How To Learn From Failures
Brother Solomon Joves: Welcome to another episode of The Solution. In our previous episodes, we’ve talked about success and how we will experience it if we put God first and always obey His commands. This is what the Bible teaches us—so this is what we hold on to the most.
But what if there are some who feel like they haven’t achieved that success they’re hoping for? It could be that we are working hard for a certain goal, but we didn’t get what we planned for. We failed in our attempt. It’s at this point that the negative associations of failure and deflating discomfort of defeat begin to creep up on us and take over our focus. For anyone wanting to cope with failure and, more importantly, looking to persevere in the face of failure, we’re glad you’re here.
Stick around, because we’re going to ask the Bible to give us The Solution.
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The Solution
Brother Solomon Joves: A true fact of life is that life will not always be easy. For those of us that really want to improve in our own lives, there will most likely be moments that we struggled to achieve success. The result of our struggle may not always be favorable though. There will be times of success, but there will also be times when we don’t succeed. This could lead us to feeling like a complete failure, bringing us down and wanting to give up. What should we do if we ever feel like a complete failure and maybe even feel hopeless? Let’s turn to the pages of the Bible, in Psalm 42:11:
But, O my soul, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!
[Psalm 42:11 Living Bible]
Brother Solomon Joves: How should we cope with feeling like a failure? We should do what the servant of God did in this verse that we have just read. He didn’t let himself drown in his misery. He didn’t allow himself to be //.upset.
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Don’t be discouraged. Wait for God’s help
Brother Solomon Joves: He told himself, “O my soul, don’t be discouraged.” What thoughts were in this servant of God’s mind so that he wouldn’t be discouraged? He said, “I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do.” This is why he reminded himself, “Expect God to act!”
If any of you are joining us now and feeling discouraged, don’t let that discouragement overtake you. God’s servants who, despite the problems they encounter, do not stop but continue praising and worshiping Him can expect God will help them. What is the blessing if God is with us? Again, let’s read what the Bible teaches. This time in Romans 8:31. This is the answer:
In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?
[Romans 8:31 Good News Translation]
Brother Solomon Joves: What is the blessing if God is with us, dear friends? Well, no one can be against us. Does this mean, though, that nothing will ever rise against us? There will still be, in fact. Satan uses many instruments as he tries to destroy our faith. However, what are we certain of if God is with us? Our enemy will not succeed, because God will protect us.
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With God, we can overcome
Brother Solomon Joves: Is there anyone who can defeat God? Of course not. If any of us feel discouraged because of failure—cheer up! The Lord God is with us. Even during times of disappointment in our life, what should we not allow to happen if we’re experiencing failure or we get discouraged? The Bible has the answer. Let’s read this time here in II Corinthians 10:3:
I do live in the world. But I don’t fight my battles the way the people of the world do.
[II Corinthians 10:3 New International Reader’s Version]
Brother Solomon Joves: What is it that we should not allow to happen, dear viewers? We shouldn’t fight our battles the way the people of this world do. Why is this strategy and practice important in times when we experience failure in life? Because there are times we may be tempted to cheer ourselves up, or help ourselves feel better, the way the people of this world do when we experience disappointment. They depend on wealth, power, wisdom, influence, and other things of this world. We can’t let ourselves act like people who don’t belong to God, even in those moments when we fail or get discouraged.
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Our reaction to failure should demonstrate loyalty to God
Brother Solomon Joves: For example, what’s one solution for some people when they get sad? Some people turn to alcohol or drugs. Others become reckless and make decisions without thinking of the consequences because they get so caught up in their emotions. But the children of God? We don’t fight our battles in that way. We have a God who loves us, and we don’t act like the people who don’t have the Lord God on their side.
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Remember our Christian identity when reacting to failure
Brother Solomon Joves: He is with us, so we need to keep trusting Him. Why should we keep trusting in the Lord God? Again, the Bible teaches us. This time in Hebrews 13:5:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
[Hebrews 13:5 New International Version]
Brother Solomon Joves: Why should we continue to trust in our Almighty God? Because God promises to never leave us. God promises to never forsake us.
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God promises to not forsake those who trust Him
Brother Solomon Joves: If God will never forsake us, then we know we will never face any situation alone. Since we know that the Father is with us, even in those times of failure, how should we react whenever we experience failures and disappointments in life? Again, in the Bible here in II Corinthians 4:8-9:
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.
[II Corinthians 4:8-9 Living Bible]
Brother Solomon Joves: How should we react when we experience failure and disappointment in life? Don’t give up. Don’t quit. If we get knocked down, we need to get up again and keep going. Yes, there are troubles and problems that we have to face. Don’t the problems that Apostle Paul faced sound similar? Whatever it is that you’re working towards, whatever is the good that you are working towards, you are probably doing so to benefit your family and yourself. It is also hopefully a plan of yours to do good that would give glory to the Almighty God. Be prepared for hard pressing troubles.
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Be prepared for hard times
Brother Solomon Joves: Anticipate perplexing moments. Realize that being knocked down is a part of development and growth and proving the value of what you are working towards. We must not give up, we must not quit. We may not understand why things are happening, but we do know Who to have on our side and how to keep Him on our side.
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Don’t give up on our hope in God
Brother Solomon Joves: What if our problems are so heavy and so numerous or many that we find ourselves on the point of losing courage and hope? The Bible has the answer. Here in Isaiah 40:28-31:
Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The LORD is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts. He strengthens those who are weak and tired. Even those who are young grow weak; young people can fall exhausted. But those who trust in the LORD for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.
[Isaiah 40:28-31 Good News Translation]
Brother Solomon Joves: Who will not grow weak, no matter how many troubles, or how difficult the troubles they encounter? The Bible says, “those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.” Truly successful people place their trust in the Lord and look to Him for strength. His help is trustworthy. Our God is a God that never grows tired or weary. When He is our strength, we run but don’t feel weary. When we place our trust in Him, we can walk and not grow weak.
For a true servant of God, what coping with failure is, is to really look at our situation from a different perspective. Failure is no fun, but failure helps us remember that we need to look to God for our blessings and not rely on ourselves. Failure gives us a place for pause so that we can ask ourselves, “What does God want me to learn from this experience?” Then, we can look to God, place our trust in Him, and anticipate the great things that He will again provide for us. But what if it feels like we’re nowhere near success? What if the failures and struggles are one after the other, and we feel like we’re drowning in failure? This leads us to ask: Why do people experience failure? This is what the Bible says. In Deuteronomy 28:20, listen to what it teaches:
If you do evil and turn away from the Lord, he will make bad things happen to you. You will have frustration and trouble in everything you do. He will continue to do this until you are quickly and completely destroyed. He will do this because you turned away from him and left him.
[Deuteronomy 28:20 Easy-to-Read Version]
Brother Solomon Joves: Whom does the Bible say will surely suffer failures? The verse says, “If you do evil and turn away from the Lord,” then “he will make bad things happen [to] you. You will have frustration and trouble in everything you do.” Why would God let such people suffer frustrations and complete destruction? The Bible says, He will do this because you turned away from Him and left him. So, if we are faced with multiple setbacks and frustrations in multiple areas of our life, we should remember to examine and renew our life. Let us keep God as our priority, placing our trust in Him as we work toward our goals.
Brother Solomon Joves: Dear viewers, if our problem in life is making sense of all your setbacks and failures, we hope that this study has inspired you to get up again and keep going. It is our prayer that all of you, joining us on this program, will hold on to God’s words, and together, overcome the failures in life and reach great successes by counting on God and placing our trust in Him.
Thank you for joining us on this episode of The Solution, we’ll see you next time.
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