My family/small group from our church has been discussing a book written by Steve Backlund called Victorious Mindsets. One of the chapters we are discussing is titled “Those Who Succeed Most Seem to Fail Most.” He based it on the scripture verse from Proverbs 24:16 “For a righteous man may fall seven times but rises again.” It has several thoughts I have been meditating on.

Can we have the same attitude as the toddler learning to walk? Most children do not start walking without a season of awkwardness and falls. We consider that normal and don’t condemn or chastise the child, but rather encourage them to get up and try again. “Those who are the most successful in life will take the most risks in the pursuit of their goals and ultimately, will have a greater list of failures than those staying in safety to criticize.” The great Babe Ruth held the record for the most home runs hit for many years but he also was known for the number of strikeouts he had trying to go after those elusive balls. Thomas Edison experimented with something like 1,000 different elements (filaments) before he successfully found one that would work for his light bulb. I know there are probably hundreds of examples of similar journeys that not just scientists or sportsmen took but across every field of endeavor. 

God has called every one of us to be overcomers. As I have stated before, to be an overcomer means there are things (obstacles) that have to be overcome. Fear of failure is one of those “hurdles” all of us face at one time or another. I like to win. I don’t like to lose. But to win – at anything – you have to stay in the game or race. If you allow your fears to limit you, you will never have the opportunity to win. I have certainly been guilty of that.

Do you think that David faced Goliath with some thoughts that if he had dwelt on them could have led to his defeat as well as the whole nation of Israel? He had already seen the faithfulness of God to deliver him from a lion and a bear and reminded himself as well as Goliath and the armies on both sides that His God was well able to deliver this “uncircumcised Philistine” into his hands. After all, he was in covenant with Jehovah and knew that God would defend and protect him once again. If he had looked at his circumstances with his natural eyes, he would never have run towards Goliath with the confidence he demonstrated. Fear was right there to try to defeat him, but he did not yield to it. We know that David made many mistakes in his life but he never allowed those failures to limit his confidence in God’s ability to deliver him. 

Caleb faced a similar challenge. Only he and Joshua survived the 40 years in the desert while their generation died off. When they finally were allowed to cross over into the land that the Lord had promised them, it was Caleb who asked for the mountain where the giants were living for his inheritance. Caleb had overcome any fears that may have tried to intimidate him to settle for less than what the Lord had given to him. 

Very few of us are so gifted or talented that we never have thoughts of failure. I think pride might be the biggest temptation for those who are extremely gifted in one or more areas but even those individuals can be attacked with thoughts of insecurity and lack of confidence from time to time. I know that “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” and believe that is our goal and God’s desire but most of us are still on the journey. 

Having a healthy dependency upon the Lord does not mean that thoughts of failure do not come into our minds from time to time. Elijah, the prophet was used by God to confront wicked King Ahab and the Lord anointed him mightily. He declared that there would be no rain for three years and God shut up the heavens over Israel. Later, he told Ahab to get back home because the rains were coming. He outran Ahab’s chariot because of the anointing that he was walking in at the time. And yet a short time later, he ran in fear from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, who threatened to kill him. He had done many great exploits in the name of the Lord and yet he did not finish well. Elisha took his place and Jehu was commissioned by the Lord to get rid of Jezebel.  

I desire to finish well and have the Lord say to me, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” We know that fear can keep us out of our “promised land” just as it did the children of Israel. We can miss God’s best for us if we allow fear to defeat us. “Fear has torment” when it tries to pursue us and keep us from following our dreams. 

I believe one of the best ways to keep fear from overtaking us is to know who we are as a believer. Our enemy is relentless when it comes to trying to steal or pervert our true identity. I am not sure that he ever gives up trying. He started attacking Jesus at the very beginning of His ministry while He was out in the wilderness, fasting and praying. “Hath God said?” and then he perverts the promises of God or the specific things that we have heard the Lord say to us. Father spoke to Jesus at His water baptism – “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” I am certain there were other times when Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders, that He had the opportunity to back down or compromise what He knew to be the truth. At the very end of His life in the garden of Gethsemane, satan once again came to Him. He refused to take another route to finish His course but faced a gruesome death for His love of humanity.  The writer to the Hebrews stated that “Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him (that was us), endured the cross and despised the shame.” 

May I encourage you to spend the necessary time with the Lord, so that your relationship with Him is unshakable? Not that there won’t be shakings in each of our lives but as the scriptures state, “He will shake everything that can be shaken, in order that which cannot be shaken will stand.” We are invited to be a part of an Unshakable Kingdom and we must face those giants of fear that will try to keep us out of our promised land.