Failure: April 17, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2014.

FAILURE

DEFINITION:

A falling short; nonperformance; unsuccessful.

SCRIPTURE:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37: 23-24.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

All of us at some time in our lives have experienced failure. For some many more times than others. But the real question for us to ask ourselves is how do we deal with our failures? First of all we must realize that if we fail at something, it is not final. Some people react to failure feeling their world has come to an end. Be assured that if you fail at something it is not the end.

Failure is not the end. Failure is nothing more than a starting place. When one fails as a person committing some sin or not accomplishing some project, it should be treated as a starting place and not the end of one’s life.

God takes mistakes and failures and out of them can give you miracles. Failure is simply a circumstance, an incident or an episode. You cannot let failures shape your life because it is really a point in time, a learning process by which we can move on and be successful. When one fails at something they should turn that failure into a lesson learned.

How do you handle failures? You have the option of failing backward or failing forward. You can either blame others for your failure or take the responsibility and move forward.

You can repeat the same failures or learn from your failures and move forward. You can limit yourself by past failures or move forward by tackling new risks in life. You can be a quitter or persevere.

In the verses above the Psalmist reminds us that the steps of a good man, a righteous man are ordered by the Lord and though he should fail, God will uphold him with His hand. There are two necessary requirements to escape from our failures. We must allow God to order our steps and we must desire to do what is right in God’s sight so that He delights in our way. What does God delight in? He delights in those who trust Him and who have a personal relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When this relationship is made, God will be by your side at all times. You may stumble but you will not be ruined by your fall because He will be there to hold you up by His hand. What a wonderful promise for us today. We all have times when we fail but God’s love for us never fails.

LEARNING:

We are memorizing this week the fourth commandment found in Exodus 20:8.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the promise, that when I fail that You will be there for me with a helping hand. Help my family to understand that You are faithful and will be with us, if we put our total trust in You, no matter what the concern or situation might be.