Latest / Prayer Before Work / S01E42 - FEAR OF FAILURE
Transcript
- Sean Graver: Hey, what are you not doing right now because you're afraid it won't work? The idea you haven't pitched, maybe the risk you haven't taken, the thing you know you should try, but you keep finding reasons to defer it. Well, fear is a terrible strategy. Let's ⁓ look at a better option today, and we'll go to Second Timothy ⁓ chapter one, verse seven. For God has not given us a spirit of fear. But of power and of love and of sound mind. So the Apostle Paul is writing to a young leader who is timid, genuinely afraid of the the ⁓ the weight and the burden of what he's been called to do. Now Paul could have said, Don't be scared, but instead he goes straight to the source, the spirit of fear. It did not come from God, which means it's not the final authority on what you do next. What God did give you power, love, and And a sound mind, those are the actual equipment for the thing in front of you. Fear of failure at work is almost universal and almost never discussed. Because in most work cultures, admitting you're afraid doesn't feel very safe. So it disguises itself as things like ⁓ perfectionism. I'll do it when it's ready. Or overthinking. I'm good at that. ⁓ overthinking is like I just need a little more information and of course Big one, procrastination, waiting for the right moment, which, by the way, never fully arrives. But underneath all those is the same question. What if I try and it doesn't work? What if I put myself out there and it fails? What does that say about me? Well, here's what I want to offer. Failure is almost never as final as fear says it is. Most failures are recoverable. Most risks Taken thoughtfully, produce something useful even when they don't produce what you hoped. And the cost of not trying, the cost of staying safe, ⁓ of delaying indefinitely, is often higher than the cost of a failure you can learn from. Let's pray. ⁓ God, you gave you gave power, not just potential, but power, love, which means you're not doing this to prove yourself. And a sound mind, which means you have what you need to think through this clearly. The fear is not from Him, but the power, love, and sound mine are. So, God, is there something I've been holding back on because I'm afraid of what happens if it doesn't work out? I mean, you know what it is, and I know that fear didn't come from you. So help me today to operate from what you did give me. Power, love, and a sound mind. Help me to take the step I've been avoiding. I mean not recklessly, but faithfully, trusting that you are with me in this attempt, regardless of the outcome. And if it doesn't work, help me to learn from it quickly and keep going, because failure with you is still forward motion. So replace the fear with faith today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Go make today count.