In a powerful sermon recently uploaded to YouTube, Pastor Jentezen Franklin speaks to those struggling with fear, urging them to live boldly and step into the fullness of God’s purpose. Franklin emphasizes that fear, especially the fear of failure, is a common struggle that can hold believers back from pursuing their callings and dreams.
“The spirit of fear will try to talk you out of it,” he says. “Anytime you take a new job, get into a new relationship or invest in a new venture, fear tells you, ‘Be careful, it’s probably not going to make it.’”
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Franklin encourages believers to resist the temptation to “play it safe” in their spiritual lives. He reminds them that stepping out in faith often means leaving behind what’s comfortable, pushing past uncertainty and trusting God with the unknown.
“God doesn’t want us to live small,” Franklin says. “He has so much more for you, but you’ve got to believe and step out by faith.” He adds that true faith involves risk and movement, calling believers to push beyond what they have done before and to walk forward into new opportunities and challenges.
Fear, Franklin explains, can prevent people from pleasing God, as faith and fear are opposing forces. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God,” he says, quoting Hebrews 11:6. Franklin encourages those who face fear to remember that failure is part of the journey and that everyone, even the strongest believers, experiences setbacks. “The failure rate of the human race is 100%,” he says. “You have to fail to win.”
For those held back by the fear of failure, Franklin offers a message of hope: God sees beyond our fears and calls us to a life of purpose and courage. He emphasizes that faith in God gives believers the power to overcome obstacles, with God’s promise to guide and support them through every step.
“Faith is moving beyond what you’ve already done,” Franklin says. “It’s trusting God to do something new in you.”
To anyone feeling weighed down by fear, remember that God’s Spirit gives us strength. “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control,” (2 Tim. 1:7). In Jesus Christ there is freedom to step out in courage, leaving fear behind.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
