Fear Is Not God’s Intention for You

Don’t let fear keep you from the destiny God desires to give you.

FAILURE. There’s hardly a more terrifying word in the human language – failing economy, failing marriage, failing grades, failing to fulfill your dreams. The fear of failure is so paralyzing that it keeps many people from even reaching for their dreams; they simply cannot face the risk of trying and failing. Fear of failure is listed among the top ten worst human fears. It ranks alongside other learned fears that include the fear of public speaking, rejection, disapproval, making mistakes, aloneness, financial problems, and death.

You were not born with a fear of failure. You learned to be afraid of failing because of what you have experienced in life. Failure was not God’s intention for mankind. Fear entered the human race because of sin.

The first thing Adam did after he sinned was run and hide from the presence of God. The primary evil that Satan released into the earth through sin was fear. Now, people suffer the torment of all kinds of fears that paralyze them, robbing them of a victorious life. But God does not want you to be paralyzed by fear.

What is your dream? Are you afraid to risk failure to walk in destiny? You have to become a fear fighter if you expect to walk in the success God has for you. Only then can you live in His purpose and destiny where you will know ultimate fulfillment in life.

If you don’t quit when you fail, you will ultimately succeed in life. When babies start learning to walk, they begin by hitting every piece of furniture in the house. Falling and getting up, then falling again and getting up again – until they have mastered the balance they need to walk.

Fight Fear with the Courage of Joshua

When my dad died suddenly at age fifty-six, he left behind a congregation that had looked to him as their Moses. I knew that fear had paralyzed them and kept them from their destiny as a church. After his funeral, God gave me a message for that church that would help them move ahead into their promised land.

I preached about Joshua’s encounter with God after Moses’ death. God told Joshua four times not to be afraid. And He gave him four reasons for not giving into fear. God knew the biggest enemy he would face would not be the giants in the land – it would be the little voices inside telling him he could not do it. It would be the voices of fear screaming, “Who do you think you are? You are not able.”

Are you facing a hard situation? Have your circumstances changed unexpectedly? You have to be willing to face down those frightening voices and take a risk to move forward into your destiny. You cannot give in to the spirit of timidity or draw back when times get tough.

God was giving Joshua a pep talk about overcoming fear. He could have told Joshua how to assemble a great army and how to be a great leader. But the one thing He told him was not to allow a spirit of fear to get inside of him. If a spirit of fear begins to dominate you, it will make you draw back from the victory God has for you.

God has all power to work through you when you refuse fear. You have to become a fear fighter to face the giants. Then God will fight for you and win the battle. God is saying to you what He said to Joshua: If you will be bold to obey whatever He tells you to do, you will continue to win! If you can stay free from the spirit of fear, nothing can defeat you.

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