“But seek first his righteousness.”
Do you have a fear of failure?
A fear of failure stems from the feeling we are not being good enough, falling short, or making mistakes. Fear of failure can ignite an obsession with always trying to get it right, leaving no room for grace. Fear of failure can lead us to have an unhealthy need for the approval of others. Anxiety and stress levels increase where the fear of failure lives.
Living with the fear of failure compels us to strive even harder to be perfect and impress others. Our fear of failure becomes a tighter noose around our necks, forcing us to continue a self-destructive pattern.
The reality is we will mess up. We will make mistakes. No matter how hard we try, people won’t always like how we do or say something.
Jesus recognized the human condition of independence, where we want to try to do things on our own accord, but He knew we would need His help. While we are to pursue His kingdom first (see last week’s blog), part of the Matthew 6:33 anti-worry formula includes an alternative to the insanity cycle of performance and perfection and the life of fearing failure.
“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” (Matthew 6:33, AMP, bold added for emphasis)
The second part of the equation to eliminate worry calls us to let go of our version of doing things right or our way. Jesus taught we are to adopt His attitude and characteristics when we model our lives after Him.
If Jesus was perfect, and we are to strive to be like Him, does this not place us back on the perfection treadmill?
While we strive to be like Christ, we only have one position to take. Knees bent, palms open, and hearts surrendered, we recognize our inability to perform at a Christlike level, and bow to the King of our hearts who will step in and fill in the gap.
“For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NRSVUE)
Christ took the punishment we deserved for our sins, and now, for those who believe, God does not view our sinfulness or imperfections; He sees us through the lens of the cross.
“God has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” (Colossians 1:22, NLT)
Goodbye, fear of failure. Christ is our righteousness. Also, because of Christ:
- We are justified. (Romans 5:1)
- We belong and are adopted. (Ephesians 1:5)
- We are complete. (Colossians 2:10)
- We can be confident. (Philippians 1:6)
- We are free of condemnation. (8:31-34)
- We have the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
- We are chosen and appointed by God. (John 15:16)
Because of Christ, we are all of the above and much more. While we possess these characteristics, we are still called to pursue His righteousness. All of Jesus’ teachings reveal how we are to live, and the Sermon on the Mount, where our focal verse is found, is a great place to begin.
Seeking The Righteousness of Christ
- Live blessed. Seeking His righteousness means we continually offer our hearts up in surrender, asking God to bring out in us the characteristics listed in “The Beatitudes” and walk in all His promises for us. (Matthew 5:1-12)
- Be salt and light. Seeking His righteousness means we view ourselves as valued, that God has instilled in us ways to preserve our world, and that we are commissioned to shine His light for others to see. (Matthew 5:13-16)
- Avoid legalism. Seeking His righteousness means we reject the need to be right and embrace the worth Christ places on relationships within His kingdom. (Matthew 5:17-20)
- Relationships need to be honored. Seeking His righteousness means we pay attention to and are intentional with our relationships, managing them in a God-honoring way. (Matthew 5:21-48, 7:1-5, 12)
- Have a humble heart. Seeking His righteousness means we know our position in God’s kingdom where there is one King and all others are loved equally. (Matthew 6:1-4, Galatians 3:27-28)
- Pray and fast. Seeking His righteousness means we develop the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting, which unlock power in God’s kingdom beyond our understanding. (Matthew 6: 5-16, 7:7-11)
- Have a mind focused on heaven things. Seeking His righteousness means we train our wandering minds to return to the things of God and His kingdom. (Matthew 6:19-34, 7:6)
- Be wise and take action. Seeking His righteousness means we seek wise counsel, pray, and think through before we act, but we do act. (Matthew 7:13-14, 24-27)
- Know we can be deceived. Seeking His righteousness means we understand our tendency to deceive ourselves and be deceived by others. (Matthew 7:15-23)
There is a freedom and relief that come from knowing we are pursuing to live out the righteousness of Christ with the understanding we have already arrived. Christ is our righteousness. We have nothing to prove or fear when we have a God who makes up the difference and transforms our mistakes into miracles.
I pray that your fear melts away in knowing Christ is your righteousness. May the joy that Christ is your righteousness overpower any draw to fall into performance, approval of others, or fear of failure. May grace fill and overflow your heart. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: Because of Christ, I am good enough.
Reflect: If you struggle with fear of failure, perfection, or the approval of others, which one do you struggle with the most? How does knowing Christ is your righteousness make you feel? What area of righteousness would you like to focus on from the Sermon on the Mount list above? How do you feel pursuing God’s righteousness would affect your worry?
Deeper: Matthew 6:19-34; Romans 5:18-21; Colossians 1:22-23
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(Bible References: NRSVUE – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NLT – New Living Translation, AMP – Amplified Version)
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