Victor, Victoria!
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [NIV, with emphasis]
Jesus says in this world you will have tribulation but you are not without hope. So be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world. What this means for us is that through Jesus we too will overcome the world. Characteristically, trials are inevitable, of different types, impartial and they are unpredictable. Crisis is unpredictable. Matt.8:24 “Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping”. The storm came without warning. Crisis just happens and it happens without any Read the rest of this entry
God’s Power
Matt.5:45 “…For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
It is so unfortunate that a lot of people have bought into the lie that once you become a Christian, all your problems will go away. Have you heard that before? It is a big lie! Your life and my life are proof that that is not the gospel. That is a gospel but not The Gospel. You are going to have the same problems everyone else has. However, the difference is that you are going to have God’s power to deal with the problems as they arise. You are going to feel fear, anger, depression, insecurity; but you are going to have God’s power to deal with Read the rest of this entry
Crisis Analysis
Prov. 3:25-26 “Have no fear of sudden disaster . . . for the Lord is your security.”
Your finances cannot be your security. Your age cannot be your security. Your good looks cannot be your security. Your oratory skills cannot be your security. Your mechanical skills or engineering skills cannot be your security. The Lord is your security. There are a few facts about crisis that we need to understand.
The first thing you need to understand about crisis is that it is inevitable. The Word of God in James 1:2 says, “When you face trials…” The Bible did not say if you face trials. Isaiah says “when you pass through the waters it will not overflow you, when you pass through fire it will not kindle upon you”. He did not say if you pass through the water or if you pass through the fire. You are going to pass through the waters, and through the fire; it is inevitable. Life is a chain of problems to be solved. In fact, leadership is leading from crisis to crisis. You need to understand that crisis is inevitable.
The second thing you need to understand about crisis is that there are different types of crisis. Some are situational crisis – things that happen on the outside that affects you on the inside. Some crises are relational – things that people you are in relationship with do to you and it is out of your control. Some crises are emotional – things that happen way deep down and you are in turmoil, overwhelmed by feelings of depression, of fear, and of guilt. Job is a classic example of an emotional crisis. Even secret storms, you do not know what it is but you are just going through that period of inner turmoil. It could even be the feeling of loneliness. You can be in the middle of a crowd and be going through an emotional storm.
The third thing you need to know about storms is that storms are impartial. Storms happen to the old and to the young, to the rich and to the poor, to the righteous and to the unrighteous; happens to those that are praying and to those that are not praying, happens to those that are fasting and to those that are not fasting. Crisis happens to both good and bad people. Matt.5:45 “…For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
Prayer: Father, I will not fear sudden disaster because the Lord is my security, in Jesus Name. Amen!
God Is
Prov. 3:25-26 “Have no fear of sudden disaster . . . for the Lord is your security.”
I pray that if there is still any form of fear in our lives, it will find its way out, in Jesus Name. Something that sometimes tries to cripple us is the fact that we are afraid of crisis that we have not anticipated. Today, God will set us totally free of such fears, in Jesus Name. The fear of accidents, the fear of disasters; people do not want to travel to certain parts of the world because they are afraid of earthquakes. There are all sorts of unexpected incidents these days that can cause us to be afraid.
The Answer!
Matt. 9:29 “According to your faith it will be done to you.”
The sixth R in banishing the fear of failure is to Replace Fear With Faith in Christ. You and I must replace our fears with faith in Christ. Why? “According to your faith it will be done to you.” You can program yourself for faith in God or the fear of failure. It is your choice. Instead of being driven by the fear of failing, you should be driven by the faith to succeed. Instead of being faith-driven success seekers, a lot of people are fear-driven failure avoiders.
Your Best
Gal.6:4 “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else” [with emphasis]
1 Cor. 13:8 “Love never fails.” You can either live in love or live in fear, it is your choice. I pray that you will choose love. If you live in love, you fear God. If you do not fear God, then you will fear many things. Fear God or be subject to the fear of everything else. Your choice!
In order to banish the fear of failure, so far we have learnt the five R’s. Remember that everybody fails. Realize that failure is not fatal. Read the rest of this entry
Love Works, Good Works!
1 Cor.13:8 “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away” [NIV]
The fourth thing that you and I must do to banish the fear of failure is to Redefine Failure. Failure should not be what the world has called it – you redefine it. Doing something that does not work is not failure. Failure is not doing that thing in the first place. Failure is not making an effort that became fruitless but actually not making the effort at all. Ecc.3:12 “I realized that all we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are alive” [GN, with emphasis]. As a wife, a father, a teacher, a manager, a leader – all you can do Read the rest of this entry
No Danger
Isa.53:11 He will see and be satisfied because of his suffering My righteous servant will acquit many people because of what he has learned through suffering…” [GW]
I used to tell everyone that asked me, that I wanted to be Pharmacist. I chose the profession at random in my quest to quiet all such questions. Close to my final year in secondary school, I got into trouble and I was suspended from school. During the two weeks of staying at home, I hung out with my neighbor who was a software person and software fascinated me. Just seeing what software could accomplish changed my life.
The Press
Rom. 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him . . . according to His purpose” [with emphasis].
Like it or not, failure is beneficial. The second benefit of failure is that it develops our skills. Think about how children learn to walk. When they fall, they may not try it again that same day but the following day they are up again learning to walk. Thomas Edison says, “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” Your goal is to make a candle that can stand without support but all your attempts have not fallen through. Package it in a cup and sell that one while you keep attempting.
Truth Nuggets
Prov. 1:5-6 “I want those already wise to become wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.” [LB]
1 Cor.10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…” [NIV]. Failure is not fatal but rather it is common to mankind. Just get up, dust your body and keep on moving. Fact: failure is not the worst thing that can happen to you. So do not blow it out of proportion. I am not saying that what you are experiencing is easy but the Bible says it is common to man. So begin to see it as God sees it and relax; do not specialize your case.
