Trading the Fear of Failure for the Abundant Life

By Pastor Steve Pierce

Does your life or a loved one’s revolve around “not failing at things” or its opposite “living to succeed”?  Let me explain. Many people try to not fail at life instead of trying to succeed in life.  Some try hard to not steal or to fail at a task or to not cheat on their spouse.  Good things, true, but maybe there is a better way to live?  Instead of trying not to do something negative, we all need try to do something positive. Instead of don’t steal, let’s live an honest life. Instead of don’t fail, try to live to succeed. Instead of don’t cheat on your spouse, be faithful. If you keep concentrating on what not to do, you lose sight of the life you can have.

Could there possibly be a biblical basis for this? You bet. Read what Jesus said in John. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV) Just for clarity, Jesus is the one who brings life and abundance. The thief is Satan, who comes only to make sure we all fail.

When people focus on not doing something, that can become their overwhelming goal. “I will not do this today,” can become their mantra. That is important at times, but it is no way to live a life of abundant grace and love that Jesus makes possible.  The goal of our lives should be to live an honest life that pleases the Lord and that influences others for good. You don’t teach your children to fall when they learn to ride a bike. You teach them not to fall, to ride.  A good baseball player doesn’t go to the plate and try not to miss. He tries to hit. It is a subtle but important distinction.

People who live to not fail, tend to focus on their failure and that can become debilitating. People who live to succeed, still fail, but use that failure as a lesson learned and grow from it. Have you noticed that the way people live their lives is contagious to those around them. Living with no hope can rob others of their hope. Living with grace, brings grace into the lives of some many other people.

If you are stuck in a negative loop the first thing to do is to seek God. Matthew 6:33 is straightforward. “But seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” That simply means, to seek God first. The first step in learning to live a life of redemption and grace is to have a relationship with the only source of these blessings, Jesus Christ. Jesus, is the Kingdom of God, come to Earth to make that abundant life possible. And for clarity, the abundance we are talking about is not riches and possessions. It’s not cash and cars. It is salvation that frees you from the lies of failure and hopelessness. People who live their lives focused on not failing tend to get stuck in the lies that says, “I am not good enough,” or “I’ll never matter.” Everyone matters, everyone can be good enough, but only when they realize that it is faith in Jesus Christ that offers that grace. By accepting that grace, you can shift your focus on not failing, to dreaming impossible dreams and having joy in abundance.