No one wants to start their day thinking “Woohoo, today I’m gonna fail at this or that”. We plan for success at our tasks, but at the end of the day, sometimes we have failed to achieve what we planned for. Sometimes we have failed someone we love, or failed to live up to our own standards, and where do we go from there?
Certainly the enemy of our soul would love to use any device against us to stop us from moving forward in God’s plan for our lives. “…because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour;” (1Pt. 5:8) and his ultimate desire is to destroy our soul: “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy…” (Jh. 10:10) And so if we allow him, the enemy will use our failures against us.
Satan will use our own thoughts against us to pull us away from God. “God doesn’t want to hear from me because I’ve failed Him once again! L”
Satan will use others to make us feel powerless to continue on. “You’re such a screw-up. You never do anything right”
Satan will use situations to make us feel like failures. No money in the bank, unmarried daughter gets pregnant, another child taking drugs, and spouse is cold.
The problem with us is our humanity. We are human (not God) and therefore we make mistakes. If we allow those mistakes to keep us from doing what we need to in life, then that is true failure. I have made many wrong decisions as a wife and have had to deal with the consequences and figure out how to right the wrongs. I’ve also made mistakes in parenting, some which I deeply regret, but I don’t let them hold me back from continuing to parent and trying to do better. Failure is not the ‘bad’ thing- failing to learn, continue on and try to improve is! How do we deal with failure?
Pray for forgiveness over our own failures.
Be humbled before the Lord, and He will lift you up. Jm. 4:10
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1Jh. 1:9
Know God will help.
In the day when I cried You answered me and made me bold with strength in my soul. Ps. 138:3
Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. Is. 41:10
…God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Ps. 46:1
Look to Jesus.
…I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where shall my help come from? My help comes from Jehovah, who made Heaven and earth. Ps. 121:1,2
Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, Heb. 12:1,2
Find comfort, hope and wisdom in Scriptures.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Rom. 15:4
For Jehovah gives wisdom; out of His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Pr. 2:6
Remember
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Php. 4:13
…My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me. 2Cor. 12:9
But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us. Rom. 8:37
(We gain a surpassing victory through the one who loved us.)
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, Php. 1:6