Let it teach you what you need to learn, so you can become the person who’s capable of stepping into your destiny. And never forget, courage isn’t about not feeling fear, it’s about showing up, moving forward, and staying committed to your purpose even when fear is knocking at your door. Your purpose is greater than your fear. It’s the reason you wake up every morning, the fire that drives you, the legacy you’re meant to leave. So, when fear tries to step in your way, remind yourself why you’re here. Your purpose will always pull you through. So go out there and embrace the fear, fail if you need to, stand tall, keep going, because at the end of the day, it’s not the fear that matters. It’s how you respond to it that defines your story” (Washington).
What Type of Legacy Do You Want to Leave?
Sources:
35 Important Bible Verses About Gifts And Talents (With Commentary)
You Become What You Believe – DENZEL WASHINGTON MOTIVATION
HOW TO BECOME MENTALLY STRONG | DENZEL WASHINGTON MOTIVATION
Overcoming Fear and Failure The Mindset of Champions I DENZEL WASHINGTON #motivation #motivational
https://www.gotquestions.org/parable-talents.html
FEAR OF FAILURE
https://www.kerryshook.org/blog/feed-your-faith-and-starve-your-fears