Dealing with Failure (1) Problems Christians Face

We all face failures – Some bigger than others Some material failure Or spiritual failures (sin) We all have to deal with our failures – but HOW? This is something that should set us apart from the world

Sin is a failure to obey God – The Bible is filled with examples of spiritual failures At other times, we try to do our best, but we fail to accomplish a task Sometimes failure has nothing to do with you, e.g. rejecting the gospel It may not be sinful, but it doesn’t feel good If we’re not careful it can lead us to give up

Think about WHY you failed Whenever we suffer setbacks in life, no matter the cause, we begin with examination 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 6:4 Learning what happened (why, how, etc.) helps us determine what we need to do

Let God define failure Are we measuring our successes and failures by our own standard? 2 Corinthians 10:12 God does NOT look at failure the same way we do 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, let your faith not be in the wisdom of men Let God, through His word, define what failure is!

Repent if needed IF your failure involves sin, you must repent. This is FOREMOST! 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, It is this change of mind that is going to move you to make whatever changes are needed Acts 8:22-24, Simon the sorcerer told to repent and pray TRUE repentance is about making up your mind! Repeated spiritual failures will not change until you decide that it is going to change!

Failure is part of life We all fail at times Romans 3:23, all have sinned… NOTE: This does NOT mean we HAVE TO sin! It is not the fact that you fail, but HOW you deal with that failure

Failure is part of life A night of failures Jesus was failed by corrupt Jewish leaders, Roman leaders and His disciples (Matthew 26:56) Judas failed Jesus – betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15-16) Peter failed Jesus denying Him 3 times – Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75

Failure is part of life A night of failures What set Peter and Judas apart? How they handled their failure Judas was remorseful, returned the money and declared Jesus’ innocence. When rejected he went and hanged himself(Matthew 27:3-10) Peter wept bitterly, he repented and was restored – John 21:15-19 He becomes a faithful advocate till his death

Failure is part of life It is a product of the devil He works to cause failure. He often has a hand in leading you to failure. He is very good at it. He sought to sift Peter as wheat Luke 22:31-32 He entered Judas John 13:27 This does NOT mean they were not guilty, but Satan provided the temptation, etc. 2 Corinthians 2:11

Admit your failures A part of true repentance. That “came to himself” moment! How many today instead of admitting their sinful failures - blame others or environment? - find those who will enable them? - seek escape with illicit substances and behavior? - hide behind other activities? - quit, or give up? The first step to overcoming addiction- admit you have a problem

Admit your failures Confess your sins to God – 1 John 1:9 2 Samuel 12:13, Psalm 51:2-4 - David confessed his sins. NO excuses! Sometimes we need to confess to others - those we have hurt – Matthew 5:23-24 - Matthew 18:15 – go to them - James 5:16

A part of your confession to God Pray about it! A part of your confession to God 1 Peter 5:7, cast your cares on Him Philippians 4:6-7, let your request be made known to God…peace James 5:16, confess and pray for one another Hebrews 4:14-16, Jesus is our High Priest and advocate

Dealing with failure…. Don’t let failure define who you are NEVER give up! Let it make you better – learn from your failures When others have failed Realize that God is NOT the source of your failure!

Our struggles are very real It is not easy to overcome a mindset of failure BUT YOU CAN! History is filled with examples of those who overcame So can you!

How are you dealing with failure? Problems Christians Face