You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘failure’ tag.
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. Psalms 1:1-2
Where to you seek answers to the things that are troubling you? Our lives abound with adversity that rob us of the joy of life.
We struggle with fear of failure so we procrastinate. We struggle with doubt, so we don’t take steps God has been nudging us towards. We worry even though God has proven over and over again that he will provide. We make promises to ourselves that we don’t keep such as I’m going to eat better and get some exercise…tomorrow.
During those times when you seek answers who do you call on. Advice for many is just a social media account away. The anonymity of the internet has made many ‘experts’, most of whom conflict with each other and some are just plain evil.
The result is more confusion and fewer answers. Those who have true purpose in life are often filled with joy because in spite of the conflicting messages of society, they are secure in who they are and why they are heard. Confidence in those two things (Identity and purpose) lead to joy.
True joy comes as a result of our allegiance to and meditation upon God’s Word, the prayerful advice of godly friends and reliance on the moving of the Holy Spirit.
The enemy screams at us through social media, physical disaster, global conflict and disease. Our Father speaks softly and confidently through His Word, His church (Godly individuals, not the organization) and His Holy Spirit.
The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. Lamentations 3:25
One of the hardest times in life, is when people that we trust and rely on, fail us. It happens all the time.
Sometimes people fail us because we have failed to meet their expectations.
Sometimes people leave our relationship with them because we just aren’t that important.
Sometimes, while we rely on them, they are far too involved in their own lives to realize the impact they’ve had in our lives. As a result, they leave us with a huge hole in our hearts.
God isn’t like that. Earlier, Jeremiah says that God’s love and mercy is new every day. He reminds us that when others fail us, God never will.
Sometimes we think God fails us because he doesn’t do what we would like him to do. When that happens, in reality, the god that has failed us has been a god of our own creation, not the God of creation.
In the dark times of life, when it seems everyone else has abandoned us, keep searching for God.
Keep searching for the one who has promised to love us new every day.
Yesterday‘s failures are lessons learned.
Tomorrow’s dreams are hopes yet to come.
But today? Today is the day God has for us to accomplish what he calls us to do.
The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 12:26
In his book “When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People”, Gary Thomas talks about the power and danger of toxic relationships. Toxic people can destroy relationships and steal our freedom to be all we could be.
Toxic people can be found in the church and sometimes spread their toxicity ‘in the name of Jesus’ love’. Stories abound of people who stray from God because of toxic people who came into their lives and drew them away to a life totally foreign to what their upbringing taught them.
I have a friend who nearly lost his family because of his drinking. He was on the way to being an alcoholic when his wife walked out with his two daughters.
As we spent time talking about the situation he shared with me that he’d go into a bar with his friends with no intention of drinking, but once there, he was coerced by his friends to have ‘just one’, which unfortunately led to many.
Thankfully, he made the choices he needed to save his family. He chose to avoid the bar crowd and focus on more wholesome friendships. He and his wife are back together and are in the process of healing.
Am I saying we should only have ‘Christian friends’? Of course not! Jesus hung out with the socially outcast more than the ‘spiritually secure’. Yet, through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to be open to sharing our faith in a gentle way and get our strength from relationships that celebrate Jesus.
Influencers can be negative or positive. Choose to follow the positive, Christ centered influencers!
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
Growing old physically is somewhat natural. We don’t have to think about it. It just happens. We can help it along of course with healthy habits, but we can’t stop the aging process.
Spiritual and emotional growth is different. Spiritual and emotional growth is often a matter of choice. We all know the stories of those who have gone through adversity, rejection, and disaster. Some have lived the rest of their lives as victims. Their bodies may have healed. Their situation may have improved, but they remain a slave to the effects of the situation that wounded them.
Others seem to take the negative and turn it into a positive; to take the problem and see the possibilities. Their attitude isn’t affected by the attacks. The hardest attacks to endure are the attacks others level against you. The words they speak echo in our minds even though facts prove them wrong. The expectations they have of you are unrealistic and perhaps not even verbalized until it’s too late.
What’s the difference in being a victim and being victorious? For the believer in Jesus it’s a matter of choice. We choose to listen to what God says about us, not the critical voices. We choose to evaluate our actions according to what the Holy Spirit tells us about ourselves.
While our bodies may grow weary, with Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit, our outlook on life is constantly refreshed. It’s his Spirit within us that gives us the strength to move forward when our bodies and mind say to stop.
Never give up. Compare the accusations you may be going through to what the word of God says. Be open to the need to improve, but close your mind to human fickleness. Remember, every day is a new day. Every ‘problem’ is a possibility. Every attack is an opportunity to validate who you are in Jesus. Be refreshed. It’s a new day!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 