Dealing with Failure

Lessons of Life from Peters Failure

(Luke 22:24-33; 54-62)

This passage has a number of principles pertaining to sin and failure.

(1) Our every step, even our stumbling and sin, is included in the purpose and plan of God for our lives. While our motives may be wrong, and our actions displeasing to God, nevertheless God has included them in His plan to display His glory and to bring about what is for our ultimate good (Genesis 50:20; Psalm 37:23-24; Romans 8:28).

(2) Sin, for the Christian, is inevitable in that we will never in this life completely overcome it (Romans 7; 1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2, etc.).

(3) While sin is, in a sense, inevitable, it is always avoidable and it is never excusable. God never makes us sin (James 1:13). Satan cannot make us sin, though he may tempt us (Luke 22:31-32). Neither do circumstances compel us to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are always morally responsible for sin.

(4) For the Christian, all sins are forgiven, but there are still painful consequences (2 Samuel 11-12; Luke 22:61, etc.).

(5) Sin, while painful, is also profitable. “God causes all things (even our sin) to work together for good to those who love God …” (Romans 8:28). No man’s sin has ever kept God from realizing His purposes for that man’s life (cf. Jonah, Abraham, David, Peter, etc.).

Negatively, sin results in painful experiences which instruct us to avoid further unpleasant consequences. Positively, it deepens our grasp of the grace of God and our gratitude for it.

FIVE PRINCIPLES I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT FAILURE:

1.      Not everyone is talking about you….even when it feels that way…

2.      Your identity because of the failure may never fully go away…

3.      God loves you more than you can imagine, even when you fail…

4.      Forgiving yourself may be the most difficult thing…

5.      The best days of your life may be after the failure…not before…
if you allow God to shape the rest of your story…

Would you allow your story to help others? What’s one thing you have learned from failure? (Please share it as a comment on the blog, even if you are reading this on Facebook, to allow others to read your thoughts.)

"Dealing With Weakness"

"My power shows up best in weak people." 2 Corinthians 12:9 TLB

Good news: God loves to use weak people! If He only used perfect ones nothing would ever get done. Your greatest weakness can actually become your greatest weapon, if you allow it to drive you closer to the Lord. So what prevents that? Pride! It's pride that makes us deny our weakness, defend it, excuse it or resent it. Jesus' first beatitude reads: "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule" (Mt 5:3 TM).

Now, you're not supposed to accept your character weaknesses and say: "Well, I guess that's just the way I am." No, you're supposed to work on them and overcome them by God's help.

But Paul spoke of a different kind of weakness: "a thorn" (2Co 12:7). This could be physical, such as a chronic illness or disability. It could be emotional, such as a painful memory or hereditary disposition. It could be intellectual. After all, we're not all super bright or talented. When you consider your limitations you may be tempted to conclude: "God could never use me." Wrong! God is never limited by your limitations; in fact, He enjoys putting His great power into ordinary containers. Paul writes: "We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us" (2Co 4:7 CEV). Like common pottery, fragile, flawed and easily broken, God will use us if we'll only allow Him to work through us. That way, there's no doubt about who gets the credit!

"I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

At first this verse doesn't seem to make sense. We want to be freed from our weaknesses, not boast about them! But Paul gives us several reasons you may not have considered:

(1) Your weakness prevents arrogance. Paul writes: "So I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations" (2 Co 12:7 TM). You'll often find a major weakness attached to a major strength, acting as a governor to keep us from getting exalted, or running ahead of God. Gideon chose 32,000 men to fight the Mideonites. But God reduced his numbers to 300, making the odds 450 to 1. Why? So that Israel would know that it was God's power and not their own that saved them.

(2) Your weakness produces fellowship. While strength can breed an independent spirit ("I don't need anybody else"), our weakness shows us how much we need each other. When we weave the weak strands of our lives together, a rope of great strength is created. Vance Havner said: "Christians, like snowflakes, are frail, but when they stick together they can stop traffic."

(3) Your weakness creates compassion and ministry to others. People actually find healing in your wounds. Your greatest message and your most effective ministry will usually come out of your most difficult experiences. The things you're most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, most reluctant to share, are the very tools God can use most powerfully to help others.

"Their weakness was turned to strength." Hebrews 11:34 NLT

Hudson Taylor said: "All God's giants were weak people." Moses' weakness was his temper, yet God worked on him until we read: "Moses was a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on earth" (Nu 12:3 TM). Gideon's weakness was low self-esteem. Yet God transformed him into a mighty man of valor" (Jdg 6:12). Abraham's weakness was fear. Not once, but twice he lied and said his wife was his sister in order to save his neck. Yet God transformed him into "The...father of those who have faith" (Ro 4:11 NLT). When God got through with David, the adulterer, he called him: "A man after mine own heart" (Acts 13: 22 NLT). Listen: "It would take too long to recount the stories of...Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets...Their weakness was turned to strength" (Heb 11:32-34 NLT).

If all people see are your strengths, they get discouraged and think: "Well, good for you, but I'll never be able to do that." But when they see God using you in spite of your struggles, it encourages them to think: "Maybe God can use me too!"

At some point in your life you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence them! You can impress them from a distance, but you must get close to influence them. When you do that they'll be able to see your flaws. But that's okay: your most essential quality is not perfection, its credibility. And how do you build credibility? Not by pretending to be perfect, but by being honest!

from : Christian Devotionals Praise-and-Worship.com

Leadership Lessons Part 5

Relational Empowerment

Effective Leaders See Relational Empowerment As Both A Means And A Goal Of Ministry.

Personal relationships between a leader and followers allow for interdependence in the body. Leaders need the feedback that comes through personal relationships with their followers. Leaders should developing body life (reciprocal living—the one-another commands) as a major goal. This kind of behavior in a group provides a base from which all kinds of development can occur. For example, personal relationships will develop which will lead to mentoring. Mentoring is probably the best informal means for developing followers and especially emerging leaders. It is in the context of close, accountable, personal relationships that younger leaders can be encouraged and truly empowered.

A leader ought to view personal relationships as a Biblical and critical priority in ministry both for developing ambiance for growth and for empowering others via mentoring methods. Mentoring is one of the most appropriate means of developing followers and challenging emerging leaders. Modeling, one form of mentoring, is one of the most important influence means. Personal relationships form the seedbed for both mentoring and modeling.

Biblical Examples: Jesus, Paul

Sense Of Destiny

Effective Leaders Evince A Growing Awareness Of Their Sense Of Destiny.

A sense of destiny is an inner conviction arising from an experience (or a series of experiences) in which there is a growing awareness that God has His hand on a leader in a special way for special purposes. This typically happens along a three-fold destiny pattern: destiny preparation, destiny revelation, and destiny fulfilment.

That is, a leader is usually unaware of preparation items as they happen, but in retrospect can reflect and see how God was preparing for a destiny. The sense of destiny deepens as God begins to unfold more clearly life purpose, role, and strategic guidance. And finally some or all of the destiny is fulfilled. Leaders become gradually aware of a destiny with God as He continues to shape them over a lifetime.

A leader ought to be sensitive to destiny shaping activities in his/her past and present, and be anticipating their future implications. This awareness informs decision making reflecting partnership with God toward fulfilling that destiny. No Biblical leader greatly used by God failed to have a strong sense of destiny. A strong sense of destiny will buttress a leader to persevere toward a strong finish.

Biblical Examples: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Paul. Joseph, Moses, and Paul vividly demonstrate the threefold pattern of destiny preparation, destiny revelation and destiny fulfilment.

Leadership lessons Part 4

Dynamic Ministry Philosophy

Effective Leaders Who Are Productive Over A Lifetime Have A Dynamic Ministry Philosophy.

An unchanging set of core values and a changing set of peripheral values comprise a dynamic ministry philosophy. Such a ministry philosophy expands due to a growing discovery of giftedness, changing leadership situations, and greater understanding of the Scriptures. A leader’s discovery of his/her giftedness and development of the same takes place over 10 to 15 years of ministry.

Continued discovery will bring about issues of ministry philosophy not previously seen or anticipated. The same is true of the Scriptures. A leader will continue to master the Word over a lifetime. New input will lead to new philosophical values which will add to, clarify, or even replace earlier philosophical values which now become less important. Finally, leaders will usually move through three or four very different ministry situations over a lifetime. Each new situation will demand discovery of new leadership values. But a leader will also have some core values which continue throughout all phases. This core will also expand as new critical leadership values are added. But that leader will also have numerous periphery leadership values which will change, come and go, over a lifetime.

A leader ought to identify core and peripheral leadership values under girding his/her leadership philosophy and be ready to adapt and changes these over a lifetime.

Ministry essentially flows out of being. A conglomerate of factors make up one’s being including (but not limited to): intimacy with God, personality, gender, giftedness, character, and values (convictions) learned via ministry experience. One’s ministry philosophy emerges from those values. Hence, if we are to operate in terms of who God has made us to be, we must increasingly become explicitly aware of the values that under gird our leadership.

 Biblical Examples: Joseph, Habakkuk (generally prophetic ministry demands a ministry that is value based), Paul.

5. Leadership Selection and Development

 Effective Leaders View Leadership Selection and Development As A Priority Function In Their Ministry.

 God raises up future leaders in present ministries. A major responsibility of Christian leaders is to partner with God in the on-going selection and development of leaders. The process of identifying and developing leaders is both a means and an end. It is an end in itself by producing new leaders. But it is also a means for stimulating life in the ministry that is doing it. Emerging leaders also bring new life to a ministry. Strong leaders usually attract emerging leaders to themselves who are potentially like-gifted. Leaders should recognize this pattern and proactively respond to it by developing those potential leaders so attracted. Leaders who fail to recognize, select, and develop emerging leaders in their ministry miss out on personal growth that comes through this experience. They may almost be guaranteeing a weak future ministry that is overly dependent upon themselves.

 Leaders ought to be involved in the selection and development of emerging leaders. No work of God can last long that is not producing new leaders. Any work of God is only one generation away from nominality and mediocrity. New leadership emerging offsets nominality and plateauing ministry.

 Biblical Examples: See Jesus ministry in the Gospels. See Paul’s ministry. Both of these leaders selected and developed leaders.