You Can’t Fail: Finding True Freedom in Christ as a Leader

I recently sent this long message to a friend of mine who is also a pastor:

The fun part of life and ministry isn’t that we always succeed, but that we can’t fail.

Galatians 5:1 says: (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

I don’t mean we can’t fail in accomplishing our goals, but rather whether we accomplish them or not, God has set us free from feeling valued because we accomplished our desire or shame if we didn’t.  We are free to be who Christ called us to be, leaders who try things in the Kingdom and then leave the results to him.

Whether we see the results we desire or not, Christ will be honored and the Kingdom glorified as we are faithful to BE his leaders and to ATTEMPT his objectives.  Whatever inevitably happens is truly in his providence, not in our providing.

The longer I live, the more I realize that we have so little control over what happens in our world.  There are so many factors influencing the success/failure of churches/projects/businesses.  As the passage from Galatians points out, we are freed from the slavery of works.  We are freed from the need to perform. We are freed from the fear of failure.  We are freed from the bondage of pride.  This is because Christ has taken everything to the cross and we can rest assured that no matter what happens good, bad, or indifferent, we are free to be who he called us to be.

You are free to BE who he called you to be and to ATTEMPT whatever he called you to do.  What freedom there is to be and do without worrying about whether they succeed or not? This is true freedom, and why I think Paul makes such a big deal out of it in this passage. Just go out and be or do out of what God created in you. And leave the results to him.

We can’t fail because we are free in Christ.  That is true for all who follow Christ and seek to lead well.

It is so sad, and yet so real, that we judge our efficacy by what we can see in the moment.  Yet, when we do so, we evaluate based on such limited data.  We live in such an immediate gratification culture that it is only natural for us to evaluate everything by what it produces at the moment.  Whether a politician or leader is a success or failure is based upon social media pundits in real-time.  The metric is entirely wrong. Most things that are important in life are best evaluated from a long-term perspective. 

Unfortunately, I judged my leadership of Hope Community Church, the church I planted as I left it after 14 years as a failure. Ten years after I left it went bankrupt and closed. Now 25 years later, I can see that it was a tremendous success.  Not because I rewrote history, but because only now am I able to read the history of what God did through us and the body of believers called Hope. There are now disciples of Christ all around the country.  Those who were lost souls are now warriors in the Kingdom of God. Some are leading initiatives for getting girls out of sex trafficking, others started counseling centers, some are business executives with hearts to see their colleagues come to know Christ, and another is leading a chess club to help underprivileged kids.  Most of all, God changed my life through the breaking there.  Today, I am a different person because of my years of struggles.

My prayer for you is that God continues to shape you and free you from the slavery of performance. That he will free you from the bondage of fear and anxiety because you realize that Satan, his minions or all the world throws at you, will not keep you from being who he created you to be and to try things he has placed in your heart.

Keep on keeping on being you and stretching for Him.

After writing this, I felt strangely comforted.  I realized that the Spirit was speaking to my own heart through those words I wrote my friend.  I needed it, most leaders need to hear this as well. 

In the last chapter of the last letter that the Apostle Paul wrote he sounds almost discouraged as he writes:

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry…

Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth… 2 Timothy 4.8-17

Throughout the history of Christianity, no one had the impact of the Apostle Paul, but close to the end of his life, it doesn’t sound like he felt that way.  There were no parades, or royalty checks, and few people were there with him in his final season of ministry and life. 

Let none of us measure the impact of our lives or ministry by what we can see or measure too quickly.  As you look forward to this next year, let me encourage you to be faithful in the little things knowing that God is in control of the long-term impact of your life.  Believe me, no one needs this word more than I.

We've developed a free workbook to help you start the new year with purpose and clarity.

Start the year right with a 7-day leadership check-up that helps you reflect on God’s work in your life, align with His purposes, and plan for healthier, more impactful leadership.