Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Thursday, 30
January 2014 – “It's Time to Redefine Failure”
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”--Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
Satan’s favorite tool to diminish your
faith is the fear of failure. But you cannot serve God and be constantly
worried about what other people think. You have to move forward. Proverbs 29:25
says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is
kept safe.” (NIV)
So how do you get rid of the fear of
failure?
One way is to redefine failure. What is
failure? Failure is not failing to reach your goal. Failure is not having a
goal. Failure is not failing to hit your target. Failure is not having a
target. Failure is not falling down. Failure is refusing to get back up. You’re
never a failure until you quit. So if you’re attempting something for the glory
of God, that’s a good thing. Failure is not trying and not accomplishing
anything. Failure is failing to try.
Another way to get rid of the fear of
failure is to never compare yourself to anybody else. You’re always going to
find somebody who’s doing a better job, and you get discouraged. And, you’re
always going to find somebody who’s not doing as good a job as you are, and you
become full of pride. Both of them will mess up your life. Discouragement and
pride will keep you from serving God’s purpose for your life.
The Bible says in Galatians 6:4, “Each of
you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own
accomplishments without comparing yourself to others.” (GW)
Did you notice that the Bible says there
is a legitimate pride? There’s a good kind of pride and there’s a bad kind of
pride. The bad kind of pride is comparing: “I'm better than so and so!” The
good kind of pride is, “God, I'm proud of what you’re doing in my family, my
business, my life, my walk of faith.” That’s the good kind of pride.
God hasn’t called me to be the best
pastor in the world. God has called me to be the best pastor I can possibly be
given the gifts, talents, and experiences he gave me. When you get to Heaven,
God isn’t going to say, “Why weren’t you more like so and so?” He’s going to
say, “Why weren’t you who I made you to be?”
Let go of your fear of failure, because
anything you’re attempting for God in faith is a good thing, regardless of the
results.
Talk It Over:
·
How has your fear of what other people
think kept you from moving forward in faith?
·
In what ways are you using your gifts and
abilities to work toward your goals?
·
What failures have kept you from pursuing
your goals and dreams?
·
What do you think God wants you to learn
from those setbacks?
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Saddleback Community Church
1 Saddleback Pkwy
Lake Forest, CA 92630 United States
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