Be Strong and Courageous  - The Power of 'The Path': Overcoming the Fear of Failure, Part 2

Have you ever sat down with someone and said, you can do this and they just look at you and say, no, I'm not good on the internet or I'm not good with my hands. How many times have we had one of our children or maybe a friend be unwilling to even try because they so are afraid to fail. Overcoming failure is absolutely necessary for every child of God. And we're going to learn from David how you and how I can do that.

Stay with me. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip's our Bible teacher for this international teaching and discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. Well, could you relate to the scenario Chip just described?

Do you often feel like you don't measure up or are disappointing those around you, including God? Then you're not going to want to miss today's program as Chip picks up at our newest series, Be Strong and Courageous. He'll continue explaining how to shrug off the fear of failure and unrealistic expectations and embrace the joy filled life God wants for you. And let me encourage you to stick around after Chip's message as he shares some deeper application for us to consider.

Okay, let's join Chip now for the second half of his talk from Psalm chapter 1, verse 2. The average follower of Jesus has never gotten into the Bible in a way and gotten enough help to get into the Bible in a way where it goes from, yes, maybe it's a duty as you start, and then pretty soon you develop a discipline. But as you do that and as you learn, I will assure you it will become a delight. It took me a few years for that to occur in my life. But you know, it took me a lot of years to have delight in some other things. It took a lot of years of practice to have a delight in my marriage and communication because we didn't know how to do that.

It took me a lot of years to delight in being a parent when mostly I was overwhelmed with fear. He says here that blessed is the man or blessed is the woman who delights in God's Word. In other words, your truth is precious to me. I cherish it. It's important. It matters. It's first.

And then it's not just that you have a relationship to say, I believe that that's true. But they say, who delights in God's Word and meditates on it day and night. It's an agricultural picture. It's the picture of a number of different animals, especially cows. They ruminate. So they get some grass and they chew it for a while. They swallow it, digest it. They put it in one of their stomachs.

Then a little bit later, they bring it back up and they chew it some more. And it's a word picture of someone who doesn't just read the Bible or read the devotional or I went to church. To meditate is how do I engraft, how do I let this truth begin to go down into my heart and down into my life in such a way that I begin to think God's thoughts, that I begin to look at life through his perspective, that I look at the fears of the world and what people were saying in light of his promises and his presence. And pretty soon as you meditate on God's Word, he says something happens to you.

You get a foundation that other people don't have. You become like a tree by streams of water. And the picture is that drought can come, famine can come, difficulty can come. But if there's a tree, literally the word is canal, next to a canal of water. And it says it bears its fruit in its season. And there's different seasons. And it takes time.

It takes practice. But it says the person who is diligent digests God's Word, who meditates on it and ponders it in ways. You become like this tree that bears fruit.

And your leaf doesn't wither. In other words, there's thriving, there's vitality. And in whatever you do, think of that promise, whatever you do, you'll be successful.

Or some translations will say prosperous. In a world where people are trying to overcome their fear, here's my boldness statement. I will choose to thrive. That's what I'm going to do with my life. I don't know how many more years I have.

I don't know how many more years you have. But I'm going to choose to thrive. I'm going to overcome my fear because God wants to bless me. He wants me to be successful. But my part will be I'm going to have to say no to the counsel of the world that says this is what success is like. I'm going to have to say no to some relationships that want to take me in directions that are not positive at all. And I'm going to say absolutely no to a group of people that make themselves experts and they're scoffers and they attack what I believe.

Because when I look at their life, it doesn't work out well. I've been walking with Jesus for 51 years or so. And I've kind of gotten to see what happens over time in life. I've actually raised kids.

Are you ready for this? My wife would probably want me to say this. I have two sons that are twins. They turned 50 last year. I got kids that are 50.

I've got three college kids that are grandchildren and one all the way down to five. I've been around the block. I've watched people take all kind of paths to want to be successful and take shortcuts and this marriage isn't working and I'll throw this one away and I'll try that and these addictions and that addictions. I've counseled thousands upon thousands of people in the last 50 years as a pastor. And all I can tell you is God wants you to be successful. He wants you to be happy.

He wants you to be blessed. And there's a path to get there. And when you follow that path, you don't have to be worried about failing as a parent.

You don't have to worry about failing financially. He says, if you do this, you can absolutely know with certainty that I am going to produce a life over time that brings about blessing and success. And so before I go any farther, let me just give you just a couple highlights. At Living on the Edge, we spent a lot of time trying to help people get into God's Word in a way that really brings transformation. So obviously we teach, but that's sort of the beginning. A lot of people hear God's Word. Then our dream is that people would get into some groups and begin to study it. So we developed some small group material.

And then we want to give people some personal tools where they learn how to meditate. So when I was a young man, a young Christian, the first couple of years, I just did not believe that I could ever overcome my internal thoughts of lust. I mean, I didn't grow up as a believer. How I thought about women, how I thought about life. I got pretty clear on what God's path was. And then I remember starting to memorize scripture. And I remember I memorized 21 verses in a row. There were 60 verses that I was going to memorize. And I did one a day.

And I review them every single day. And I remember day 21 meeting a beautiful coed that was very, very godly and was very, very beautiful. And I remember having a conversation where my eyes only went to her eyes.

And I appreciated her as a sister. And I watched God break those chains. What I want to tell you is trying really hard to be a good Christian, going to church once or twice a month, listen to a podcast here, reading a two-minute devotional on YouVersion.

All those things have their place. But transformation is you've got to meditate. And so as I begin to memorize God's Word, when I'm waiting in line at the grocery store, when I'm at the bank, and it's like, oh my, Lance, how can the lines be this long?

And by the way, you can put all this on your phone. But I want to tell you, if you want God to bless your life, if you want to overcome your fear of failure, you have to renew your mind. Paul said it in Romans 12, too. Do not be conformed.

Literally, stop allowing the world's system and its lies to conform you to it. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind that your life and lifestyle could prove or test or demonstrate what God's will is, that it's good, acceptable, perfect. God's got an awesome plan. My experience, unfortunately, and the research bears it out with Pew and Barna and others, the average Christian is not experiencing God's plan. And the average Christian, according to the latest research, is not in God's Word in a deep way, let alone in a meditating way. So what I know is that God's will, what I know is that this world, the path and the counsel of the wicked, it wants to take me in directions, and I'm bombarded. I'm bombarded every time I turn on the TV, every time I watch a movie. I mean, the world around me.

And so I have to swim upstream, and you have to swim upstream. And so I started taking some cards, and I would write down the lies I believe, lies about what makes me successful, lies about what I think about myself. And then I would write down the truth from God's Word and put a small passage.

And again, I just, before I go to bed, and by the way, just lighten up a little bit if you're thinking, gosh, I can't even get in the Bible and you're telling me about cards and memorizing scripture. I've been at it for 50 years. But you have to start somewhere. And here's what I can tell you. If you want to overcome your fear of failure, and I'd like you to pause right now and ask, what's your greatest fear with regard to failure?

Is it personal failure, career failure, relational failure, parenting failure, financial failure? I want you to know it is a journey. It takes a lot of work, but blessed is the man or the woman that doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers.

But your delight developed over time. Your delight, your passion is in God's Word. Jesus said, man can't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The writer of Hebrews in chapter four would say to you, God's Word is living and active. It's powerful.

It's sharper than a two-edged sword. It pierces to the division of soul and spirit. It reveals to us the thoughts and intentions of our heart.

God's Word is so important because God takes the written Word and His Spirit then energizes it and makes it the living Word. And that's what He was saying to Joshua. Joshua, this book of the law, I want you to not just read it. I don't want you just to know it. I want you to put it into practice.

And as you put it into practice, bam, power. And that's what I long for you. I want you to be bold and courageous. I want you to be a difference maker. I want you to be the kind of man, the kind of woman, the kind of student, the kind of husband, the kind of grandfather or grandmother, the kind of employer, the kind of employee, that in the midst of a world where people are going, what is happening? You're one of those people that you are strong and courageous. Why? Because this book, you are a Word-centered Christian, not a podcast-centered Christian, not a little devotional-centered Christian, not even a church-centered Christian.

All those have their place. But God is looking for a man, a woman, a student who says, you know, I might be new, but the number one priority, your Word is life. I'm going to take it in. And little by little, three steps forward, and then are you ready? Yeah, two steps backward. And like me, yes, oh, I made great progress, and oh gosh, I left it again, or I struggled again.

And Jesus says, oh, but I'm so proud of you, Chip. Thanks for taking those steps. I understand.

You just keep trusting me. Take my Word and put it in your mind. Put it in your heart. Digest it. Share it with others. Share it.

Make it the priority of your life. And he says, I will bless you. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll return you to Chip's message in just a minute. But let me quickly share with you, God has called us to do incredible ministry work all around the world. And when you partner with us financially, you're part of what we do. So if you'd like to join us, go to livingonthedge.org. We appreciate you giving whatever God leads you to give.

Well, with that, here's Chip. But notice the contrast. Verse four says, literally, it's so strong, the order of it is not so the wicked. The blessing, the success, the prosperity, not so the wicked.

But they're like chaff, which the wind drives away. And therefore, the wicked will not stand in their judgment. It's a picture when God is going to judge about who will have eternal life and who will not have eternal life.

He says, no, they won't be there. And just like there's a picture over here of this thriving tree with a supply of water and with fruit, love and joy and peace and gentleness and kindness and relationships. And by the way, with that, when you do life God's way, He so often brings financial blessing and circumstantial blessing and relational blessing. And if you have a heart and desire for children, often children and grandchildren, God's for us.

He wants to give you a great life. And He's saying, here's the path, here's the way. And the tragedy why we're not bold and we're not courageous, because we're looking all around us instead of looking and understanding there is a future and there is a God and there is a truth. And He's going to raise up some very ordinary regular individuals. The greatest encouragement I got as a young Christian reading this book was these people are messed up. I mean, they are really messed up.

I mean, we got murderers and adulterers and prostitutes and I mean, terrorists. One of Jesus' disciples was a terrorist. Matthew was a crook.

James and John, anger management issues. I mean, we're talking about a group of people who came into relationship with Jesus, began to take in His word and they were changed from the inside out. And the world has been changed forever and ever by ordinary regular people. And Jesus said to them what God said to Joshua, when you take in the truth of my word, when you internalize it, when you put it into practice, imperfectly but consistently, I will bless your life. And He says the opposite picture, if that's a tree and it's bearing fruit and no matter what you do over time and in season you're going to have success and prosperity. He said over here is the wicked and the wicked are like they would do wheat and what they would do is when they would take the wheat or pound the wheat and then the chaff is that dry stuff that's worth nothing and the wind would come up and just blow away. He says the wicked who think they're so smart, think they're so wise, who so criticize you narrow Bible believing people, you followers of Jesus. He says it's vanity, it's worthless. When they come into judgment they have no standing.

They'll be rejected. I mean we don't hear it a lot but there is an afterlife and there is a heaven and there is a hell. The scripture is clear. It says God doesn't desire any to perish but all to come to eternal life. And then notice the great promise in verse six. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish. And if you have your Bible and happen to be following along, circle that word knows.

Some of the translations will be watches. It's a very, very intimate word. It's a picture of on this journey that you're on and it's uphill, right?

I get it. Even as a follower of Jesus, to live the kind of life I'm talking about, it's really hard. And it's not one that most Christians are embracing. And he says when you are on this path, the way of the righteous, God, the word is knows and he sees and he protects. It's a picture of Psalm 32 eight where the scripture says I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. The creator of the universe, the all-knowing, all-powerful king of the universe who made all there is, who made you, who knows the end from the beginning says as you say no to the world and its messages and yes to me through my word, I will put my arm around you and I will be your shepherd and I will direct you and I know your way and I know your struggles and I know your hurts and I'm for you and I love you and we're going to get through this and you will make mistakes and I do understand but as you seek to walk with me, as you seek to live a righteous and blameless life, not perfect but with this heart intent to honor me, he says you will be bold and you will be courageous because you will actually know there's truth.

You will actually you will actually know there's an outcome. You will know for certain what will happen to you after you die and you will know that every promise in this book is for you today. You can know that as you get into my word, I will give you power to overcome every obstacle and I will never leave you and I'll never forsake you.

You know the world is hurting and God's solution is not for lightning bolts out of the sky. It's an ordinary man, ordinary woman, a regular student who says there's two paths. Lord, I'm going to take your path. I'm going to stand for what you stand for. I'm going to take the direction of my life from your word. I'm going to start a journey where I will get into your word on a daily basis.

I'm going to put it into practice. When I mess up, I'm going to from a heart say I am really sorry and I'm going to receive your forgiveness and little by little by little as I team up with other like-hearted followers of Jesus, I know for sure that you're going to change my life from the inside out and in my work and in my neighborhood and in my school, I'm going to ask you to make me strong, overcoming the resistance of the world and courageous to actually take a stand and take a stand winsomely, lovingly, caringly that people could meet someone, a fellow student, a fellow neighbor, a fellow worker that is so much like Jesus, they would be drawn and attracted to want to come to know the God that loves them because the truth of the matter is this. He wants to bless. I jotted in my notes, God will bless and prosper your life in good times and in bad if you will follow His way and follow His word. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and the message you just heard, The Power of the Path Overcoming the Fear of Failure, is from our series, Be Strong and Courageous.

Chip will join us in studio to share some insights from today's talk in just a minute. The Greek philosopher Sophocles once wrote, To him who is in fear, everything rustles. That sadly describes our society to a T. Every decision and action is motivated by or rooted in fear. So as followers of Jesus, how do we break free from that toxic mindset? In this series, Chip studies eight powerful psalms that will help strengthen your faith and conquer your fears. Learn how to focus on the love and goodness of God when you feel discouraged, anxious, or cynical. If you've missed any part of Chip's teaching, catch up at livingonthedge.org or through the Chip Ingram app. Well, Chip's joined me in studio now to share a quick word.

Thanks so much, Dave. I'm going to be right back, and I'm going to talk about today's message, but I want to talk directly and personally to you first. We've got millions of people going to church, going through the motions, many of them sincere but ignorant about the gospel, about truth.

Their lives don't change. We have a whole generation of young people saying, You can have your Jesus and your churchianity, and I'm out of here because they don't see reality. And Living on the Edge has been called to declare war on religious activity that doesn't align with the Jesus of the New Testament.

But we can't do it without you. I grew up in that environment, and I turned away from God, and I just praise God that he brought people into my life that clearly explained the gospel. But as importantly, they lived it out, and they lived it out in real life and loved me and cared for me, and they were holy, and they weren't weird. God longs to do that in our day, and the message of Living on the Edge is helping Christians live like Christians. We do it through teaching. We create resources, but it requires a team, and for us to do it moving toward the future as God has opened more and more doors, I simply tell you, I need your help. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us today and kind of move that good intention you thought about it? I ought to help them out. Yeah, I already decided in my head I would, but the fact is you haven't acted on it yet. Act on it today. Let's make a difference.

Thanks, Chip. As you prayerfully consider your role in this ministry, I want to remind you that every dollar is significant. When you partner with Living on the Edge, you multiply our efforts and resources in remarkable ways. To give a gift, go to livingonthedge.org or call 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003, or go to livingonthedge.org. App listeners, tap Donate.

We appreciate whatever you can do to help. Well, Chip, today you said God wants you to be successful. Well, can you clarify what that does and doesn't mean?

Absolutely, Dave. This isn't prosperity gospel stuff. When you are in His Word, when you meditate on His Word, when you begin to think the kind of thoughts that God thinks because His Word is seeping into your soul and you begin to get a new perspective, the success He's talking about is living according to His design.

Now, that doesn't mean you're going to get a Ferrari or live in a mansion and you never have any problems. That's not a picture of success in a fallen world. But what success is, is the fruit of a life that produces relationships that are deep, that gives clarity of purpose, that has personal peace in a world of chaos, where there's genuine love, where there's joy, where you look in the mirror and say, I like that person and who he or she is becoming.

That is real success. And when you contrast that with the world, it's so interesting, Dave, that, you know, whether it's money or sex or fame or having a big house or having that hot car, what's the reason behind all that? If you get those things, if you look that way, you'll be happy, you'll have peace. And what we all know is those things don't bring it.

They could bring a little bump, a little sense of good times for a short while. But God says, if you want to be successful in the things that really matter, it means being in His Word, following His path, His way. And as you do, you'll never regret it. That's right, Chip. And as we wrap up, let me quickly tell you about an incredible resource designed just for you. Daily Discipleship with Chip is a free video course that'll teach you how to study God's Word with Chip as your guide. For each series, you'll spend no more than 10 minutes with Chip in a specific passage of Scripture. Then he'll invite you to spend 10 more minutes reflecting on what you learned. Sign up for any of our Daily Discipleship series by visiting LivingOnTheEdge.org. App listeners, tap Discipleship. For Chip and the entire team here, this is Dave Druey thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge, and I hope you'll join us next time.