By Mike Rule

The Lord has been challenging me about what we as Christians believe about failure.  Sometimes we become so vexed with our failures that we land in despair.  We wind up beating ourselves up and become even more self-centered and inward focused because we do not have a doctrine of failure.

First, let’s look at what doctrine really is. The Hebrew word for doctrine literally means something received, that is, instruction.  The Greek word is similar.  It means instructions or teachings.  To summarize, a doctrine of failure is what the Lord has taught us through and about failure. We all have beliefs about failure that are proven each time we or someone else fails, but most believers I encounter do not have a doctrine of failure that is from the Lord. 

Recently someone asked me, When will I ever learn to listen? The answer I gave was quite simple: You will learn to listen when He has taught you all He has to teach you through failure.  Personally, I have longed for success in helping others; however, I usually ended up talking when I should have been listening. I did it repeatedly until I was brought to the point of despair. One day I realized that my flesh will NEVER want anything else. Flesh always wants to ignore the Lord and go its own way, even (or especially) if it is a "good" way. I often feel like a dog running at full speed only to hit the end of my leash and be jerked right off my feet. My flesh wants to go ANY way so long as it is not THE Way (Jesus). I am repeatedly faced with the choice between MY way and Yahweh. The only way I ever learn to choose Yahweh is to go MY way over and over and see the sickening results.  When I finally get tired of it, I am more than ready to listen to Him.  As hard as it is, I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.  I don't want Him to “fix” me (prevent my ever making a wrong choice).  I'm just glad He loves me whether I am a success or a “failure.” 

God wants us to learn how to live “failure” as a lifestyle in order to discover that Jesus is WELL pleased with us.  He is well pleased not because we are such a success, but because we keep turning to Him in SPITE of our failures. A Christian is not one who never fails, but one who gets up and runs directly to the Father when he or she fails.  Just like a child who falls down and gets hurt, we are free to flail around on the ground berating ourselves for not being better or for being so stupid as to fall.  Or, we can simply get up and run to the Father telling Him we fell and pouring out our hurt to Him.  We only wallow when we expect better of ourselves. If we expected nothing of ourselves, we would not be so depressed about our failures and could immediately run to Him. 

Perhaps another reason the Lord allows us make the same mistakes over and over again is because He wants to deal with the way we view others and ourselves.  One of the biggest challenges for me with many of my clients is to see them as children of God who are just as holy, blameless and righteous in His sight as any other believer.  Oftentimes, the depth of a person’s mental, emotional, and physical problems can leave me seeing projects rather than people.  I have fallen on my face before Jesus repeatedly begging Him to not let me see anyone as a project to be fixed but as a person to be loved.  At times I have despaired of ever seeing an end to a person’s struggles, but I rejoice to proclaim that our Redeemer is faithful and true.  He does through me what I could never do; yet it is NOT me doing it but Christ through me.  So long as we view someone else as “needy” we tend to treat him or her as someone who needs to be “fixed.” If we are going to take that attitude, we need to apply it to everyone because there are NONE who are righteous, no not ONE! (Psalm 53:3) We are all needy. I find that if I treat someone as a needy one, I take on a subtle “savior” mentality as I relate to them, forgetting that this individual already has a Savior.  As a teacher and counselor it is hard sometimes to keep my mouth shut and not offer counsel when the Lord is not prompting.  I have learned so much as I watch Him work in people and it is SO easy to fall into being wise in my own eyes (Proverbs 3:7a).  The answers to people's problems are so obvious, but the situation always ends up being a big mess if I am working in my own effort. Therefore, I thank God for the failures so that the excellency of the power is of God and not of Mike (Philippians 3:8).

Many times I fail by falling into the flesh pattern of fixing rather than loving.  Other times I stumble and fall back into looking at pornography or thinking thoughts that I should not be thinking.  There are times when I give in to anger or use language that is not appropriate for a child of God.  No matter what the issue is, when I fall into the flesh it is like doing a swan dive right into concrete.  I crash and burn and am left in a heap wondering how I ever got there.  At that moment I have a choice: I can beat myself up for not being better, or I can simply run to Daddy. 

So what are you going to do when you fail?  Beat yourself up for not being better, or run to Jesus? Will you let your failures direct you to Him, or will you wallow in self-pity?  It is only in running to Him that we begin to discover what Paul was talking about in Romans 5 – abounding grace because of sin.  Only when we have made that discovery are we ready to move over into Romans 6 and not continue in sin so that grace will abound.  I praise God for His abounding grace as found in our Lord Jesus.  Our Redeemer IS faithful and true!  AMEN!

Verses for Reflection

And keep in mind the way by which the Lord your God has taken you through the waste land these forty years, so that he might make low your pride and put you to the test, to see what was in your heart and if you would keep his orders or not.

(Deuteronomy 8:2 BBE)

"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.

(Deuteronomy 8:16 NASB)

It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

(2 Chronicles 32:30-31 NASB)

For God gives his word in one way, even in two, and man is not conscious of it: In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep comes on men, while they take their rest on their beds; Then he makes his secrets clear to men, so that they are full of fear at what they see; In order that man may be turned from his evil works, and that pride may be taken away from him; To keep back his soul from the underworld, and his life from destruction.

(Job 33:14-18 BBE)

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it.

(James 1:2-5 MSG)

Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11 MKJV)

But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light. At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.

(1 Peter 2:9-10 GNB)