How The Holy Spirit Can Help You Overcome The Fear Of Fruitfulness

Illustration:After a preacher died and went to heaven, he noticed that a New York cabdriver had been given a higher place than he had. "I don’t understand," he complained to St. Peter. "I devoted my entire life to my congregation."

"Our policy is to reward results," explained St. Peter. "Now what happened , Reverend, whenever you gave a sermon?"

The minister admitted that some in the congregation fell asleep. "Exactly, " said St. Peter. "And when people rode in this man’s taxi, they not only stayed awake, they prayed."

Ray Heit, in Reader’s Digest.

Let God be the judge of what is success.

1. The Holy Spirit helps you overcome your fear of becoming too successful by reminding you that God gives the victory, the fruit and the growth of the church. Paul wrote, "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." (I Cor. 3:5,6)

Ask the Lord to help you to remember that just as God has given the fruit, the victory and the success, so He will provide you with the grace to cope with your additional responsibilities.

Illustration:Perhaps you may remember Hank Luisetti, the great basketball player of a few decades back. When Hank came along, virtually every basketball coach in the country insisted that his players shoot with two hands. Instead of two hands, Hank used a jerky, funny-looking, one-handed jump shot. His coach, looking for results rather than method, was smart enough to let him use it. The rest is basketball history--today almost everybody uses Hank’s one-handed jump shot.

Source Unknown.

Move ahead with God’s plan even though others may ridicule you at the time.

2. The Holy Spirit helps you overcome your fear of others accusing you of stepping on others to get to the top. Only the Spirit of God has the capacity to help us remove any phony sense of guilt or shame. Paul assuringly wrote the Romans, "He who believes in God (who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him) shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations." (Romans 9:33) Ask the Lord to help excise any false sense of guilt or shame that you may be experiencing because of others’ jealousy, envy, or sinister accusations.

3. The Holy Spirit helps you overcome any feelings of low self-esteem that may hinder you from appreciating what God has done through you. Thank God for all the things He has done in, through and with you. David wrote, "Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation (deliverance, victory, and success) for Him." (Psa. 98:1) Ask the Lord to help you to overcome any self-doubts that may hamper your ability to appreciate what great things God has done through your life and ministry.

4. The Holy Spirit helps you identify the reasons why you might fear success and counters them with His precious promises. David wrote, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Psa. 56:3,4) Ask the Lord to increase your faith in His ability to counter every single fear of success with His advocacy.

5. The Holy Spirit helps you build on your successes for greater opportunities to help expand Christ’s kingdom and righteousness. Resist the temptation to rest on your laurels, accomplishments or achievements. Trust the Lord to help you from falling backwards after you have obtained a certain level of fruitfulness. Jesus said, "If anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father." (John 14:12) Ask the Lord to help you correct any mistaken belief or perception that may limit you from building upon your present successes. Remember the warnings God gives to those who would backslide after enjoying success, Paul wrote, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (I Cor. 9:16) Ask God to develop a healthy fear of God so that you do not fail to live up to the grace given to you and thereby disappoint many.

6. The Holy Spirit helps you overcome your fear of the challenges, stresses and added demands placed on you with greater fruitfulness. Many people avoid positions of leadership because they walk more by fear than by faith. Paul said, "We walk by faith and not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7) Ask the Lord to help you overcome your fear of extra challenges, stresses and demands by remembering that the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.