What is failure? It is failing to perform a duty or expected action. A falling short, a deficiency. The Word tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all failed at one time or another whether we failed others, ourselves, or even feel like we've failed God. Adam and Eve were the first to fail, yet even before He removed them from the garden, God already spoke the solution: the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. Yes, God disciplines those He loves. Yes, the Holy Spirit brings conviction but never with shame or guilt. God doesn't just leave us there but always speaks to and desires for us to reach our potential. God is the ultimate solutionist. There's nothing too big or difficult for Him and He is waiting for us to partner with Him in bringing about positive solutions and positive outcomes that bring glory to His name. I came to the realization that continuing to dwell on or talk about my failures, does not bring God glory. What I magnify in my thought life and in my speech is what grows.
Feelings or thoughts of failure don’t come from God. They come from the one who goes about like a lion seeking someone to devour. You were created in the image of God who never fails! Jesus defeated satan at the cross so failure has no power over you except what you allow it to have. We allow failure to rule our hearts and minds when our eyes are on what we can do, or can’t do. We focus on our ability or inability, rather than putting our gaze on Jesus. He is the author and finished of our faith! I had to come to the understanding that my “failures”, not even all of them put together, were not bigger than God.
Remember Peter and how he began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus? Though he started going down, Jesus did not let him sink and neither will he let you and I! Peter had also denied Jesus three times, yet the anointing on him was such that people were healed in his shadow. David committed adultery and even had Bathsheba's husband killed yet he was known as a man after God’s own heart. The outcome of Abraham relying on his own methods and understanding was Ishmael, yet Abraham still obtained the promise and was known as a friend of God. Abraham believed and it was credited unto him as righteousness.
I was recently at a conference. The whole weekend was so amazing and honestly, I don't even remember if it was the pastor, one of the guests, or one of the worship leaders (I am still unpacking it all) who talked about Revelation 4 where the 4 living creatures day and night never stop saying "Holy, Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come". Verse 9 and whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, The Twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the dominion, for you created all things; by Your hands, they were created." Wow, what a powerful picture. We hear the phrase, "offering our crowns at the feet of Jesus" When I think of crowns, I think of accomplishments, achievements, and titles. But what about disappointments and failures? Sometimes we walk around and wear them like badges or crowns. They can become trophies in our lives, and we lift them up for everyone to see. They become our identities because you are identified by the crown that you wear. Instead of just recognizing your failures, you might feel like you are a failure. I wore that crown once. Guess what? I made a decision to surrender it. It's time that not only do we offer up our accomplishments and achievements to the Lord, but we also offer up our failures, disappointments, hurts, and losses. We need to take them off and surrender them to the Lord. It's a very vulnerable place to be because when we do that, they are no longer ours anymore. We feel uncovered and naked because those things are no longer our identity. In doing so, we are breaking agreement with those things that have had rulership in our lives. You become what you behold. To behold means to see and observe. So, behold the Lamb. Your identity is in Him. Behold Him and lay it all down, all of your crowns, even the ugly ones. Especially the broken ones, the ugly ones, the damaged ones. Take them and lay them at His feet. And don't you dare pick them back up again! He will take them and turn them into something beautiful! Then as we remain humbly surrendered to Him, He gives them back beautiful and new and we now have a new identity. Oh, the trading floors of heaven. What an amazing trade, but it doesn't stop there. We now offer our crowns back to Him, this time as something glorious and beautiful. It's a beautiful surrender as we recognize that apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing. A crown resembles identity, authority, and rule. As we go from failure to glory, we will also go from glory to glory yet in continual surrender to the One who gave His all for us. The One who sits on the throne forever and ever, He alone gets all the glory!
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion...Psalm 103:2-4
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8
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