A few days ago, as I was watching TBN and the preacher was
talking about failure and how we as Christians constantly fail and get back up
again. He also quoted that ‘Christians will continue to fail until we become just
like Christ’.
And I thought to myself ‘fail always?’ ‘Ah no oh, I can’t
fail because God didn’t promise me that, ‘I will not fail’, ‘I am not going to
fail’. I was already beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the sermon, so I
didn’t watch it to the end. As I went
about my day that same day I heard God say to me have you forgotten how you
fail almost every second of the day? yes you fail in your thoughts and in the meditations
of your heart and they are loud before me. It was not the outward failure that the
preacher was referring to, it was failure in our hearts, because God does not
judge us outwardly but inwardly. I realised suddenly that oh yes! I do fail every
day, and if God judges us inwardly and not outwardly like man does Ah! I probably
fail every 2 seconds oh!
Are you like me sometimes? but you may feel like you have
confessed the same sin to God so many times and you are wondering if you would ever
break out of the vicious cycle? The answer is in your own strength you can
never do it. For us to be more like Jesus we must come to the full realisation
that we cannot do anything in our own strength and that only God can help us.
Philippians 3:12 -13 ‘I admit that I haven’t yet
acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing but I run with passion into
his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me
to fulfil and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my strength to accomplish
this however I do have one compelling focus, I forget all of the past as I fasten
my heart to the future instead.’ TPT
We must never dwell on our failures and say to ourselves ‘I will
never make it or I can never be who God says I will be.’ but to rise up and be
determined to succeed in this Christian race, determine to succeed in the battlefield
of our minds, to guard our hearts so jealously so that we just don’t let
anything come in and if perhaps it has come in we need to drive it out
immediately because everything we do flows from it Prov 4: 23-27.
We have to be true to ourselves, keep talking to God about
it, call it by its name you know the thoughts or the sin that you are battling
with. Say ‘God you know who I am, I am a ….’ You know what you do and who you are,
own up to it God knows anyway. We must accept that we are only human and that our
failures do not and will never change the love that God has for us.
In the verses quoted above, Paul forgets the past because the
past is the past and can never change so why focus on it? we can only ask God
for forgiveness and press on toward the ultimate goal which is gaining Christ.
Phil 4; 6-9. ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Finally brethren whatever things are true, whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and
if there is anything praise worthy- meditate on these things. NKJV
So brothers and sisters whenever you find yourself in this
vicious cycle don’t be sad, frustrated, worried, or depressed but firstly, Pray
let your request be known to God and thank God for answered prayers , secondly,
reject the bad thoughts as often as necessary and ponder on these things (just,
noble, pure, lovely, good, virtues, praiseworthy), and the God of peace will be
with you, and lastly fill your mind with the word of God. God is not done with
you yet so don’t be hard on yourself but rejoice again I say REJOICE.
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