I am working on a Devotional called "The Bad & The Ugly: Fears & Failures."
I'll be honest, I come back to it from time to time. I feel like with this blog, it will keep me motivated to keep diving into this topic. Although I am facing my own fears and failures, The Lord is still very much present in the storm.
I definitely struggle with letting my fears and failures get the best of me, so not only am I writing for others but for my own healing in this area.
Fear is very much apart of our lives, but with Jesus, we can conquer anything that comes in our path. Peter had fear and doubts (Matthew 14), then Jesus reached out His hand and calmed the entire situation; He can do that for you and me.
I am so excited to glorify God through my writing with this devotional blog.
I wrote this back in February, but I feel like these topics are more important now than ever. I hope these little snippets of God's glory reminds you that He is bigger than any fears and failures we may face on this Earth.
First, I want to start off by combining the topics Fears and Failures and how they relate before I break these into two sections. If you feel comfortable, after reading this, I would love to see your answers to the activity below. My hope is that this opens up a dialogue for prayer on fears and failures and/or conversations with friends/fellow believers.
Fears & Failures
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
- 2 Timothy 1:7
Devotional
“Sometimes before we even fail because of anxious thoughts we feel like failures. We think what if it doesn’t work, what if God doesn’t answer. We must not let fear overtake us. We must trust in the Lord. Go to the Lord in prayer. If a door is for you to enter, then it will remain open. If God closes a door don’t worry because He has an even better one open for you. Spend time with Him in prayer and allow Him to guide.” - Fritz Chery
Separating fears and failures seems like the ideal thing to do, right? Yet, I feel like these topics or emotions go hand and hand. The two F’s that give us so much trouble in this life can easily live side by side and wreak haven on our minds and emotions. Fears and failures create self-doubt, which leads us down a spiral that seems like it may never end. Yet, God wants to pull us out of that spiral and remind us that we are loved.
We are loved despite all the fears and failures constantly swirling around us. These emotions make us create our own personal tornadoes, but God wants to stop the funnel from sucking us up. He is reaching out His hand and protecting us from everything hurting us. Fears and failures want to destroy our precious minds.
Fears and Failures try to make us turn away from God and that is when we need to lean on Him more. Even in the face of fear and failure, God is still there rooting for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) - that can definitely breathe life into any soul struggling with staying right with God even though difficult times consume you.
My Story Tie-in
Sometimes I let my fears and failures consume me and my mind, they suck up all the goodness inside me. I am not talking about just one hour out of the day, but multiple time-consuming hours that my mind is struggling to fight off the evil. I want to take this space to tell you that you are not alone in your fight, you have God to lean on. Let me tell you, a situation without God is far more miserable than one with God at the center.
In December 2018, I started going down a really dark path, I started steering away from God and my faith. Looking back, I can tell how much I was just going through the motions. Going to church because that was what I had always done, singing hymns, worshipping God, and being in church whenever the doors were open. Yet, something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. At the time, I was dating a non-Christian, who was very against ever going to church again after being forced to go from his childhood until eighteen. As the days went by, not having that a part of our relationship caused me not to really talk about God as much. If the person I was with didn’t want to talk about our Creator, why should I? So, I still went to church every Sunday and Wednesday (if possible) with my family, but my mind was somewhere else. I wasn’t digesting the message; the sermons were going in one ear and out the other.
In January 2019, when my ex dumped me over the phone, accusing me of wanting to force him to go to church with me, that was the wake-up call I needed. I had let a relationship with an Earthly man get in the way of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I let my fears of being alone forever, doubting that God was still writing my story, keep me from living my life with God. Fear destroys your mind, but you don’t have to let it. That’s why since that night, I have worked on myself and my relationship with God is slowly coming along as I grow in my walk.
You can always run home to God; He’s waiting with open arms.
Activity:
The first steps are hard, so let’s write them out.
A fear you want to work on conquering throughout this devotional.
When do you most feel like a failure, how can you change that feeling into growth?
How are you going to put your changes to work throughout this devotional?
My answers:
Later on, I will dive into what my fears entail, but for now, I'll say my biggest fear is driving in the rain. I want to work on not letting it overtake me, but seeing God work through me. My fear isn't who I am.
When I can't get something right. That can be growth by seeing that I will eventually succeed. Looking at it in a positive way rather than a negative way.
Thinking more positively rather than letting the negative fill my mind.
My Prayer
Dear Lord,
I want to pray over the reader of this devotional. I pray that they start the healing progress, if not now, but as they start conquering their fears and failures through your guidance. Put your hand over these devotionals and guide them in the way you want them to go. Give them the strength to reach your overwhelming peace for the situations on their minds and hearts as they follow and trust you. I love you.
Amen
“No Longer Slaves” by Bethel Music & Jonathan David Helser
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
From my mother's womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I've been born again, into a family
Your blood flows through my veins
Listen to the Fears & Failures Devotional Playlist: Here.