Failure and Success

'...The God of Heaven will give us success...' Nehemiah 2:20 NIV


Everyday we are challenged with thoughts of failure as we walk this journey of faith. To turn your failures into successes you need to do two things: (1) Realize that God wants you to succeed because you’re His child. When you think about it, what good and loving parent wouldn’t? In the face of overwhelming obstacles and enemy threats, Nehemiah announced, ‘…The God of Heaven will give us success…’ and God did!
(2) Realise that failure is a teaching tool. The greater the failure, the greater the opportunity to learn from it. But first you must acknowledge the teaching potential in your mistakes and commit to learning, growing and changing as a result. Thomas Edison said, ‘I’m not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.’ At 21 years old he set up his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, and became a full–time inventor. At any given time, he and his team were working on as many as 40 different projects and they applied for more than 400 patents a year. Edison’s feverish work schedule and productivity caused the local citizens to dub him ‘The Wizard of Menlo Park’. But he wasn’t always successful. The fact is, he struggled with many of his inventions but, despite embarrassing failure after embarrassing failure, he refused to give up. Often ridiculed for his perseverance, he engaged in some 10,000 experiments before finally inventing the incandescent light bulb in 1879. Concerning his chequered work history, he said, ‘I haven’t failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.’ Stop labelling your failures as negative. There are very few real failures in life—only options. Some options work, others don’t. The truth is, with God on your side you’ll win if you persist! You are Loved!

It's Up to You!

'...Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould...' Romans 12:2 PHPS
Kind of funny how life works but let me give it to you straight; you determine the outcomes in your life because God has given no one but you power over your options. When things aren’t working out for us, we often look elsewhere for the reason. Like Eve, we can say, ‘The devil made me do it.’ No, Jesus said, ‘…I give unto you power…over all the power of the enemy…’ (Luke 10:19 KJV) Like Adam, we say, ‘Eve made me do it.’ But the psalmist says, ‘…I trust God, so I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?’ (Psalm 56:4 NCV) Sometimes we believe circumstances beyond our control are responsible, but with God ‘…all things [including people and circumstances] work together for [our] good…’ (Romans 8:28 NKJV)—not for our defeat! Your mistaken beliefs victimize you and predispose you to a lifestyle of trying to change people and circumstances. That’s like attempting to unscramble an egg. You become a blame–fixer instead of a problem–solver. Accept the truth that no matter what Satan, others or circumstances do, God gives you the right to the last word in your life. ‘…greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4 KJV) The outcome is not determined by what goes on around you, but by what goes on within you. ‘…as he thinks in his heart, so is he…’ (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV) The devil can only determine the outcome with your permission and co–operation—and you don’t have to give them! So believe in God’s ability to bring you triumphantly through! You are Loved!

Cycle Breakers (5)

'...Go to the pool...and wash...' John 9:11 NKJV

Jesus told this blind man to go to the pool of Siloam and wash the dirt from his eyes. So here’s the question: What do you need to remove from your life today in order to see what God wants you to see and do what He wants you to do? Whether it’s a destructive habit, a toxic relationship, or a bad atti-tude, you must get rid of it. James writes: ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double–minded.’ (James 4:7–8 NKJV) God will do His part, but you must do yours. God will extend grace to you, but you must act on it. It’s said that the water which flowed into the pool of Siloam came from under the temple and was used to wash the utensils which were part of worship and sacrifice. In other words, this water didn’t come from a man–made source, but from the presence of God. Don’t miss the point here! Jesus said, ‘You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.’ (John 15:3 NKJV) Paul speaks of ‘…the washing of water by the word’ (Ephesians 5:26 KJV). David writes, ‘How can a young man [or an older one] cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word.’ (Psalm 119:9 NKJV) The secret of victorious Christian living is bathing your mind each day in the Scriptures. Picture yourself taking a bath in God’s Word and the dirt and grime coming off you. That’s what meditating on the Scriptures does for you. You are Loved!

Cycle Breakers (4)

'...One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.' John 9:25 NKJV
When Jesus restored this blind man’s sight, the Pharisees tried to engage him in a theological debate about who Jesus was and where His power came from, but he refused to argue with them. He simply said, ‘…One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see,’ and the same arguments still continue today. Some people say, ‘The day of miracles is past.’ The truth is that there is no day of miracles; there’s only a God of miracles Who says, ‘…I am the Lord, I do not change.’ (Malachi 3:6 NKJV) The Bible says, ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.’ (Hebrews 13:8 KJV) That means what He was, He still is. What He did, He still does. What He said, He still says. Whatever your problem may be, you have two choices: live with it and try to adjust to it, or believe God to set you free from it. Certain things like alco-holism, addiction, and abuse may run in your family, but by the grace of God you can break the cycle! Please hear this: God’s power is greater than your habit! Not only can He set you free from the thing that holds you captive, He can deliver you from its lingering effects. His Word to you is: ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way…’ (Isaiah 43:18–19 NIV) So turn to God today. Give Him a chance. You’ve tried other things, now try Him. He will not fail you! You are Loved!

Cycle Breakers (3)

'...he went and washed, and came back seeing.' John 9:7 NKJV

Sometimes Jesus healed sick people by speaking to them, other times He laid His hands on them. But this blind man’s healing was not the work of a moment; it was the result of a process. ‘…He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”…So he went and washed, and came back seeing.’ (John 9:7 NKJV) Question: How far away was the pool of Siloam? For a blind man, any journey is a long one. Picture this man with mud in his eyes, trying to navigate his way to the pool of Siloam. There’s an important lesson here. Even when God touches us, sometimes we’ve got to walk with our mess until we get to the place of healing, freedom and deliverance. Here’s another thought. Whoever told this man about Jesus, and brought him to Jesus, had to keep walking with him until he got his sight back and could walk on his own. You can’t say to someone who’s struggling with a problem, ‘I told you about Jesus, and I even brought you to church but you’re still stumbling around in darkness bound by the same problems, so I give up.’ God never gives up on people, and we must not give up on them either. When someone continues to struggle with an old habit, some Christians say they mustn’t really be saved. Question: How often do you give in to resentment, pride, lust, greed, gossip, etc.? The list is endless, yet God doesn’t give up on you. Sometimes people have to ‘walk out’ their deliverance and healing until it fully comes to pass. That’s how long you need to love them, believe in them, pray for them, and keep working with them. You are Loved!

Cycle Breakers (2)

'...He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.' John 9:6 NKJV

Think about your DNA for a moment, your DNA is in your saliva. When Jesus spat into the blind man's eyes, he received a divine DNA transfer. The fact of the matter is that sin is in our DNA and that’s why Jesus goes back to the root of our problem! Understand this: God doesn’t merely treat your symptoms; He goes back to the source of your problem in order to set you free from it. To change the fruit, He changes the root. This man never had the ability to see; he was born blind and needed a creative miracle—and that’s exactly what he got. Physical miracle and spiritual miracle—a total transformation. Our God is awesome, isn’t He? Do you know why Jesus came? ‘…To bind up the bro-kenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of de-spair…’ (Isaiah 61:1–3 NIV) It doesn’t matter whether your parents contributed to your problem or you simply made bad choices in life, Jesus can set you free, make you whole, and give you a new life. Jesus didn’t blame this man or his parents. That’s because God has no desire for your condemna-tion; His desire is for your transformation. You are Loved!

Cycle Breakers

'...Who sinned, this man or his parents...?' John 9:2 NKJV

‘His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his par-ents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”’ (John 9:2–3 NKJV). When someone is trapped in a self–destructive habit, we sometimes say it’s genetic: ‘It runs in the family.’ Yet psychiatrists tell us 90% of those who abuse others were first abused themselves; they are simply ‘acting out’ what was done to them. Some say if alcoholism and addiction run in your family, you’ve got an ‘addictive gene’, meaning you’re at much greater risk if you pick up a drink or a drug. But you’ll notice Jesus didn’t get into the whole ‘nurture vs nature’ debate. In essence, He said, ‘This is just an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love and grace by setting this man free.’ So your problem may be too big for you, but it’s not too big for God. It’s actually a platform for Him to demonstrate His grace in your life. ‘Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP) God doesn’t consult your past in order to determine your future. Before you met Jesus, you were spiritually dead. That’s why He said, ‘…you must be born from above…’ (John 3:3 CEV) From that point forward, the past no longer has any power over you (except the power you give it). So you can break the cycle. You are Loved!