By Ryan Kelly –

Have you ever felt the Lord telling you to step out and do something, only to back down thinking that you aren’t good enough? Most of us have.

The vast majority of people have a fear of failure. This is why a boy may shy away from asking a girl out on a date. This is why many dream of owning a business, but they never start one. This is why people don’t go back to school, don’t strive for the better job, and don’t speak to the stranger across the room. They are afraid of failing.

Fear can be paralyzing, and it can affect us all.

Think about this: how many people do you think God equips to do a job, for them to only refuse to follow this calling out of fear? So many people fail to witness to a non-believe because they don’t think they know Scripture well enough. So many people fail to help someone less fortunate because they don’t think they can offer enough. So many people have fear over the Lord’s calling in their life…and they fail to realize that God did not give you opportunity without also standing beside you.

Sure, there are plenty of people out there that may be smarter, quicker, more well spoken, or more popular. But are they following God’s will? Are they willing to take the chance? Remember Moses – he was likely a stutterer and was far from the “best” person to talk to Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. But Moses was willing where everyone else was not. They were afraid, he was not. He took what God gave him and trusted that the Lord was by his side, and in doing so he led a nation out of captivity and into freedom.

What do you think the Lord will do with you? When He opens a door for you, it is no accident that you are the one standing there waiting to go through. You must simply have enough faith in the Lord that He will help you accomplish the task set before you. And, you must deny yourself and be willing to sacrifice the time and effort that it will take to accomplish this task.

There are so many verses in the Bible speaking about fear, it’s hard to cite them all. But one of my personal favorites is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 

Don’t be fearful of your inability to do what God wants you to do. If you are willing, He will make you able.