Triumph Through Failure
By Charles Stanley
Also available as a podcast at: http://thelife.com/blogs/experience/kindle/2008/08/06/triumph-through-failure-3/
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Please open your Bible and read John 21:1-19.
We’ve all made tracks through the valley of failure. What matters is how we respond: do we give up and live a defeated life, or do we believe God can restore us?
The story of Peter’s failure and subsequent restoration gives us tremendous encouragement. Jesus knew that Peter would fall short, but He had specifically prayed for the disciple’s faith not to fail. The Lord told Peter ahead of time that his failure would not be the end of the story – he would stand up again and strengthen the others.
Peter failed; he wasn’t a failure. The Enemy wants us to see our failures as part of our identity rather than something that has resulted from our actions. But the truth is that we belong to God, and our failures can actually prepare us to be used more greatly by Him. He uses these times in our lives to push our walk forward in great leaps. In order for the Lord to mold Peter into the leader of strength and humility he’d soon become, the disciple’s heart needed to be purified by being broken. When we build walls around our heart to deny God access, we are resisting much – needed brokenness and healing. If we want God to use us, we must allow Him to get rid of the “chaff” that keeps us from reaching our maximum potential to glorify Him.
Amazingly, failure can be the catalyst that moves us to a whole new vision of what God is doing in our lives. He can use our failure to give us a new beginning along with a renewed understanding of the purpose He has given us.
Question: How have past failures made you the person you are today, a better person, as a result?
About this Author: http://thelife.com/experience/devotionalformen/authors/charles-stanley/
