Self-doubt — "I could never do that; I'm not qualified." It's the fear of failure. Do you remember when you were in school and the teacher asked a question you knew the answer to but you thought there might be a chance you'd be wrong so you didn't raise your hand? "Do I want to put my life and reputation on the line?" you thought. "If I say the wrong answer, I'm going to look like a real dork!" God says that's fine for kids but it doesn't cut it as an adult! Don't let fear get in the way. "I was afraid and went out and hid your talent." (Matt. 25:25, NIV)
Self-pity — "I've failed in the past so many times. I made an attempt at one time to get involved for God, to get involved in ministry and service, but I got burned or I burned out. So I'm never going to try again." That's like saying, "I ate at a restaurant once and it was bad food so I decided I'd never enter another restaurant." It doesn't make sense.
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There are two ways to respond to failure — as exemplified by Judas and Peter. Both committed the same sin — they denied Christ. Judas let it get to him. He got on a guilt trip, became depressed and gave up. He committed suicide because he blew it. Peter, on the other hand, wept bitterly, told God he was sorry and picked himself up. Fifty days later, this same man — who three times denied Jesus Christ — was chosen to birth the Church. In fact 3,000 people accepted Christ in one day while Peter preached! Just 50 days after his greatest failure in life Peter experienced his greatest success. It does not matter so much where you've been. What matters is what direction your feet are headed when you land. Where you are headed right now is what counts, not all the garbage in the past. It's where do you want to go, not where you've been. Will the rest of my life be the best of my life?
Self-consciousness — "What will other people think? If I give my life completely to God, will I become a fanatic?" The Bible says, "The fear of man brings a snare" (Prov. 29:25, NKJV) — it's a trap. We excuse ourselves from ministry by pointing to people who are more talented and saying, "Let them do it, God." I have a phrase when it comes to ministry — "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly." I hate the phrase, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." That cuts out about 95 percent of us. That means that the only people who should be doing anything are the people who are tops in the field. If you can't do it well, don't do it! That's stupid! The same is true of ministry. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly. What counts is the effort!
Fear causes me to make excuses for doing nothing. "Then the man who had received one talent came and said, 'Master, I knew you were a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered.'" (Matt. 25:24, NIV) This guy prepared a speech. He says, "The reason why I didn't make any profit on my money is your fault!" He blames the master and passes the buck.