When I have failed, how do I get past it? - Failure - TouchPoints

Hebrews 4:15-16This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

We should realize that God’s work is not limited by our failures. He does not reject us in our weakness but rather embraces us so we can receive strength to be all he intended us to be. When failure drives us into the arms of God, then our failures are truly successes.

1 John 2:1-2My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

Our sins and failures don’t surprise God. God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the debt of our sins and bring us back into full fellowship with him. The wonder of God’s Good News is that our failures provide an opportunity to display God’s greatest success.

Proverbs 24:16The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.

Micah 7:8Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

2 Corinthians 4:9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

When we fail and fall, we must get up again. Many of life’s inspiring success stories come from people who failed many times but never gave up. Most important, we should never give up on our relationship with God, who promises us ultimate victory over all our trials in eternal life.

1 Kings 8:22-23, 33-34Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands toward heaven, and he prayed . . . “If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave their ancestors.”

Ezekiel 33:11“As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?”

If a failure is the result of something we did wrong, turning to God and admitting our sin to him is the first and best response we can make. God doesn’t enjoy punishing his children, but he rejoices in their repentance.

1 Corinthians 10:6-7These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did.

Philippians 3:13-14No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

We should remember that failures can be helpful; they can teach us important lessons about what to avoid in the future. We need not repeat our mistakes or the mistakes we recognize in others! The apostle Paul failed often, especially when he was persecuting the followers of Jesus; but he put his past behind him and moved ahead in service of Christ.

Joshua 8:1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

We shouldn’t let our fear of failure keep us from trying again. Failure wins when we accept defeat and stop trying.

2 Timothy 2:12If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.

Failure doesn’t have to be the end—it can give rise to a new beginning. We can recover and move on.

Lamentations 3:23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

We all long for a new start, a clean slate, a chance to begin again. That’s why many people get excited about New Year’s resolutions. But every day is a new start when it comes to God’s mercy. Every day we can ask forgiveness for our sins, and then he pours his mercy into us, cleansing us from the inside out. When that happens, he doesn’t see any sin in us. He doesn’t see our failures; he sees us as his masterpieces. By God’s grace and love we are freed from the burden of sin and failure so that we can start fresh, both in our eyes and his. To lead others to experience true life change, we must embrace God’s life-changing mercy.

Hebrews 12:10-11Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Our failures don’t determine our identity or worth; they simply provide feedback on how we are doing at the moment. Because God has adopted us as his children, he uses our failures to train us, to reveal his love, and to hone our character. Failure is not a dead end. In Christ, it can become the doorway to positive and lasting change.