THE NUMBER #1 REASON people do not succeed.
Strange as it seems, most people do pretty good at knowing what they want. They may even have a good plan to get it. The problem occurs in the moment they need to take that one critical step that puts them over the top. What happens? Consistently, the focus and energy SHIFTS from moving TOWARD the vision and instead the energy refocuses on AVOIDING what they FEAR.
Not surprisingly the thing feared most is failure! Soooo some sort of procrastination or other self sabotaging antic shows up to make sure failure or embarrassment never occurs. Ironically, this pattern guarantees that SUCCESS in the manifestation of the vision never occurs either.
This cycle breaks the moment you discover that 90% of humanity will put more effort into avoiding what they fear than they will in perusing what they really want.
Singles stay single trying to avoid rejection. Employees stay under compensated avoiding the rejection of a raise or negative feedback on their performance. And even Pastors drive away the very people who can build their church out of fear of competition and comparison.
The remedy? SEE THE PATTERN and push past the fear. Everything you want is on the other side of a courageous choice!
What do you think?
Lance
What if you don’t know what you want?
Kimberly, if you look at your life, and consider the things that God has brought you through, and think about the things that make you angry and you feel passionate about in the world, you’ll discover what God wants you to change. Because we’re world-changers. Then think of your gifts, because we all have gifts, and decide how you can use your gifts, skills and talents to change the things in the world that are unjust and you hate. I’ve been in your place, not knowing what I want, until someone said these same things to me. Be blessed and go get ’em, girl! It’s your time!
Lance,
You nailed the number one tactic of the darkness. Sadly it works all too often. But this year it’s time to tun the tables on fear and make fear fear the children of God!! The light wins, always has -always will.
Thanks
I needed to hear this TODAY. I received my manuscript in book form a couple of weeks ago, and I can’t make myself look at it for fear of mistakes and for fear I might have written something that could be misunderstood. This is confirmation. I WILL finish.
As I am writing and finishing please share where did you receive your manuscript in book form?
Amazing! Exactly what I am choosing to move past this week. Just by saying YES to even the small things. And not allowing those rejections to hinder my motives to go forth!! Thanks Lance for this note!
WOW, Here I sit bound by fear, knowing that a person I love and care for is bound even tighter than I am by fear and what do I do? I know the promises that God has said to me and that He holds out waiting for me to step out in faith and grasp onto and yet I listen to the voice of man and stand in fear. Who am I to step out in faith? Am I a David, a Noah, an Adam? No, just Kim, listening to the voice of man over the wonderful soft loving voice of God. Sorry this soul is too damaged to believe in anything other than the last words my father ever said to me, “Get out of my sight I cannot stand the color of your eyes, you will never amount to anything.”
It is no accident I saw this this morning!! Natural Fathers and others that are important to us, can have the ability to speak into our lives, the hurt, bitterness, anger that is inside of them, but we have to remember who we are really dealing with. John 10:10 AMP The thief comes only in order to steal & kill & destroy. I came that they may have & enjoy life, & have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). So know that God is our true Father. Psalm 68:5 AMP A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. Our heavenly Father can show us the way out of no way. But you are right, you have to listen to the soft voice of our loving Father, rather than the lies of the enemy. What Lance is saying is so true. The most important to remember is 2Timothy 1:7 (KJV) For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, of love & of a sound mind. Bless U and fight fear with the Word. The Word is truth and it has more power than the negative words a hurt, angry man spoke in fear and frustration. Cancel them out with the love of God. God is love and He loves you and so do I.
Mel, copied from a comment that Mindy left for me. Thank you my friend, I am sorry that I spilled my heart out, but it is time to take the garbage out. Blessings and a huge hug!
Mindy,
Gracias amiga, many times in my life I have lived as a David and danced before the Lord and rejoiced and fought battles with the Lord as my one and only guiding light. I have lived as a son of the great King and decreed that the devil has no power over me, but I have hidden the fear of my father deep inside of me and for once decided to express it and my very best of friends was guided to Lance´s column and read my inner fears. As one other woman has said I fear men, but not just men, I fear humans and my preference is to live with horses, dogs, cats even a pig over living with another person. My inner self is so damaged from my life as a child that no matter how hard I try to believe that I am right with Christ the lies of satan have been bound so tight some days I cannot even breath. At the age of 4, with my sister only 1 year older than me, my father sold us to a family of a man and his two unwed daughters and the 3 of them raped and molested the two of us 4 – 5 times a day. We were told after each event that we needed to get on our knees and pray to God for forgiveness for our sins. I have believed in the love of God for all my life, for everyone, but could not accept this love for myself until I was 40 years old. That was many years ago, but I still live with the fear of the words of my father, the actions of these three people and the fear that one day, me a so called man of God will come face to face with one or more of the videos that were taken of me as a child. That fear cripples me and yet I reach out to children to teach them not to fear and to be strong and to love the Lord with all their heart. I strive to teach men the value of a woman in their lives and how important they are and how their soft and gentle nature can in my mind even cure the common cold, or maybe more to the point cold feet. ( a little humor still left in the old guy) I strive to teach men that they need to be an example in the house and in the workforce, but the words of my father ring so loud in my heart that I am paralyzed in this fear.
It has only been in the last 5 years, since I moved from Canada to live in Colombia that I have started to really face these fears. It is not easy being all alone in a strange country with a strange language and a culture so different from what I am used to. It is forcing me to look at who I am, who I want to be and what I need to do to change. I wish I was the man of God that I want to be and that God wants me to be, but the sad truth is that I am human and that I fail in this area of my life.
I need some of that old time conditioner where the lady on the commercial says, “I’m going to wash that man right out of my hair.” It would be easy if it was possible because at my current age I have very little hair to wash, but it is not that easy. God, I know you hear my cry and I know that Psalm 88 is my life story, and I know that in the end I will see you in Glory; but right now today I need your arms of love, courage,reassurance and more in my life. Come to me as have yearned for my early father to have done even once in my life, come to me and hold me.
I know the high and mighty people do not want to read or hear my story and it is a shame that we and I include myself in this long list, but that we as Christians look down at the wee people. The truth in my mind is that the Church needs to be more of a hospital, where the word of God is a balm, a blessing and act of restoration, rather than a weapon to wound and destroy others. Thank you Mindy and Melody, you are my M&M’s for today.
Delicious,
kj
So are you back in Columbia now? I hear Venezuela is far too dangerous a place.
Why did you go back to south America when I paid $2000+ to get you here? If it’s so difficult being alone in a foreign country why go back? I don’t understand. Hope you’re safe.
The number #1 song that fills our house these days as a proclamation over our nation Sweden (the nation that almost invented fear) is: No longer Slaves (of fear) from John David & Melissa Helser! https://youtu.be/f8TkUMJtK5k
Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Don’t tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!” He has our back, when I step out over the chicken line, and take the risk, He will back me up.
Being filled with the Spirit, speaking in Tongues, gets me out of the flesh, too, where the Supernatural confidence fills me. When I DO this, it makes all the difference for me.
Josh 1:9 has been my scripture this past few months as I work through the fear of failure or embarrassment.
There are so many people out there with great abilities and we let fear place a ceiling on what we can really be. So much of this fear comes at us because we really don’t see who we really are – children of the Most High God. We don’t have to be slaves to fear.
Only one fear I know and it is the ‘Fear of the Lord’, written all through scripture. If anyone has a healthy appreciation of the ‘Fear of the Lord’, then obedience is the only question. Am I going to follow the Lord or not? Difference between a committed Christian, who think he/she as a choice. A surrendered Christian who has no choice. Giving up free will is extremely hard to the flesh. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Seems to me we are greatly distracted by the world and its influence and teaching. Prince of the air has done a pretty good job in laying and influencing how we react in the natural. Need to move from the natural into the supernatural and see (hear/read) things, so we are guided/positioned to the voice or prompting of the Father of Light through the Holy Spirit. Lead by the Spirit I believe it is called, which still requires us to make a decision to do something.
You are right on it! Sometimes it is done unconsciously that even we ourselves don’t know what is happening and why we do the things we do.
If fear leads to failure…and denies success… What does one do with a fear of success?