truth.

“Imagine how rich your life can be if you let a fear of failure go!”

This encouragement was spoken to me recently regarding an upcoming audition and the accompanying fear that I might not pass it. But these words sank deep into me and got me to think about just how much my fear of failure keeps me from. It goes far beyond trying out for plays or acting troupes, writing songs or speaking in front of crowds. Those things are challenging, yes. But the fear of failure affects my relationships as well, and that’s where the real tragedy occurs.

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Well shoot, I want to be made perfect in love! And the thing is – I have been! God has made me perfect and holy, regardless of how I feel on my bad days. And if God (perfect Love) is with me, and He is indeed with me, then there should be no fear. So what’s holding me back?

The big issue here is faith. Do I believe what God has said? Do I believe that God is perfect love? Obviously, no matter what I believe, the truth of Scripture doesn’t change. However, what I believe directly influences the way I live my life, and this is where the problem lies. As my dear friend recently wrote, “Fear is completely unacceptable for Christians.” Harsh words, but totally true if we really believe what the Word says. And yet, that pesky voice keeps yelling at me…

What is it that my fear of failure is really saying to me? It’s saying that if I don’t make this audition, that must mean I’m not good enough. If I deliver a talk and I feel it goes poorly, that must mean I’m not cut out for this. I take a chance and love deeply, and then something goes wrong, that must mean all humanity is evil or perhaps real love is a sham.

Are any of those “must means” true? Nope.

What is true? If I fail at something, God’s opinion of me does not change. If I fall short of a goal, He loves me just as much. In fact, I think God uses the failures in our lives just as much as the victories to develop our character and strengthen our faith. So I think I can safely let go of this fear of not measuring up, because there’s really no way for me to not measure up in God’s eyes.

And that’s Who we’re living for, right?

So if I were to really trust Perfect Love and let go of this fear of failure, what would that free me up to do? Well, I think I could actually fulfill Colossians 3:12-14:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

If I were free of fear, I could truly show compassion and kindness to everyone I meet. I could be gentle in all situations, without fear that I’ll get walked over. I could be patient, without fear that I won’t get whatever it is my heart is longing for. I could forgive completely, without fear that justice won’t be done. And I could love – really, truly, deeply love – without fear that I’ll end up broken-hearted.

In short, freedom from fear enables me to live like Christ commands.

Perfect love casts out all fear, and we are holy and dearly loved. Let’s try living like it.

surrendering.

“I don’t know that many people who are completely and totally surrendered to God. I mean, not just today, but throughout history – there just aren’t that many people. Which leads me to think it’s just not possible.”

I had to admit that I didn’t know that many people either…actually, I don’t know any who are surrendered to God 100 percent of the time. I’m pretty sure those people are in heaven right now. We all have sin issues to struggle with until the day we’re done. There’s a bit of comfort in that, I think.

“The thing is,” I said, “it’s a daily kind of surrender. I wake up and I surrender my life to God, and then I do it again the next day, and the next…sometimes even moment by moment. It’s a constant choice.”

“So you’re telling me,” he said incredulously, taking another bite of the funnel cake between us, “that you are willing to totally surrender yourself every day to God, even though He lets bad stuff happen, even in your life?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I know me. And I know the mistakes I’ve made when I’ve ignored Him and tried it my way, and how much pain I’ve caused myself, and how much I would have avoided had I just listened to Him.”

“What if He asked you to give up the one thing you loved most in the world. Would you do it?”

I had to pause. Would I? Have I? I took an instantaneous, honest appraisal of my life. At the time, I was working through the issue of finances…was I willing to completely surrender that? Or what if, in the future, He asked me to give up a relationship that I loved? I suddenly remembered that torturous feeling I get when I’m grappling with obedience, and how long it has taken me in years past to be willing to give up or do things He’s clearly called me to in total trust. I remembered times of agonizing and fighting until I finally threw up my hands in surrender…and later reaped a harvest.

Ultimately, yes, I would do it. I would surrender whatever He asked, however long it took me to do it. Because to ignore His call (i.e. to disobey) would mean to forego His best. And I know that whatever He asks me to give up, He is going to replace with something infinitely better.

That's the way He is.

Psalm 37:4-6
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

cloud.

One of my favorite Bible stories is in 1 Kings, chapter 18. No kidding.

Here’s what’s happening. There’s this prophet named Elijah who has been involved in some of the greatest displays of God’s power that Israel has seen since the days of Moses and Joshua. In this particular story, Israel has been in a drought for a few years – another display of power God enacted through Elijah – and one day Elijah told the king to prepare for a heavy rain. So Elijah goes up to this mountain to pray, I guess, and he tells his servant to “go and look toward the sea.”
The servant goes, comes back and says, “There’s nothing there.”
Elijah tells him to go back and check again.
Servant comes back, says the same thing.
This happens 8 times. Finally, the servant comes back to Elijah and says, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
Well, Elijah takes that as the sign that God is sending rain, and he runs (faster than a horse and chariot) all the way back before the storm hits.

Kind of a random story, at first glance. However, I think it’s pretty timely…

Note that the servant told Elijah he saw a cloud “as small as a man’s hand.” That’s a pretty small cloud! I wonder if the guy would have noticed that cloud if it had been there the first time he went to the sea…or would it rather have blended into the landscape?

Maybe seeing nothing at all so many times in a row made the servant more perceptive of the first sign, small as it was, that a storm was finally coming.

Here’s the application:
Have you ever needed God to move on your behalf, but for the longest time nothing seemed to happen?
Maybe God, Who is always at work on our behalf, gives us seasons where nothing seems to happen so that when He does start to move visibly, we’re able to notice it from the first moment. Maybe He uses those periods of no activity to heighten our awareness of what He’s really doing, so that we can actively take part in that journey with Him from start to finish.

So where are you right now? If you’re experiencing that season of drought, keep in mind that God hears your prayers, and He is on the move whether you see it or not. Maybe He wants to use this time to sharpen your senses for when He takes visible action…And the next thing you know, after a drought you thought would never end, you find yourself in the middle of a downpour.

sozo.

Our God is in the business of healing. In the Old Testament, the original Hebrew word for “heal” was “rapa” – “to heal; to be healed, be cured; to repair, to recover, see that is completely healed, wholesome, makes fresh.” In other words, it meant literal, physical healing.

As soon as we get into the New Testament, however, the word used for “heal” changes. When Jesus enters the scene, the term “rapa,” with its literal connotation, is replaced by “therapeuo” or “sozo.” Why is that?

Let’s take a deeper look at this word sozo. The NIV Strongest Exhaustive Concordance defines sozo by the following words: “to save, rescue, deliver; to heal; to be in right relationship with God, with the implication that the condition before salvation was one of grave danger or distress; bring safely, cured, delivered, get better, made well, survive.”

Jesus came to heal us, but in a much greater sense than the purely physical. First and foremost, He came to heal our relationship with God, which we never could have done on our own. He rescued us from eternal separation from our Father. And as if that weren't enough, He offers us healing in every area of our lives. No matter what has happened to us or what we've done in the past, His love offers complete healing and restoration, and through that healing He gives us the free gift of abundant life. That is the essence of sozo.

The interesting thing about sozo is that almost every time it’s used in the New Testament, it’s related somehow to faith of the person in question. For instance, Jesus tells Jairus, the man who has come seeking Him on behalf of his dying daughter, to "just believe and she will be healed [sozo]" (Luke 8:50). When the woman with the issue of blood touches Jesus’ cloak, she thinks to herself, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed [sozo]” (Matthew 5:23). And in response, Jesus says, “Your faith has healed [sozo] you” (Matthew 5:24). It’s almost as if He is saying, “Your faith has caused you to be honest about what's going on in your life, and your belief that I am Who I say I am has allowed Me to truly heal the deepest places of your heart. Your faith has put you in right relationship with Me."

So it would seem that this sozo is directly tied to our faith. It’s our faith that makes sozo possible in our lives. Yes, God can do whatever He wants and heal however He wants to, whether we realize He’s doing it or not. Our temporary lack of faith does not decrease His power. However, our faith and belief in Him certainly helps in our ability to receive true healing. The more authentic we are about our need for Him, the more open we will be to receiving His help.
I think it comes down to a choice. Will we believe God to be God in our lives? Will we trust Him enough to open ourselves up and be real about what's going on with us? We are all in desperate need of sozo... Do we have the faith to admit it?