I Feel Like a Failure

Lord, I am such a failure.  I messed up again!  Can’t I ever do things right?  These are feelings we all have from time to time.  Sometimes they are so true; other times we are just too hard on ourselves.  So what are we to do with these feelings and how do we overcome them and move on without feeling paralyzed?

First, we need to discern where the feelings are coming from.  Did I sin, and the Holy Spirit is bringing conviction?  Or did I make a mistake accidentally, and Satan is bringing false guilt?  The Holy Spirit is within us to convict us when we sin.  He lets us know exactly what we did that was against the Word or will of God.  We need to pray, “God, show me where I have sinned.”  If we pray this prayer and we don’t receive conviction, then we are cleared before God.  Then the thoughts are coming from Satan. 

Satan is wily!  He is the Father of Lies.  And he will plant thoughts of guilt and shame in your mind if you don’t combat them with Scripture.  Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

There is a spiritual war going on!  If you are walking according to the word and in fellowship with God, then you are on the front lines, but you have weapons that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses!  No battering ram in your backyard?  No trebuchet parked in your drive?  That’s okay.  You have something far more powerful – God’s word!

The fortresses are often unbiblical and harmful thinking patterns.  They are false beliefs  - beliefs that were put within you from childhood.  The voices of your parents or teachers that tore you down.  God’s word is truth.  When we hold these false beliefs and false guilt up to Scripture, they come falling down.  For example, I was always told that if someone were fat, then they were ugly and therefore did not have as much importance as others.  I have gained weight.  I look in the mirror and see that I am overweight.  My thoughts immediately go to the “fact” that I am unlovable.  But!  God’s word says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  That I am a child of the King of Kings!  Which am I going to choose to believe?  That will set the tone for my day.  Satan wants me to believe his lies.  I am going to choose to walk in truth.

Looking at 2 Corinthians 10: 5, we see Satan’s weapons – speculations, lies, and pride.  Speculations are the “if only, I should have, what if” thoughts that we cling to.  We must put the past in the past, recognize that in Jesus there is therefore no condemnation (Romans 8:1), and choose to believe and walk in God’s truth.  Often I have to tell myself, “That was then, this is now.” 

Shame is a byproduct of sin.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they became ashamed and covered their bodies.  When we confess our sins, god is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:9)  With that forgiveness should come the release from shame.  If you are still experiencing shame, then tell Satan to go away! Shame has no place in a Christians life after confession and repentance has been made. 

I have worked with a couple of young ladies that got pregnant before marriage.  They have been deeply repentant and have been given a clean slate from God, and yet other Christians still judge and want these girls to feel ashamed.  I decided that if God forgave them, then who am I to still hold their sin against them?  God’s grace has been extended to me that I might extend grace to others.

Finally, we overcome by recognizing that even though we are inadequate (2 Cor. 3:5), that God is adequate and will equip us in everything that He desires for us to do (Hebrews 13:20-21 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

So, when those thoughts of failure, inadequacy, insecurity, and shame rise up, “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”  Confess any sin and stand against Satan and His lies with the truth of God’s word.

Recommended books:

                Search for Significance by Robert McGee
                The Lies We Believe by Dr. Chris Thurman

 

God's Not Done

“He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it in you.”
Steve Green song from Philippians 1:6

God’s not through with us yet!  That’s good news!  We are still “becoming”!  I am so glad.  Where ever you are right now is not the place you have to be tomorrow.  God has a purpose and a plan for your life.  He will work all things out for your good and He is faithful to complete His purpose in you.  Keep being faithful.  Praise God daily and walk with Him.  Practice righteousness and seek God in all you do.  He will be faithful.  What will that work look like?  It will be maturity, contentment, growing closer to God, desiring the things of God, and becoming the man or woman of God.  He is forging a character in you now for His purposes for you for all eternity.  Don’t give up!  Keep looking to God. 

Grace

If you haven’t read Galatians recently, you ought to.  It is full of the grace of God.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free;

therefore keep standing firm
 and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1

How do we again subject ourselves to the yoke of slavery.  Slavery is sin and guilt and shame -  all of those things that Christ died for that we might be free.  Yes, we are human.  Yes, we will sin.  But God is mindful that we are but dust. (Psalm 103:14)  He has compassion on His children (Psalm 103:13).  His grace is sufficient for you. (2 Corinthians 12:9). “ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!” (1 John 1:9).  And lastly, Acts 10:15 “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy (or unclean).”  If we confess and repent, then we are clean.  Don’t let false guilt from Satan, unjustified judgment from others, or self-righteousness keep you from the grace of God.  Then, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25).  Go forth and conquer!

 

Spiritual Lifeline

“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words,
those of our lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
he is conceited and understands nothing;
but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words,
out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

Please dear sons and friends, be aware of false doctrines.  They are prolific in our world today with such easy access as television and the internet.  Don’t follow the newest celebrity doctor, psychologist, professor, or evangelist unless they line up with Scripture.  We are admonished to test the spirits (1 John 4:1).   There is only one truth and that is found in Christ Jesus.

How will you know how to test the spirits?  Know the Word of God.  Be reading, meditating, memorizing, applying, and be involved in a local community of believers.  This is your spiritual lifeline.  Use it and be safe.

Run To Him

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1

Oh that we are honored to be able to dwell in the shelter of the Most High.  How do we get there? Through Prayer.  We enter into His courts with thanksgiving and praise as we give thanks in all things.  Then we curl up in our Father’s lap and know His comfort as our storm rains terror all around us.  We are safe in the shelter of His arms.  By abiding in the shadow of the Almighty, we are always only a step away from those sheltering arms.  What an privilege! 

 

God Will Equip You

“Now the God of peace,
 who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep
 through the blood of the eternal covenant,
even Jesus our Lord,
 equip you in every good thing to do His will,
working in us that which is pleasing in His sight,
 through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21
 
God has called you and therefore, He will equip you.  Whether that calling is to ministry, an occupation, a position, as a mother or father, or as a homeschooling parent, if God called you, He will equip you.  How do I know?  Because He raised Jesus from the dead!  If He has power and wisdom and knowledge to do that, He can do anything!  My friend, Hope, is an artist.  She worked for 12 years in the deli of a local grocery store and hated almost every minute of it.  But today she will tell you that because of her personality, she needed those 12 years of structure to equip her to be able to work on her own for God’s glory through her art and at her local church.

God knows you – individually, uniquely.  He knows your personality, your weaknesses, your strengths.  He will equip you, personally, to be able to carry out that which He has called you to do.  Your job?  Listen to Him to know His will for you.  Spend time with God and be obedient in what you do know.  Do what you must do towards the calling God has given you.  And trust that God will equip you with everything that you will need to successfully fulfill that calling.  Praise Him in the midst – before it is realized knowing that He who began a good work in you will be about perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)  Latly, give God the glory for all that He has done for you.

Holy Choices

“…and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another,
and for all people,               
 just as we also do for you;

So that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness

before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”
1 Thessalonians 3:11-12

We were made holy through the blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:22).  We are to be holy because God is holy  ((1 Peter 1:16).  God gave us the ability to live holy - separated from the world and without blemish.  But we must choose to live a life of holiness.  Will we ever get it perfect? No, but praise God that we are holy through the blood of Jesus anyway!

If we are already made holy, then why must we choose a life of holiness?  A life of holiness testifies to others of God’s power to transform a life.  It gives hope.  It allows us to love and be loved by other believers.  A life of holy living keeps my relationship with God open and moving forward.  When we mess up, we repent, He cleanses us, and we are again in fellowship with God.  Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are characteristics of holy living in a covenant relationship with God.  So if you are not experiencing these fruits of the Spirit, you must ask yourself if you are living a life of holiness. 

All God’s sheep will enter into the Kingdom of God.  Some will bounce in joyfully and with eagerness.  Others will slink in with shame and remorse, wounded and sorry.  Which sheep are you?

 

With God All Things Are Possible

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves,
 but our adequacy comes from God.”
2 Corinthians 3:5

Some days this verse makes me glad - days where nothing is going right!  I am so glad that I am not dependent upon my own adequacy because my best is as filthy rags unto the Lord.  That doesn’t mean that I don't acknowledge that I can sometimes do things fairly decently, but it does mean that the ability to attempt anything is from the Lord.  My very breath is a gift.  My arms and legs and eyes and ears are a gift.  That they are all functioning properly at any given time is a miracle!  I look back over the years of raising our boys and homeschooling, and there were days when I thought I had done a decent job and days where I felt like an absolute failure, but the neat part is that God is mindful that we are but dust, and He takes my efforts and makes the results beautiful in His sight!

When I speak, I usually have feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.  God, did I prepare the right material?  Will I be able to speak what is on my heart?  Will anyone walk away having been taught or encouraged?  I go out there and do my best and time and time again, God has shown me that He intervenes and makes what He wants out of what I say.  One day two ladies sat in the same conference.  It was on parenting.  I very briefly mentioned that I had homeschooled, but didn’t dwell on it.  Afterwards, one lady came to me and told me how glad she was to hear me because she knew now that God had called her to homeschool.  The very next lady in line, said that she was glad to hear me because she had been wrestling with homeschooling and after hearing me talk had realized that homeschooling was not the direction for her family.  Same speech!

Recently, I gave a talk that I have given numerous times.  I was rambling on and mentioned having had a hard heart at one point in my life.  This was the first time that I had ever said this in a conference.  Afterwards, a woman came up to me and said that she realized that she had a hard heart from my description and asked me to pray for her.  God knows my audience – their hearts, their needs.  I don’t.  “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves…”

“But our adequacy comes from God.”  No matter what you undertake – marriage, parenting, business, missions, etc… remember that God can take your human imperfections and use them for His kingdom!

 

Knowing God

“If you seek her [Wisdom] as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God. 

For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 2:4-6

We have the mind of Christ!  (1 Corinthians 2:16).  Christ is the personification of wisdom.  Wisdom is not just the knowing, but the understanding to the point of applying it to your life.  The pastor spoke about the word “know” yesterday.  The key verse was John 17:3 – “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  There are four Greek words for “know”.

The first means to know about.  Do you know who the vice-president of the United States is?  It is just an awareness of a fact.

The second is knowing the deeper, detailed facts about something to the point that you could ask informed questions.  The journalists that cover the White House know the Vice-president in this way.

The third definition for “know” is experiential knowledge.  It is an emotional reaction to the person.  When I stood at the Lincoln Memorial and read his inaugural addresses, I wept.  This was an experiential knowledge of Abraham Lincoln.

The fourth definition of knowledge takes us even deeper.  It is the Biblical use of “to know” as in Abraham knew his wife Sarah and they conceived a son.  It is the physical intimacy between a man and his wife.  It is an intimate encounter.  Exodus 3:1-8 describes Moses before the burning bush.  He “knew” God in this intimate way there because he acknowledged that God is holy, omniscient, and sovereign. 

Many people “know” God at the first three levels.  But salvation requires us to know God at the fourth level.  When we recognize His holiness, we experience the fear of the Lord.  And the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.  We become undone and humble ourselves to His cleansing.  When we recognize His omniscience, we realize that we can’t fool God, and we know that we can trust Him.  He knows all about us and loves us anyway!  When we recognize God’s sovereignty, we bow to Him and obey Him.  Ps. 115:3 says – “Our God is in heaven, He does what He pleases.”  Now, we know that what He pleases is for our good and not for evil, so we can trust Him.

I pray that your prayer for today would be that you desire to know God in this more intimate way.  Start by voicing your belief in His holiness, His omniscience, and His sovereignty.  Seek God and know wisdom in your daily life.