"Freedom from Failure" series

Introduction

“Failure” not a good sounding word at all. Who even likes to fail? No one I am sure! But it does happen. And when we fail, the real question is, what do we do with it? Is it possible something better can come from it? The answer is a great big “YES!” God can restore from failure, He can also develop greater character from it. He can also rebuild lives through it. RESTORATION is the result of failure.

When it happens, many feel that they are not usable to the Father because of what happened. This is the area that needs a turn in understanding. God said He never changes, what changes is you! He says if we will partner with Him, allow Him to do the work He sees best and fit, then we will see restoration in our lives.

This booklet’s sole purpose is meant to encourage you the believer that you can overcome in and through Jesus Christ. That you can develop a deeper character, solid foundation in Christ. That He can and will take the rubble of our lives and do a miracle in us.

In this study, look close and see where God may be working with you. Maybe rebuilding, maybe restoring, maybe developing. But always remember that He will and can “COMPLETE” the work He has begun! (PHIL 1:3-6)

If I could put a dedication to this booklet, as to who would I say, “I dedicate this book for you and to you.” I would have to say, this booklet is dedicated to ALL in this world, who are seeking the truth of the love and mercy of God in their lives. It is for ALL those desire a deeper walk and integrity with Jesus. It is for ALL those who see how they are accountable to God, and desire to do the best they can, even when they fail.

The lessons following are intended to encourage, to build up the reader spiritually, and can transform your life! Whether it be business, or prersonal, all truths apply. Application is vital in learning, use these thoughts, and watch God do a work in your life.

One: Reasons For Business Failure

Failure, seems like a strong word, doesn't it? What causes it? How did it happen? Where did it come from? Can it be turned around for good? Can it be used to build a stronger foundation? Many of us face this dilemma, many of us overcome it as well, yet there are those who seem to be in a constant cycle of continual struggle with this "thing" we call failure.

I am a minister of the Gospel of Christ, the Good News of the Word of God! I am a musician, I am one who sings the worship and praise of God the Father, Jesus His Son, and of the Holy Spirit! I preach His Word, I teach His Word. I live as an example of Jesus wherever I go! I have some business sense about me. I try to conduct business the best I know how. I have also seen where "bad" decisions effected the entire ministry. But I have also seen where "good" decisions effected even for the better.

So, if I were to make a listing of the reasons for failure, what would I list? Even though the following is for "business" pay close attention to what is listed, it will affect your life, your business, and your walk with Christ! I will add comments along the way as well.

From Entrepreneur Magazine: Top Reasons for Business FailureHere they are, in order of their importance:

Lack of direction.

Business owners often fail to establish clear goals and create plans to achieve those goals, especially before starting out, when they fail to develop a complete business plan before launching their company.

***In our spiritual walk, when we lack direction, we lead a life of "free for all" living that bears no fruit. We have no sense of where we are going with our life. Usually the "real" plan of direction, the Bible, is laid to the wayside and given no attention. The result is many who always say, when asked, "I don't know what I am to do with my life! I don't know where I am called, or to what I am called!" The Word gives direction, we must listen and heed it!

Impatience.

This occurs when business owners try to accomplish too much too soon, or expect to get results far faster than is truly possible. A good rule to remember is that everything costs twice as much and takes three times as long as expected.

***In this area of life, how do you fair? Are you impatient with God? Are you impatient with where you are in life? Most lead what I like to call a "Mcdonalds Way of Life." Let me explain. We like our "fast food" we want it now, and as quick as possible. When we go through the drive through, many time we have consumed the whole meal, in some ways, before we leave the parking lot, with a result of indigestion! We then, lead an impatient life! Get it and consume it as fast as possible. It is best known as a "I want it now!" mentality. When it comes to growth spiritually, we do not want to allow God His time in building or re-building who we are, we want Him to "get with it and be done!" Impatience builds a bad foundation! Remember this!
Greed. When entrepreneurs try to charge too much to make a lot of money in a short period of time, failure isn't far behind.

***This is a monster in ministry! The many times, with new members in the band, we would hear over and over, "So, how much of MY stuff can we do?" Which I always thought was kind of interesting by the way. Reason being, this was a "new" member, he was to become part of the "unit" first, then maybe we might explore what he has later. Many bands, are completely destroyed by this one monster. Kind of goes hand in hand with impatience by the way, "I want it all, and I want it now!" Bad mentality!

Taking action without thinking it through first.

An entrepreneur acts impetuously and makes costly mistakes that eventually cause the business to fail.

***My father would always tell us, "Whether you win or loose, thats why you always suit uop for every game. But you must always gop in the game prepared knwoing what actions to take when they come." He would say, "You have a head on your shoulders, use it!" The old saying, "If it sounds to good to be true, then it most likely isnt!" comes to clear understanding here. Many times in ministry, we have "flown by the seat of our pants." Really not the best of ways to conduct business, or life! Many times we must stop and sort out before we jump and go! I totally believe that we are to be people of prayer, and in so doing, listen to God. But to get a mentality that will use that to manipulate a situation is bad living. Example: because we are people of prayer, a situation comes up, instead of honest prayer and seeking God, we throw it on His shoulders by saying, "Why prayer, I already know the answer." Not good always. Results can be disasterous without prayer, but a true worshiper of God, a true seeker of His will, will know the difference as well.

Notice closely the next few reasons, see where they may fit in your life....

Poor cost control.

An entrepreneur spends too much, especially in the early stages, and spends all their startup capital money before achieving profitability.

***Maybe the one area where many of us remain in financial bondage. "Needs versus Wants." I recall when at Little Portion, John Michael Talbot gave a most insightful teaching on this area of life. Very simple overall, but very forgotten by many, myself included. "Needs" are those things we use all the time, it is what we need to get by, survive, make things work and function correctly. "Wants" get used, but only a short while and then wind up on a shelf collecting dust. "Compulsive Buying" another monster in our lives. If it has a price tag, we jump on it! Then we come up short, because we didn't simply walk away.

Poor product quality.

This makes it difficult to sell and difficult to get repeat business. Insufficient working capital. An entrepreneur expects--and requires--immediate, positive cash flow that doesn't occur, leading to the failure of the business.

***Can we call this and area where we do not see fruit in our lives? Maybe that area where we didnt allow God His way and will in building character in our lives. Maybe a cycle that is a continual "repeat" with our walk.

The next few speak for themselves....

Bad or nonexistent budgeting.

An entrepreneur fails to develop written budgets for operations that include all possible expenses.

Inadequate financial records.

An entrepreneur fails to set up a bookkeeping or accounting system from the beginning.

Loss of momentum in the sales department.

This leads to a decline in cash flow and the eventual collapse of the enterprise.

Failure to anticipate market trends.

An entrepreneur doesn't recognize changes in demand, customer preferences or the economic situation.

Lack of managerial ability or experience.

An entrepreneur doesn't know or understand the important skills it takes to run a business.

***These last five reasons, it cause me to think of Joseph, with the Pharoah, the things they dealt with. Wonder in that, how should we manage our lives, and our circumstances?

Indecisiveness.

An entrepreneur is unable to make key decisions in the face of difficulties, or decisions are delayed or improperly made because of concern for the opinions or feelings of other people.

***Here is an area that as a minister, I have seen and heard over and over from many who seem to struggle in many areas of life. When you hear the ehart of the person, and listen closely, this is usually what comes up from their dilemma, many indecisive steps were made. Let me repeat that statement that my father taught us a kids, "You have a head on your shoulders, use it!"

Bad human relations.

Personal problems and conflict with staff, suppliers, creditors and customers can easily lead to business failure.

***How do you get along with others? Do you have areas of stuggle in this department? Disunity is a killer of relationships.

Diffusion of effort.

An entrepreneur tries to do too many things, thus failing to set priorities and focus on high-value tasks.

***Here is a killer in failure. Overload on the plate. Loss of priorities and focus. Many lives have been found on the wayside of life, in the streets of dispair and delusion, simply because of too much, and no focus. When an obvious failure in situations has resulted in too many things, then the simple fix, is loose a few things. Thinking we are bigger than we truly are, is not a good way to live this walk. Its like an old saying, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach." We go to the buffett and over eat, and walk off not feeling good about what we had for dinner, rather feeling over stuffed and uncomfortable.

Now, understand, that this probably isnt the best way to start a study on this matter, to just jump in and overdose you with some facts. But, stick around, and you will see how you can experience the best that God has to offer, by using the teaching ahead of you, it will transform you!!!

Two: How business failure paves the way to success

The opening chapter looked at failure and its reasons or causes from a business standpoint. Again here in this chapter, we look at failure froma business standpoint, but what it can help do in paving way for success. Then, we will begin looking at failure in terms of Scripture and how it can be applied to our walk and life. In the following statements, look closely at the points made, and with them do an examination of your walk in Christ. You will find an interesting insight into how failure can pave a way of success. Much of the following information was found through research, and is very vital to know.

Jeff Wuorio is a veteran freelance writer and author based in southern Maine. He writes about small-business management, marketing and technology issues. If business success is a set of Cliffs Notes, business failure is a lifelong mentor. That understandably is hard to digest. Success is a rush. Failure, be it a minor snafu or big-time disaster, can wound in any number of ways, both practical and emotional. But failure offers insight. It's an opportunity to identify what went wrong and highlight greater issues that we all need to be reminded of from time to time.
Here are seven ways that business failure can be the best teacher you'll ever have.

1. Failure is necessary.

Sure, and so are five-day blizzards, Brussels sprout casseroles, and inboxes chock-full of spam. But failure, in fact, does occupy a central dynamic in business. Lacking a willingness to fail, many innovations may have merely been erased on the chalkboard of the abstract. "I think the whole concept of success and failure needs to be re-thought," says Richard Farson, author of "Whoever Makes The Most Mistakes Wins." "We're such a success-oriented culture, but I think what we need is more failure. Improvements only happen when you try things differently."

***In this is opportunities to learn and grow. Looking back at what happened and learning what not to do to repeat is growth. I also believe that in this, we have a challenge to work harder at what we do, to perfect what we do, through these times of trials. Character comes forth in this. Sometimes when someone has good character, they may be called an "Oak Tree." I belive the reason here is that they have had a few failings, but from those failings there was growth, with that growth, a stronger foundation.

2. Failure reinforces the need for risk.

This is akin to climbing back on the horse just after Mr. Ed flipped you like an old poker chip. Granted, it requires a gut check, but failing in any sort of business capacity can, in fact, jog your memory that risk is everywhere — and needs to be. "Business needs risk taking to foster innovation and creativity," Farson says. "And risk always involves a degree of failure."

***Here I think of a rodeo bronc rider, he gets on the horse, the shoot opens and out he comes with the horse, spinning fast and furious. Maybe he is on a bull riding and getting bucked hard. He is doing all he can to get the best time possible. But in this, he is flipped off the back of the horse or bull. Now, is the time to spring back up on his feet, he can not just simply lay there. He must get up and "do it again." He must "refuse to give up!" But an experienced rider will be continually looking at what he did before and studying all he did in that ride, but then step up and try a bigger and rougher horse, a bigger and rougher bull, and he will go out to win! We must "suit up for every game, whether we win or loose!" But we loose when we refuse to step out and take a risk at succeeding.

3. Success can breed complacency.

This is another tough nut. We all strive to come out on top, but it's important to remember that winning frequently results from a goodly sniff of luck. Moreover, mistakes prompt examination, whereas success can lead to a don't-fix-what-ain't-broke holding pattern. "When you have success, often there's an element of the stars being lined up with you," says Al Vicere, executive education professor of strategic leadership at Penn State University. "But having something go wrong is really an opportunity to look at processes and execution. What did you miss?"

***Complacency: satisfaction and smuggness. It becomes a routine, that never changes. We get too relaxed at what seems to work and never pull out into newer opportunities of growth. We just level out and never go any higher in what we do. I like looking at it in this fashion, as a musician, I play my guitar a certain way, this is a way that I learned early on. But, I learn a new style of playing, and I try it out, it works, it is a bit of a struggle but I overcome, now I am playing this new style along with what I already knew to do. Here, I can stop, level out and remain, but in that I do not grow in my playing any further. So what I do, I pray and ask God for new ways, ways of stretching, something different than before. I refuse to stop and level out, I keep growing in what I do, trying new ideas to improve the overall. A player will always keep trying for that higher note. It may take getting out of the comfort zone in order to do so.

4. Failure means you're not alone.

It's natural to feel as adrift and isolated as an off-target field-goal kicker when things go sour. But within the frustration of failure is a reminder — that scores of wildly successful businesses and businesspeople have also experienced failure that often was catastrophic but also was essential to finding success. And, as Vicere notes, that's company with which you can go to school: "It's important to study how others failed. That can help you build patterns that can prove exceedingly useful."

***Here is an area that we all can recieve from. The fact that others have been here before. But in this, we can learn what others did to keep on moving in that upward mode. Now, when we realize that we are not the first to burn a path of goof ups, that others been here before us, we have a choice, learn, keep on, or just simply fizzle out. Example: I am not the first singer to ever forget his lyrics, or even for that matter, misquote the lyric. But, from it I know others haev done this before, so I must learn to move on and NOT stop the song and say to the audience, "I messed up!" Singer Peter Gabriel was asked about forgetting lyrics, "What do you do when this happens?" He said, "I watch the lips of the person in the front row, and mimic them." I will add, prayerfully they know the song! Or otherwise we find a whole new challenge.

5. Failure doesn't necessarily mean something went wrong.

Yet another understandable reaction to failure is immediately assuming that something misfired. That's always a possibility. But bear in mind that failure can also derive from strength — perhaps an overly aggressive marketing or ad campaign, or simply a product or idea that's ahead of its time. That, in turn, can lead to analytic thinking to retool, not necessarily repair. "It's also a question of how you look at the failure," Farson says. "Often, it reflects a strength rather than any sort of weakness."

***Quoting Dallas Holm, he said one time: "When you go to a new resturant, the food is bad, that should not stop you from trying other resturants." Example again, we try a new church, it doesnt suit our needs, do we quit and say, "Well thats it, I am done, no more looking"? NO, we keep on and look, knwoing the right one is out there. But, now maybe we are trying a new approach to ministry, an opportunity to use maybe a media approach. Well, this is good, but what if the media fails, do we fall off the edge of life and die? NO, we move on and keep on working at it, trying to improve all its details. Yes, maybe it was operator malfunction, but in that, there must be a refusal to give up! There must be a desire to learn and grow!

6. Failure can emphasize process, not merely people.

Another functional pitfall of business is too much emphasis on the people involved, no matter if it's handing out due credit for success or searching for a scapegoat when something fizzles. Of course, people inevitably have a hand in how a business operates, but that overlooks the importance of how things actually function. And, through the self-examination that failure can prompt, people and processes can be brought into an equitable balance of importance. "Failure can help you move past finger-pointing and trying to lay blame," Vicere says. "It can lead to breaking down and examining a process, not simply an issue of personal failure."

***While working at TBN, I will always remember some simple wisdom snf advice from Paul Crouch. "When something goes wrong, study what you did, what happened, and learn to not repeat it." Simple facts! I cannot lay the blame on someone else when I am the one who hit the wrong button. I recall recording our Christmas album, the music was coming together and sounding excellent. While recording on day, on a new recorder, I reached out and hit, what I thought was the record button. Instead I had hit a button that asked, "Format?" When I thought maybe I had not hit it correctly, without looking, hit it again, saying, "Yes! format!" The result? The entire album....erased! Lesson learned, "Don't work the machine blindly!" Do not just reach out and hit buttons thinking they are the right ones, "Look at them!"

7. Failure broadens your thinking.

Consider the last time something really clicked. You wanted to repeat that process and the resulting feeling. Doing the same thing until it stops working can be a winning formula, but not one that necessarily touches on global issues of import, such as your overall operational plan, goals and philosophy. Here, failure steps in to fill the void. When something goes wrong, not only do you consider the various means of fixing that particular problem, you notch up your thinking to identify those broader elements that may have led to the snafu and others like it. And, down the line, that can mean solutions and adjustments before any further problems even crop up. "Thinking about what went wrong really pulls you up to a more strategic view," says Vicere. "It really forces you to think globally."

***Thus growth! Which interprets....success!

Three: Help for Those Who Feel like they have Failed God

Have you ever failed God? Have you ever promised to serve Him and then turned right around and fallen flat on your face? Perhaps you were in trouble and promised God something in desperation. "I'll serve you, Lord," you may have said. "I'll do whatever you want me to do." But when the moment of testing came, you failed the Lord. Perhaps you made your promise of allegiance when you were at a spiritual high in your life. You may have been excited about what God was doing in your life at that moment. Perhaps you had high expectations for the future.
Sometimes we get so excited about our walk with God that we forget that it is only by His grace that we can persevere. We start promising to do things that we cannot humanly fulfill. When the pressures of life come upon us, we come into temptation. When the opportunity to take our stand for Christ arrives, we often blow it altogether. There are very few Christians, if any, who have not failed God somewhere along life's journey. And always when we do fail, there is great temptation to give up. Satan loves to tell us how worthless we are and beat us down with guilt and defeat. But when all seems hopeless, God always reminds us that there is still hope.

The beautiful understanding about God is that of His love for us. Even when we "blow it" He will forgive and love us. The reason in this is that He desires that we NOT blow it. He is willing to work with us, mold us, shape us into all that He sees within. Now, in no way should we adopt an attitude of, "Well, I can sin and fail God, because I know He will forgive me." We have an area of "want to" make it that need to be looked at. Yes, He did say "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). But I do believe there is big differences between "willful" and "accidental" sinning. There is a big difference between walking into a situation, knowing, it is wrong, and stumbling on the path of life. Our God is so good, and so loving, He sees all, and knows all.

REASONS FOR FAILURE

The story of Peter's denial reveals several reasons why we fail in our walk with God. As we study these reasons, examine your own life. Ask yourself, "Am I failing in any of these same areas?" Let God examine your heart, your motives, and your actions. Remember, a few steps in the wrong direction can lead to disaster.

He Followed Afar Off.

The first reason for Peter's failure was his refusal to remain identified with Christ. After the betrayal and arrest, the Bible says, "And Peter followed afar off" (Luke 22:54). To be sure, Peter at least tried to follow the Lord to see what would happen next. But he made sure that he kept his distance. He didn't want to get too close to Jesus now because it might cost him something. So the question is, what price are you willing to pay, all or none?

It is impossible to successfully follow Christ at a safe distance. Either you are with Him or you are not. Ironically, millions of Americans claim to believe in Jesus Christ, but they do not want their Christianity to cost them anything. The problem is that we cannot follow Him at a distance without losing sight of who He is and what His claims are on our lives. You are either in with Him, or not at all. You cannot be casual, you have to be committed.

Jesus Himself put it this way, "No [man] can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Luke 16:13). We cannot follow Jesus and the world at the same time. They are opposing forces pulling us in opposite directions. It is a human impossibility to live for Christ and live for the desires of the flesh. The two do not mix at all.

The Gallop Polls tell us that millions of Americans claim to have had an experience with Christ and that millions desire to know more about Him. But while He was here on this earth, Jesus said that if one wanted to be His disciple, he must deny himself. Christ said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The word "deny" means to "disown" or "put to death" in the Greek text. In other words, the true follower of Christ does more than give intellectual assent to Him. The true Christian must be willing to crucify himself, his desires, and his plans and surrender himself to the will and purpose of God.

Those who want to follow Christ from afar today are those who give lip service to Him on Sunday but who follow the world the rest of the week. They claim to believe in Him, but they do not want that belief to cost them anything. They do not want any demands placed upon their lives. These are "Sunday morning Christians," and that is all! Some are only Christmas and Easter Christians and no more!

No wonder they are failing in their walk with God. No wonder there is no spiritual power in their life. No wonder their children do not respect their religious beliefs. No wonder why they are not growing spiritually either. You cannot win in the Christian life by keeping your commitment at a distance. Peter's first step toward failure was that he followed afar off. Peter tried, but Peter denied.

He Followed the Wrong Crowd.

When Peter arrived at the palace of the high priest, he entered the gate and went into the courtyard. The trial was taking place on the balcony of the palace, and everyone in the courtyard below had a clear view of the proceedings.

The Bible says, "And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall (the courtyard), and were set down together, Peter sat down among them" (Luke 22:55). In the parallel accounts in the other gospels, we read, "and Peter stood with them and warmed himself" (John 18:18), and that he later "sat with the servants, to see the end" (Matthew 26:58).

Peter's second great mistake was that he got in with the wrong crowd. These were not the fellow disciples who could encourage him to be faithful in his walk with God. These were the servants of the priests who were determined to put Jesus to death. Peter found himself mingling with those who had hated and despised Jesus, those who opposed everything he said he would stand up for. They were the keepers of the temple and the servants of the palace.

As incredible as it seems, Peter stood by the enemies' fire, warming his hands and then sat down among them as though he thought he could get lost in the crowd. Here was Christ's disciple sitting with the Christ-haters who were determined to destroy everything Peter had claimed to believe.

Whenever you think you can just blend into the crowd, you are seriously mistaken. Yet, many professing Christians are doing today what Peter did then. They are trying to be a part of the world without denying Christ. It didn't work then, and it won't work now. Peter was there hardly any time when people began to question whether or not he was one of Jesus' disciples. The reason Peter denied Him was that he had already put himself in a position of compromise which led to failure.

The old-timers used to have a saying: "Lay down with the dogs and you will get up with the fleas." How right they were! Growing up, my mother always had these one liners, that at the time, sounded goofy to me as a teenager. She said one time, "If you go jump into the toilet with the turds, you will become a turd also." Goofy as it sounds, true it really is! Any time we hang around with the wrong crowd, we are bound to start doing the wrong things. Remember Peter's initial boldness and confidence? He was the disciple who wasn't going to fail, but he did because he got in with the wrong crowd.

In our prison ministry outreach, we tell inmates that in order to survive and NOT come back into the system, they must NOT mingle with their "old buddies" once they get out. They must cut ties with old buddies and old aquaintances. The reason is, those are the very ones who will drag them back down, which will cause a repeat situation. Paul said, "For if I rebuild on that which was destroyed, I myself become (again) a transgressor" (Galatians 2:18). Mingling and hanging once again with the wrong crowd only will lead to a failure.

As Peter sat there with the servants, he could see Jesus being accused and condemned by those who had brought Him to the high priest. He could see them mocking Jesus, hitting Him, and spitting on Him. I am sure that a sense of panic must have gripped him as he watched this ordeal. There was no way he wanted to be identified with Christ in that setting, but it wasn't long until the servants began identifying him. They knew he was different. They even sensed that he didn't belong there because he wasn't one of them.

If you want to overcome failure, you will need to take a strong and clear stand for Christ. Let people know what you believe right up front. Stay away from those who would drag you down into defeat. A song I sing all the time says, "Don't let anybody drag your spirit down." Peter was strong, or so he thought, until he got in with the wrong crowd. Many who once thought they were strong, are now laid out on the roadside of life, lost and torn, beat and trashed out, simply because of this very thing.

Too many times have I known and seen those who come to the Lord, get on fire with God, but without any foundational building in their lives, go back and try and win their old buddies to Christ. The result, they slip and fall back into what they had come out of. Through observation of this, I have noticed that those who fall into this, each time will go deeper into what they came out of. Yes, there are those who will fall and then realize what happened, come back, get it on with the Lord again, only to go try again, without foundational building, only to repeat again the failure. This foundational building does not come instantly, it takes time to build on a sure and solid foundation. Then again, is an area of need of understanding, because of the easiness of failure, the reason of why "ties" must be cut, simply in order to survive and grow in Christ. It is a must!

He Failed to Obey God's Word

Peter ignored the warning of Jesus. He didn't fall into sin out of sheer ignorance. Jesus had warned him about his over-confidence at the last supper earlier that evening. "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat," Jesus had warned Peter (Luke 22:31).
But it is evident that Peter never took Jesus' warning seriously. Perhaps you have been like that. You have heard the warnings of Scripture time and time again, but somehow you have thought they didn't apply to you. They have gone in one ear and out the other. If we won't listen to God, we cannot hope to succeed in our spiritual lives.

Peter ignored all that Jesus tried to tell him. He didn't even take any basic precautions. He walked right into the courtyard and sat down with the enemy! But it wasn't long until they began to question his relationship to Christ. You may try to hide your Christianity from others, but you will always stick out like a sore thumb. The real tragedy is that these servants asked Peter to identify himself and he couldn't do it. He not only failed Christ, but he also failed to be a witness to these servants.

The three denials came quickly, one upon the other. Before he ever realized what he was doing, Peter had denied his Lord three times in succession. Think of it! Here was Jesus' best disciple deliberately denying that he ever knew Him. No sooner had the words of denial had fallen from his lips than the rooster crowed and Peter's heart sank within him.

Have you ever fallen like that? In a moment of weakness or pressure, you virtually denied Christ in your life. Have you ever lied about your relationship with Him? Woah here, you say, "Listen, I would never lie about my relationship with Christ!" Let me ask this, have you ever tried to soften the "blow" of your Christianity to someone, because of fear that they may think you are like all them "stuck up" Christians, as they would see them? Have you ever tried to soft pedal your way around it, because you feel all that they see is those "hairdo's," those stuffy, staunch, religious fanatics? No, that isnt a relationship with Christ at all! But a real realtionship will stand up and say, "No, this is me, the way I am now, a believer in Christ! A lover of God! Changed and transformed by the hand of God! No, I am not the same guy you knew me as, I am born-again, blood bought, blood washed, by the Lamb of God! I am a Christian, and I have a relationship with Jesus!"

Have you ever given into temptation in a moment of weakness? Here is a booger area! You try to share Christ, but an area of temptation arises. You slip and fall, because you had no strength against that temptation. You walk away with guilt. You walk away, telling yourself, "Listen! You blew it sky high!" Have you ever failed in some area of your life and questioned whether God could ever use you again? If you have, then you know that sinking feeling. That feeling of denying your faith in Him.

Don't stop here, there is Good News! Restoration is still possible!

REQUIREMENTS FOR RESTORATION

The wonderful thing about God is that He never leaves us without hope. Even when we have failed Him, He will never fail us. When it seems the bottom has fallen out of your life, God's mighty hand will uphold you and bring you back. He just needs you to surrender to His Will.
Failure is never an easy process. It is humiliating and heartbreaking. It hurts both us and others. It is certainly not something to be desired, but when it happens, it need not be the end of all hope. Something can be rebuilt out of the rubble of life we have made.

There are four requirements for forgiveness and restoration given in the story of Peter's denial. They are all stated within two verses of Scripture where the Bible says, "And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61-62).

1. He Realized Christ Was Watching.

The great turning point came in Peter's life when Jesus turned away from His accusers and looked at Peter, who had just denied Him for the third time. Twice Peter had insisted that he did not know Jesus, and he finally shouted out his third denial above the noise of the crowd. The rooster crowed, and when Peter looked up, Jesus was looking right at him.

As Peter looked into Jesus' eyes, his heart was broken. He could see the love, the hurt, and the disappointment of His Savior looking back at him. Peter broke because he realized he could not escape the Savior's gaze. The Bible reminds us that "the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Wherever you go and whatever you do, you can be sure that God is watching. He knows our deepest thoughts and our most hidden secrets. Those things that you can hide from others cannot be hidden from God. Every time you sneak into some questionable place or get involved in some questionable practice, God is there and sees what you are doing. You cannot escape Him.
There are three things about Jesus that will draw you to your knees, His nail-scarred hands, His nail-scarred feet, His eyes. All which are driven by the whole Heart of Love. A song I sing every now and then, says, "I see the Lord, and His eyes are flaming like fire..." It has been my experience, and the experience of many others, that in an encounter with Christ, there was something about His eyes. His eyes, seem to look down into the deepest part of me, He knew everything about me, even all my hidden agendas. That flame in His eyes, drew me to my knees in repentance. His love is completely overwhelming, but His love is so forgiving.

2. He Remembered Jesus' Words.

As soon as Peter realized Jesus was looking right at him, he remembered what He had said. Unfortunately, we often have to come to the end of the line or the bottom of the barrel before we remember God's warnings. There is just something about human nature that causes us to forget God's truth when all is going well. We start thinking that we can make it on our own.

When the bottom falls out of our lives, we usually realize that what God had said was true all along. Only then are we usually willing to face up to the truth. But let me remind you that every warning, every principle, every truth in Scripture is given to us for our own good. Each one of those truths was given by a God who loved us and cared about our deepest needs. Despite all our mistakes and failures, He remains a God of compassion who loves, forgives, and restores us to useful service to Him.

Are you glad that He doesn't give up on you? Even when we are "faithless" He is "faithful." You may say, "Well all I know is that when I knew I was in a questionale area, I walked away, hearing His Words, and knew I had blown it!" Actually, when you hear His Word, in that moment, please understand, He is speaking His Word, because He loves you, and wants to forgive, restore and strengthen you.

3. He Removed Himself from the Place of Temptation.

The Bible says that Peter "went out." It means exactly what it says. He left the comfort of the fire and the crowd of servants and went out into the night alone. As he did, he removed himself from the place of temptation and defeat. This is when we "remove" ourselves from our old buddies and aquaintances, again, it is a must in spiritual survival!
Some people make the mistake of thinking that they are strong enough to handle temptation. They go into places where they are vulnerable to sin. They let down their guard under the excuse that what they do is their own business. But what we do is God's business because we are His children.

If you really want to overcome temptation, you must be willing to remove the source of that temptation. I read a story many years ago about a man named Trochilus, a friend of Plato, the great philosopher. Trochilus loved the sea, and he loved to go sailing any time he could. But he loved it so much that he often took risks, and one day he nearly lost his life in a shipwreck. Later he vowed that he would never sail again.

When Trochilus returned home, he stood at his window looking out to the sea that had nearly taken his life. Then he called in a brick mason and had him wall in the window and brick it over so that he could not see the view. Then he explained to Plato that he had the window walled up because he was afraid that a morning would come when he might look out the window at the beautiful sea and be tempted to sail again. That's the kind of action that many of us need to take in dealing with temptation as well- to wall up the windows of our hearts!

When I came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I came out of a life of "rock and roll." I found that in order to grow in Christ, I had to "turn off" the music that I loved so much! I found that it had a strong hold on my walk and life. I found that it would draw me back into where I had come from. I recall one time that I had purchased a high powered FM antenna for my stereo. Because of my love for radio, I was able to tune in stations and listen that were miles away from me, this I enjoyed. I also found a station was playing full albums every night. In this, because of my antenna, I was getting some real nice copies of the albums they played. I was so engulfed in doing this that one day the Lord spoke to my ehart and said, "You are allowing that to steal your heart from Me." I found that I had to "turn off" the radio. I found that I had to do what I had once already done before, remove myself from the place of temptation. It wasn't so much the music, as it was the lifestyle that I had known in it. It was that lifestyle that was trying to draw me back to where I had come out of.

After about 12 years of pulling away from the music I had loved, was I able to build a stronger foundation spiritually. I often say, there is music during that time, I still today do not know, because I needed to break "ties." It was roughly 1995, that a chaplain at a prison unit, because he and I both had been in radio, challenged me to play a little at the music that I was once so involved in, but now use it as a tool of ministry. Thus, what has now become what we call, "Prison Rock." This is music that we all knew, music that shows where I came from, but a tool to show where I am now!

Recently, while on a prison weekend outreach, I had a prayer counselor come to me and ask, "So why the old secular music?" They didn't know about how I have been allowed to use this as a tool to draw hearts to Jesus. They shared they did not understand the reason. I simply replied,"Well it is where I came from. But I only do that to stir the hearts of the people, then I am able to then show them where I am now." I am transformed in Christ! But I also know too, that I needed those years to build a foundation to where I no longer need that lifestyle, I know and have the best lifestyle one can have, His Name is Jesus! The real music that rules in me, is the Worship of Jesus Christ! I no longer am in rock-n-roll, but I am founded on the Rock and my name is on the Roll!

4. He Came to Genuine Repentance.

Peter was so broken by the sin he had committed, that he rushed out and "wept bitterly." His tears were tears of repentance. They were evidence of a godly sorrow and a broken spirit. His pride was shattered, and in remorse he wept over the wrong he had done.

Tears alone are not necessarily proof of repentance. One might cry and never change. In Peter's case, his tears were evidence of a true heart that was broken, and his changed life became a testimony to all who knew him. In fact, when most of us think of Peter, we think of his great exploits, not his great failure.

His life stands as a ray of hope to everyone who has ever failed God. Here was a man who had failed in the worst way possible. He violently denied that he ever knew Christ. Yet, afterwards he was forgiven and restored to service by the Lord Himself (see John 21). In this passage of Scripture is found the three questions that restored and transformed this man: "Do You Love Me?"

On the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2, Peter, the apostle who had once denied Christ, stood and boldly spoke of his faith in the risen Christ. Time and time again, he risked his life to preach the gospel and thousands were converted under his preaching.
If you have failed the Lord, there is still hope for you. Though your heart may be broken and your spirit crushed, God can mend your broken heart, revive your spirit, and renew your service. The key to restoration is repentance. Turn away from your sin, and turn to Christ.

Four: Failure is Not Final

" A servant girl saw him [Peter] seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him [Jesus]." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly." (Luke 22:56-62)"

"Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." (Acts 15:36-40)

Did you make any New Year's resolutions at the beginning of this year? Have you broken them yet? Chances are that your diet and exercise resolves went out the window weeks ago. Maybe even your godly resolves, such as a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program, have been broken as well, and you're discouraged because of your lack of discipline. Perhaps, however, you are struggling with a major failure in your life--a failure that is far more serious than a broken New Year's resolution. Have you failed the Lord in some way that you think is unforgivable? Are you guilt-ridden and demoralized as a result? Do you despair of ever living a life that is pleasing to God? Do you feel that there is no way you will ever be useful in future service for our Lord? Well, take hope--failure is not final! Even serious failure in the Christian life does not have to be the point of no return. Failure can never be justified or condoned, but it can provide an opportunity for the love and grace of God to be magnified. The Lord knows that we are weak and prone to failure, and He graciously provides restoration for the repentant believer. (See Psalm 103:8-14.) God has a wonderful way of picking up the pieces and making something beautiful of a broken believer's life. There are many biblical examples where failure in the believer's life was not the end of effectiveness for God. Think of all that could be written about failure in the lives of Abraham and the other patriarchs, or of Moses, David, Elijah, Jonah and other heroes of the faith! However, because of space, we will concentrate on two believers from the New Testament: Peter and Mark.

Peter's Failure

One of the most familiar stories in the life of the apostle Peter is his denial of the Lord Jesus. We wonder how Peter could have done such a thing--but would we have been any more faithful in similar circumstances? On the night of the Last Supper Peter was so confident of his faith that he declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." The Lord Jesus replied, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows tonight, you will deny three times that you know me." And Peter had rashly replied, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."

Only a few hours later Jesus' prediction was fulfilled. Peter declared three times, with curses and oaths (Mark 14:71), that he didn't even know Jesus! Can you imagine Peter's guilt and remorse when suddenly the rooster crowed--and the Lord Jesus, now a captive, looked straight at him with that sorrowful look. As Peter went out from the courtyard and wept bitterly, he must have thought his failure was final. After all, he had not only denied being one of the Lord's friends, he had sworn that he didn't even know Him! When Jesus was led away to trial and crucifixion, Peter probably thought that any opportunity to express his grief and remorse and ask forgiveness from the Lord was gone forever.

Peter's Restoration

But Peter's failure was not final. In His grace, the Lord had great plans for Peter. At the restoration breakfast by the Sea of Galilee, Peter was a special object of Jesus' love. The Lord knew all about Peter's thoughts and feelings of guilt, and the Lord knew exactly how to tenderly restore Peter with a question-and-answer technique. Read the story in John 21. Our Lord's gentle restoration of Peter was certainly a fulfillment of that wonderful messianic passage in (Isaiah 42:3) "A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish."

It has often been pointed out that Jesus used two different well-known Greek words for love when He asked Peter, "Do you love Me?" (John 21:15-17). The Greek word "phileo" refers to "tender affection," and the word "agapao" refers to love that involves "voluntary self-denial for the sake of the loved one." The Lord used "agapao" in His first and second questions to Peter, and "phileo" the third time. But Peter responded with "phileo" all three times. Most likely the Lord was speaking to Peter in Aramaic, which does not have parallel words and nuances for these two Greek words for "love." However, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John (who was present at the conversation), used these specific Greek words to precisely convey the essence of our Lord's restorative conversation with Peter. After his recent experience of brash declaration and subsequent failure, Peter was probably too ashamed to profess "agapao" love (the strong love that involves willing self-sacrifice) for the Lord. But the Lord still had plans for him. As the perfect counselor, the Lord Jesus told Peter that his failure was not final. And the counsel was effective. Peter went on to be greatly used of God! His love for Christ led to sacrificial service throughout the remainder of his life--even to imprisonment and death as a faithful martyr. If the Lord forgave and restored Peter, will He not do the same for us? God is teaching us this wonderful lesson by recording the failure and restoration of Peter in His Word.

Mark's Failure

John Mark was not an apostle, but clearly he was associated with the apostles from the earliest days of Christianity. It is quite possible that the young man who ran away on the night of Jesus' arrest was Mark himself (Mark 14:51-52). The early believers met in the house owned by Mary, Mark's mother. Peter came to this home when he was miraculously released from prison (Acts 12). In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter refers to Mark as his son in the faith. When or where or whether Peter led Mark to faith in Christ is not known, but there was certainly a spiritual father/son relationship between Peter and Mark.

The apostle Barnabas was Mark's cousin (Colossians 4:10), and it was through Barnabas that Mark was introduced to the apostle Paul. Barnabas and Paul had come to Jerusalem from Antioch to bring a gift of relief to the church in Judea because of widespread famine (Acts 11:27-30). When Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch, Mark went with them. Thus he was in the right place at the right time when Paul and Barnabas started on their first missionary journey. Mark joined them and shared in their ministry on the island of Cyprus. But when the missionary team was ready to set out for the interior of Asia Minor, Mark left them and went home to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Why? We don't know for sure. Maybe he was homesick. Maybe he was physically sick with some kind of "Asian Flu"! Maybe he didn't like the rigors of missionary travel--after all, the up-coming missionary itinerary included crossing rugged, robber-infested mountains. Maybe he didn't like the subtle change in leadership from his cousin Barnabas to the younger man, Paul. Maybe Mark had some theological differences with Paul. In any case, Mark defaulted on his commitment to the Lord and to the missionary team. As far as the apostle Paul was concerned, this failure disqualified Mark from going on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:38). Paul and Barnabas disagreed so strongly over Mark that the two veteran missionaries separated. Paul departed with Silas to Asia Minor while Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus. By the way, the fact that two missionary teams resulted from Mark's previous desertion does not justify or condone Mark's failure, but it does show that God can work through our failures to accomplish His purposes.

Mark's Restoration

The Bible doesn't tell us about the results of the ministry of Barnabas and Mark on the island of Cyprus, but Mark's subsequent activities prove that his failure was not final. The Lord did not set Mark aside from Christian service. About ten years later Paul was under house arrest in Rome. From that situation Paul wrote letters of instruction and encouragement to individuals and local churches, and we see that Mark was not only back in Paul's good graces, but was a valued member of Paul's team once again. Mark joined in with the other team members in Paul's personal greetings to Philemon (v24). Greetings from Mark are also included in Colossians 4:10, and Paul urged the church at Colossae to welcome Mark if he came to visit. Apparently Mark continued serving the Lord under Paul's direction when Paul was released from his house arrest in Rome. When Paul wrote his last letter during his second Roman imprisonment, Mark was commended once again. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11)! Mark's former failure was only a temporary setback in his walk of faith.

A further clue that Mark's failure was not final is the fact that God chose him to write one of the books of Holy Scripture, and the theme of the Gospel that Mark wrote is "Christ as the Perfect Servant." How wonderful that God particularly chose Mark to serve Him as the inspired writer of that great theme! Is any further proof needed that God is able to pick up the pieces in the life of a believer who has failed?

The fact that the apostle Paul did not irrevocably eliminate Mark from future Christian service with him is a valuable lesson for us. Some Christians continue to hold past failures against repentant fellow-believers, causing them to become extremely discouraged and demoralized. Other Christians subconsciously regard those who have failed as permanent "second class Christians" because of the past faults. But the failure of a brother or sister in Christ is not necessarily a sign of a permanent character flaw. Let's be careful not to blaspheme the character of God by refusing to forgive fellow-believers who are truly repentant--whom God is willing to forgive! (See Ephesians 4:32 and 1 John 1:9.) We need to be ready to forgive them and restore them to fellowship and useful service.

While certain kinds of failure will permanently affect a Christian's area and arena of service, God never writes off a believer--not in salvation and not for future service. Let's not be harder on our fellow-believers than God is! Restoration of a failed believer to useful service is an important function of spiritual fellow-believers. Paul writes, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently..." (Galatians 6:1). The Greek word for "restore" is the same word used elsewhere for "setting bones" or "mending nets"--a clear indication that the restored believer will be useful for service for Christ in the future!

God has preserved these incidents from the lives of Peter and Mark on the pages of Scripture, and this fact should be an encouragement to all of us. No Christian can claim a failure-free life. Discouragement and doubt can snowball when we fail. We wrongly jump to the conclusion that God is done with us. Let's be careful not to lower the character of God by refusing to believe that He will forgive our failures--no matter how bad they may have been. There may be consequences to forgiven failure, and many biblical examples demonstrate this truth. But failure is not final!

The lives of Peter and Mark prove that nothing could be further from this truth! Failure is not final.

Five: Developing a Theology of Failure

The biggest problem with many of us is that we are soft from too much success. We are like a child riding a bike on training wheels who thinks he has actually learned to ride. His parents warn him, "It's a little harder when you take the wheels off," but until you actually do take them off, the kid continues to enjoy a false sense of mastery. Once the wheels come off, the child may have to endure a few nasty crackups that could lead to tears, and even a refusal to ride any more. But without removing the wheels, he will never learn to ride.

In our training, failure has played a prominent role, and in fact a crucial role that success never could have played. We have failed at more ministry attempts than most in our church have ever tried! Bible studies, personal evangelism, discipleship, and overall fellowship direction are all venues where we have tasted deeply of failure, often with embarrassment and disgrace. While we still don't like to fail, we increasingly realize that nothing teaches us more than our failures.

From failure we learn what works

Biblical guidance is important in ministry, but we are still left to apply biblical teaching in area after area, and these are often judgment calls requiring wisdom and experience. Success in ministry can often lead to the wrong conclusions. We may conclude that because of our success, our ministry methods must be on a especially correct. Meanwhile, our success may be the result of something completely different. Our attribution of success to our superior methods is wrong, but we usually have no way of knowing that until we fail using those same "miracle methods." The experience of failure throws us into state of amazement and disillusionment, and this confused state of mind is exactly what God needs to bring us out of our ego-driven paradigm. Only then can we listen to new ideas, new ways of explaining past success, and engage in original thinking for the future.

Through failure we learn dependence (2 Cor 11:30-33):

At the heart of our carnality in leadership is often a self-sufficient attitude. Our shortchanged prayer life is a warning signal, but we find that easy to ignore. Failure is much harder to ignore. As we strike off in first one direction and then another, failing at each turn, God is able to corner us into conclusions we weren't willing to look at before. A growing sense of ineptitude at the deepest level begins to strike a note of caution in all we do. Ironically, this sense of helplessness grows at the same time we know we are increasing our competence in the basic skills of ministry. Such an inner tension is exactly what God uses to convince us that he alone can bring us to ultimate spiritual success.

Through failure we deepen our discernment

One of our problems in ministry that we may be driving for the wrong goals. We often assume that things which bring more results, like greater numbers, are the will of God. We may think certain types of people are best suited to lead. These assumptions may be partly right, but they often overlook important exceptions that could lead to unfairness or corruption in the church. God often shows us through failure that we are looking at things superficially and that we need goals more in harmony with the deeper picture. We may realize that our pragmatism leads to outward results without inward spiritual reality. At other times, we may see that our super-spirituality has led us to ignore the plain facts of our situation. After training in failure, some things that used to impress us as guaranteed to succeed now remind us of times when similar things or people were great disappointments. Our pronouncements become less dogmatic, and more humble. At the same time, we may have viewed certain problems as negative, but not really dangerous, until one of those problems rose up and confronted us with outright failure because we ignored it. We cannot downplay such problems in the future. Therefore, a leader trained by failure may become concerned about things that seem less important to others.

Through failure we learn how to minister under grace

Personal sin often teaches us the urgency of clinging to the grace of God in our lives. In the same way, failure in ministry teaches us how urgent it is that we learn to appreciate and appropriate God's grace in a living way. Most of us come into ministry feeling on some level that the work depends on our competence and personal charisma, and this becomes confusing, because on some level our gifts and abilities are instrumental. God may have to work with us for years to bring us to the place where we understand in our heart how it can be possible that my abilities matter, and yet take no sense of egotism from that fact. Most young ministers insist on taking their identity from their ministry results. Usually, only profound failure will convince us that "apart from the vine we can do nothing," and yet we need to strive all the harder. (I Cor 15:10) This is the paradoxical outlook of the mature worker--an outlook only accessible through a combination of success and failure.

Through failure we develop deep spiritual convictions about ministry

Most of us become excited about doing ministry because of the thrilling experiences we have while doing it. Such profound thrills are hard to find apart from illicit drugs, romance, or materialistic advancement. On one level, God must approve of our feeling good from ministry victory, because he says we will be more "blessed" if we serve. (John 13:17) But feeling pleasure is not the proper foundational motive for serving God. We must learn to do it because God wills it, even if no one else does it, even if we don't succeed at it, and even if it brings us pain and frustration. (1 Cor. 4:2 note, "trustworthy" not "successful") Failure separates the quitters from the servants. Failure is a painful experience that puts the question squarely: Am I going to continue doing something that often brings me pain? God also uses other painful experiences to put this question, such as betrayal by friends, suspicions, lack of appreciation, and accusations from our people, but failure seems to be the supreme negative experience. God wants to know whether we are prepared to serve in failure, or only in success? (II Tim 4:3) Isaiah's call in Is. 6:8-13 basically promised a ministry characterized by failure throughout. But Isaiah was willing and faithful to that calling. God will test each minister on this point (often though failure) to purify our motives.

Leaders thus broken through failure become suitable tools in the hands of the Lord. But unbroken leaders pose a threat to the health and spirituality of the church. Leaders accustomed to nothing but success become, themselves, hard to lead. They are always convinced they are right, and will fight to preserve their base as though their self-worth depended on it, which it often does. In their dread of failure, they may become downright unethical and manipulative. They find it hard to listen to the wisdom of others because they can't help but observe that their own ideas seem to be working perfectly well. Such unbroken leaders not only fear failure in themselves, but also in others. They may become unwilling to let others have the chance to fail, and this leads to poor delegation in discipleship. When success becomes the be-all and end-all in ministry, it is an idol that God must throw down. Note that failure may come in an area other than our main ministry, but it will surely come.

Nothing would advance most of us more than getting some good failure under our belts! It isn't that bad once you get used to it, and the fruit over the long haul is well worth the pain. Consider how fear of failure can affect the church:

Home church leaders who suffer from excessive fear of failure are reluctant to plant new churches. They know the mother church works, so why take risks with an unproven plant? The result is tardy planting or no planting, both of which retard the growth of the church and stifle the development of young leaders.

Young leaders are hardly ever as competent as older ones, and history shows they are more likely to fail. But this observation begs the question: Is such failure necessarily a bad thing? We argue that it need not be bad, especially when our new leaders have been well-trained in their view of failure. The experience of failure is always a crisis, since Satan will move in and suggest God let them down, or that they are unworthy for such work. But as discussed above, failure becomes the occasion for a new questioning of motives and deepening of commitment if properly understood. We should be actively preparing our disciples for failure as well as for success.

Those who dread failure tend toward a conservatism that seeks to protect the existing ministry rather than to open new ministry. When the church becomes conservative and self-protective, it loses the offensive spirit needed in spiritual war. We find ourselves unable to penetrate tough sectors of the non Christian community.

If you suffer from fear of failure, ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that can happen to me if I fail?" Does failure in ministry really endanger our lives, or only our egos? The ego-centered minister dreads failure mainly because he will have to admit it to colleagues or others he hopes to impress. Just imagining himself admitting defeat can send the ego-driven leader into a panic of self-protection. But God calls us to deny self and serve in ministry, not to glorify ourselves through it. Mentally practice shrugging your shoulders before colleagues and saying, "Yeah, that didn't work out, but at least we tried" and don't forget to add, "I guess we'd better try again!" The only defense you need is, "I felt like I did my best."

Six: Dealing with Doubts

I want to bring up an issue that is a major killer in our walk with Christ. I say major killer, because many warriors of God have fallen on the battleground from this one enemy attack. When we find that we have stumbled in failure, we then deal with guilt, the would have and could have fault pointing of the enemy of our souls. Many times this is a thought that he sends and we then take it and run, bringing about our ruin.
Understand that the devil and his ways is always opposite of what God is and does. He is always the opposite character of God and His nature. Example: where there is faith…his weapon is doubt… where there is love… his weapon is hate… where there is patience… his weapon is impatience..
Our enemy is known to be the one who “harangued” believers. Meaning that he spills out a long, blustering speech.. That it will be tirade.. That it is vehement and denouncing. He is known as the “accuser of the brethren.”

“…the accuser of the brethren, who accused them before God day and night…”
(Rev. 12:10)

We are told in (Daniel 7:25) that he “wears” out the saints. (Hebrews 11:6) says that the enemy comes to “weary” the saints. Especially in failure, he comes with this weapon to tear down and destroy the foundation which we stand in Christ. Understand that he does not care for you at all, he desires only to stop growth in Christ! He desires only to silence the Holy Spirit from speaking in your life. How is this? Through doubt.
His arrow of doubt has as its feather “impatience” as a guide. We are most very impatient people, we want things “now” not later. His arrow then is shot and the destruction begins. But can be stopped when the believer knows and sees the attack.
Here we will look at some steps he takes when we fail to destroy the work God is and has been working in our lives. With this understanding, stand against the wiles of the devil, step on his head, and in Jesus become an overcomer!
The adversary will raise doubts about areas of our own certainty. He does this to bring about “instability” in our lives. When you are not sure of your certainty, in all honesty, you are no longer a threat to the devil.

His arrow tries to bring doubt about our ability.

He accuses us of being feeble and weak. Now, understand that in your greatest strength, the strength within you, your own strength, you are weak. Your only strength is in Christ! You cannot do it on your own! You need His strength, you need His ability! But notice how the Bible puts this: It says that we are strong in weakness. (see 2 Corinthians 12:6-10, Philippians 3, Nehemiah 8, Isaiah 40).

His arrow tries to bring doubt about our destiny.

The Lord desires us to learn the dimensions of His life so we can realize His destiny in our lives. When we stumble, we “fail” God, this is a major attack area. If the enemy can get you to doubt your destiny, the war is over!

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

Your destiny is that you are a son or a daughter of God! Note closely, this passage said “gave He power” this means that He gave authority and the ability to become his son, his daughter! This is in His name! and is also in His nature!
This arrow of doubt is meant to cause you to question who you are! If you notice as well, it deals with our ability too!

His arrow tries to bring doubt about Peace.

To disturb our peace brings confusion. If we allow an unleashing of confusion in our lives, this weapon will cause a major tailspin to result, which causes us to fall deep into more failure, thus more destruction.
Possible habitual “cycles” may be the destroyer here. When we find ourselves in a continual cycle of events, our peace is disrupted and we find our live again, in that tailspin we mentioned. Many have no peace because of failure. Life becomes frantic as this is unleashed. Understand, God will keep you in “perfect peace.”

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

When the storm comes and says, “I am this big! I am severe! I come to bring uneasiness! I come to confuse! I come to disrupt!” You must stand up against it and say, “My God is bigger!”
Doubt about your peace, causes you to focus on the doubt rather than keeping your mind on Christ. Remember, Scripture tells us to be “anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6-7). An interesting thing here, “be ANXIOUS…” What is it that causes you to be anxious, restless, uneasy? It says “be anxious for NOTHING..” Usually this is what we are in an uproar about, “nothing.” Here is where that feather of impatience directs and guides the arrow of doubt.

His arrow tries to bring doubt about Timing.

Here is one that is a problem maker. God’s timing. We ask God to help us, we failed Him. We ask Him to help, we even partner with Him in our restoration, allowing Him whatever He needs to do to work in our lives. This arrow then comes because, “God is taking too long.” Hear this! Whatever time it takes, let God have His full and complete way and work in your life! Doubt about timing is a sister to “impatience.” With this it also has “weariness” as a twin.
Ever had to wait? You wait and wait, and it seems like, “will this ever end?” It seems like you want to say, “Look this is a simple thing here, why are we waiting, what is the holdup here?”

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)

“….be not weary in well doing….” (2 Thess. 3:13)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Know the enemy comes to weary the saints, he does this with doubt. He attacks faith! But remember God rewards the steadfast. (Hebrews 11:6).

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

This arrow of doubt, especially doubt in God’s timing causes us to be “without faith.” Know this, the word used here “without” means to be apart from faith, separate from faith. It means to be destitute of faith. If this is the case then we are weak and open and vulnerable to the arrow of doubt. In failure, when we allow this to happen, we find ourselves in a crash and burn potential.
His arrow tries to bring doubt about God’s Completion.
Satan will accuse that God will never finish the work He has begun in you. But we are told in a promise that God bring it to a completion (Phil 1:3-6). Restoration is the desire of the Father. When we fail Him, He says, “I am able to rebuild, will you let Me?” God said He will restore what has been lost.

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm…” (Joel 2:25)

We are to let the Spirit of God fill us and allow Him to continue in the rebuilding process. Allow Him to restore us from our failures.
In closing, perishing is two-fold: 1) it first starts as a crack in our foundation of faith… 2) with the enemy continual attack the cracking becomes bigger cracks, deeper and then finally complete destruction. We have great need to stand up against the enemy of our soul. We have great need to allow God all He needs to do whatever He decides best with our lives. Scripture tells us:

“…my people perish for a lack of knowledge..” (Hosea 4:6)

Please know that success, rebuilding, and restoration are the results of failure, when placed into the hands of our God!

Seven: Looking at the Flame of Love

The many times of failing God. How can He possibly still want to use someone like me? I do well, then I fail. I get up and go for and with Him, then I stumble. I get into things that I know deep inside is not where I need to be, but still yet, I dive right in and go there anyhow. In so doing, I then afterward knew, that what I did, was totally against all that His Word has told me, it was against what I knew I should have done, and still I went there. How can He love someone like me? How can He want to keep working with me?

Sound familiar?

Even though, in this slip and slide life, if we can call it that, is there still deep down within a desire to serve and love God? Is there this one place within you that wants to do right? Is there a “want to” still in there, to do all that is possible to try, at least, and please God? Does it seem like even though the fire of our heart may have seemed to calm down, there is still something inside that burns for the Lord? If so, then I have some news for you!

“A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoking flax He will not quench.” (Isaiah 42:3)

One other translation of this verse says it in this way: “…. a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish…” If there is a small, tiny fire still burning on the candle of life, it says He will not extinguish, rather He will keep it aflame. Listen, we are talking, even down to small sparks! If there is a tiny something there, it is enough for Him to kindle it back into full flame!
We never need to worry that when we humbly come to Christ for forgiveness or restoration or strength or wisdom, that He will despise our weakness and refuse our request. He treats the bruised and the scorched with tenderness.
Our God is a God of love, of grace and mercy. Our God is a tender God. He loves us even when we fail Him. What is needed is our willingness to allow Him to complete His work within us, for Him to mold and shape us, for Him to correct, forgive and restore our lives. He tenderly loves us and desires our full restoration.
In my own personal walk, I have made many mistakes. I have made decisions that was wrong. I have stepped into situations that I knew before I even stepped, I was wrong in thought, deed and heart. Now, I also know that as a minister of the Gospel of Christ, I am to be an example. Well, news is, I try. And news is, I have succeeded sometimes, but there has also been times where I made a big mess. Now, news is also, so have you!
But the one thing I can assuredly say and know, God is a loving God! He is forgiving, and still desires to make something of me, and even the mess I made. Reason being, He has shown me, that past all my stuff, and deep inside my heart is a candle, that at times, yes has become a “dimly burning wick” but in His tenderness, He restores that flame to a healthy fire. Now, I must also get something inside me as well. That is, I must do all I can to learn and NOT repeat my failures. I must strive to keep inline with God’s Word and Will. But also understand that even this area of “want to” comes at times from a “dimly burning wick.”
All of us have one major theme in common. Sin. We have the thread of sin that twines and wraps around us fast and furious. We also have a common enemy. This is the one who does not care in any shape, form or fashion about who we are, his only concern is that whatever it takes to stump our growth, to stop us from exceeding in God, then so be it! But, too, this enemy is under our feet in Christ Jesus, he was defeated at the cross!
So one may ask then, “So why do I still mess up? Why do I still fail God?” One may add to this, “Is there a point that God will give up on me?” There are answers to every one of these question!

1) So why do I still mess up? Why do I still fail God? If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then you are one with Him. His likeness and holiness are present within your life. The very power that enabled Jesus to resist all temptation dwells within you.
Still, there remains within your mortal body an impulse to sin, a “sinful nature” that MUST be surrendered to God. Paul writes, “For I know that in me )that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). Yet we are not stranded in this barren place, for Paul also says, “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). Through faith we access God’s power to overcome our sinful impulses. Paul also said it in this way: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
We receive Jesus’ gift of freedom only by exercising faith in God. We must believe that He can remove ungodly strongholds within our hearts and that He continuously works to make us free from all sin and bondage. Our responsibility is to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God as we trust Him to provide the all-encompassing liberty that our souls crave.

2) Is there a point that God will give up on me? NO! It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done. He will NOT give up on you, He desires that you come to repentance and His forgiveness, and growth in Him.

As long as there is breath in your body, as long as your heart is beating, as long as you are alive, right now! He will not give up on you! As hard as it may seem to believe and understand God sees the good that can be brought out of the lives of all people. He will never give up even on a seemingly “disaster area life.”
We are the ones who give up! We give up on ourselves. We give up on God. Now understand this is just what the devil wants you to do! When we give up, we are giving up on the faithfulness of God, which never changes, which is always the same. His faithfulness never gives up or caves in on anybody!

The Strength of Love and Forgiveness in Failure

A story from the Scriptures, tells us and shows us the strength of love and forgiveness when we fail. This story you may have heard many times, but allow me to point out a few things that show this one fact of His loving and forgiving heart.

“The He said: ‘A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with then pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, “how many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against haven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found…..” (Luke 15:11-24)

Read this again if you need to.. ALLOW it to get into your spirit! For in this story is great understanding that we have need of.

Have you ever noticed that before we jump off into a failure to obey God, we will allow it to get into our spirit what we are fixing to go do. While it is “brewing” within us, we travel to a “far” land. Now, I am not speaking of getting on a plane and flying somewhere, or even get in your car and going somewhere, even though it could be 20 miles away. The “far” land is that area of failure we are heading for. It is that area of guilt which we will soon find ourselves in. It is Guilt, because maybe even before we stepped out, we knew where we were going to wind up being.
As we travel to this “far” land, we may even play out all that we are wanting to do, how we are going to totally enjoy this “venture” of life. We go over all the pleasure that is involved. Now, let me remind you, this is not inline with God’s Word or Will. This place we are driving so hard to get to, once there, once the act has been done, once we fail, and once we find ourselves totally without peace, without what we had with God. In that area of failure, is where we failed God, and “did” our own thing. This land we traveled too, usually travels back to forbidden territory, forbidden waters, those things, places and even sometimes people we need to break “ties” with are part of this “far” land.
At this point, we find that “citizen” of that country, a citizen whose name is “guilt.” Whose wages is nothing, whose wage only leaves our spiritual stomach hungry and without. Whose wage brings a torment to our soul, a despair because of our actions. This citizen, we feel can help us, so he gives us that job of “slopping” the pigs. We find ourselves feeding the “swine” of our own pleasure. We even will get down on our knees and eat away at the “slop” we have made. We eat at the rotten, stinky food of sinful living. It will be this way until we “COME” to our “SENSES“ and realize that as a child of God, this is NOT where we are destined to live!
It is here that we know, it is way better at the Father’s house. That even the servants of His house have it better than this. We even go through our “Eeore” speech, “I am not worthy anymore!” We go on to say: “I have sinned! I am no longer worthy of anything!” We always try to bid God for second best, because we failed at the first. We will say; “Father, let me be reduced to a lower standard, I am no longer a child, just let me be a lower than average child, if you will.” It is possible that we may have been here before, struggling in this “mess” we are in, this mess we have made. Here we also have found ourselves thinking, “He will never use me! I have failed Him!”

But let me ask you this. “How many robes, sandals and rings do you suppose God has?” How many fatted calves does He own? Be assured, it is enough to cover all the mess you made! How does He rejoice when we learn our mistake and come to Him and repent and ask for forgiveness? Scripture tells us that ALL of heaven rejoices when a soul is turned around! I believe that this rejoicing is not only for sinners who come to Christ, but is also for the Christian who finds that he has fallen into failure, then repents and asks for cleansing and forgiveness of God.

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7)

Now, understand this in no way gives license for sin!!!!!!

The point here is that His love and forgiveness, His restoration and rebuilding is huge! It is massive when it comes to our walk with Him. He desires so much for us to grow, and He loves so much, that when we fail, He picks us up, cleanses us off, and says, “Come now, let’s try it again.” Hear this! He can and will bring good out of our failures! Allow Him His way in rebuilding who you are in Him!