FEAR of FAILURE…. the enemy of all confidence…
Why do we FEAR FAILURE ? because of PRIDE… the real reason we fear failure is because of what OTHERS will think and/or say about us
But God consistently tells us to “fear NOT”… for example, Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We fear all the WRONG things… Jesus tells us who we should fear… Luke 12:5 “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell: yes, I say to you, fear Him !”
But is it not a contradiction ? God tells us NOT to fear and Jesus tells us to fear God.
There are TWO kinds of fear “terror and dread” and “reverence and RESPECT”
Consider a chained dog versus one that is NOT chained….. even if you “fear” all dogs…. you RESPECT the chained one and walk around a good distance away but you are not terrified because (you believe) he can not get at you…. However if the unchained dog comes after you that is terror (fear).
Even though we love GOD… we should realize how great and powerful He is… and in spite of our love for Him, we also know that He will not permit our wickedness to go UNPUNISHED…. therefore we should RESPECT Him for who He IS and not allow “familiarity to breed contempt”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10)
The reality is that everybody fears something and psychologists have all sorts of ways for people to both identify and confront their fears.
People are frightened by things that do not even exist…. others are frightened by harmless insects…. In many cases there is no BASIS for fear whatsoever…. a very successful person may have a terrible fear of failure…. what is the reason for such fear ?…. there may be none…. fear does not need a reason.
Stephen's Bible Insights 