EVERY DEFEAT CARRIES THE SEEDS OF YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS

 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”—Galatians 6:7

 

You may have heard the expression that God does not create any failures; however, when we look at the world around us, we can see failure.  Financial institutions have failed, a variety of types of business have been forced to close there doors, and all around the world we see relationships that have failed.  Failure can be a dreadful word.  No one likes to the think about failure, or experience it.  However, everyone can be subject to the attacks of failure.  Throughout the Scriptures, many of God’s servants suffered failures.  Some of the most successful men and women in history have experienced failure.  If God does not create failures, why then are we seeing so many of them?  I believe that there are times that God allows failure because we as humans are not perfect, and those individuals who go on to eventually succeed are the ones who understand the difference between temporary defeat and failure.  These are the ones who look beyond life’s occasional setbacks, and refuse to give up, no matter what obstacles that confront them.

 

Jesus’ parable of two men who had built a house is a vivid picture of both success and failure.  One of the men built the foundation of his house upon rock, the other on sand.  When the storms unleashed their fury, one house stood and the other fell.  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fail, for it was founded on the rock.   But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).  In this parable, we can find two principles that can protect us from lasting failure in our personal, family, business, and spiritual lives.

 

First, always build upon the strong, immovable foundation of truth.  Any aspect of life that violates truth is doomed to failure.  It may stand for a season, but eventually it will collapse.  The truth of Scripture should be our guide in business, as-well-as in our family life.  Detours around truth and honesty will always lead to disappointment and ultimately failure. 

Second, build for the storms of life that come.  What you build will be tested.  The consequences of shoddy work, laziness, dishonesty, though it may be well-hidden, will surely bring failure tomorrow.  You cannot escape the eternal principle: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

 

God is not the author of our failures thought He does allow it.  Even though we are His children and want what is best, we do not always know what is best: therefore, we may experience what looks like failure.  There are times that we allow ourselves to become sidetracked. Our priorities get out of order; our motivation becomes selfish; Christ is no longer the center of our lives.  These are times that God uses failure as a way of getting our attention; humbling us, and bringing us back to Himself. 

 

Always remember that there is a difference between failing and being a failure.  God does not make failures; however, sometimes He allows us to fail today in order to bring us success in our tomorrow.  God has planted in your every defeat the seeds of your future success.  Successful people are those who apply God’s remedy: humbling themselves before Him in repentance, surrendering to His will and His goals for their lives.  For the believer, every failure can be a stepping stone to success.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that You have not made me a failure. Today I humble myself before You, and repent for doing things my way. I ask you to help me turn every situation in my life into a success, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

YOU CAN BASE YOUR WHOLE LIFE ON GOD’S PROMISES

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”—2 Corinthians 1:20

 

A promise is valuable only if the one making it has trustworthy character and the ability to carry through.  In today’s world, people may promise us many things, but do they possess the character and have the ability to carry through?  Scripture tells us over and over again that God’s promises never fail.  Our heavenly Father is truthful, faithful, loving, and all-powerful.  You can base your entire life on His promises, secure in the knowledge that He will do just as He has said.

 

The Christian’s life rests on the foundation of God’s promises for today and for the future.  That’s why my goal is to encourage you to read your Bible more and help you believe in and take advantage of the wonderful array of promises found throughout His Word.  You can trust everything that our heavenly Father has said because His Word shows Him to be…

 

Truthful—The Lord knows what is true and speaks honestly in all matters.  Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; … hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”   We humans are pretty weak-willed.  Sometimes out of fear we will make an impulsive promise, even though we know we cannot keep it.  But God does not need to do that.  For one, He never feels threatened or pressured.  But most important, the Bible says He simply cannot lie, “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God lie, …” (Hebrews 6:18) and, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).   His promises are based on His infinite knowledge and truthfulness. 

Faithful—Scripture compares the Lord to a shepherd who, “He will feed His flocks like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).  What He has planned for us, He will bring to fruition, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  Our heavenly Father does not waver in His intentions or will.  In Matthew 24:35, Jesus explains, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”  In fact, God goes out of His way to guarantee Himself for all eternity:  “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of my lips” (Psalm 89:34).  Then He backs it up by doing what He says.

Loving—God is love, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love’ (1 John 4:8).  God’s love for us was demonstrated at the cross.  He sent His son Jesus to die by crucifixion and thereby take the punishment for our sins.  The Savior experienced God’s wrath against iniquity so we might know only His love. “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).   This is the ultimate proof of His devotion to us.

 

All-powerful—Divine power created the world and raised the Savior back to life, so we know God has the ability to carry out all His plans.   In Colossians 1:17 we find that, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consists.” And in Revelations 19:6, “And I heard, as it were the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”  Our omnipotent Father will keep every one of His promises.

 

Prayer—Father today I lay all of my insecurities of not trusting You aside.  I understand that I can trust You with everything because You are truthful, faithful, loving and all-powerful.  Today I choose to trust You in everything that concerns my life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

 

 

ATTITUDES THAT SHAPE DIVINE HAPPINESS

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”—Proverbs 23:7

 

Our attitudes shape our mind-set—our focus.  How we view certain things affects every area of our life.  Jesus taught different attitudes than the religious leaders.  We are able to see the marked contrast of attitudes between the world’s thinking and our Lord’s viewpoint in Matthew 5 -7. 

 

The word "beatitude" comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The phrase "blessed are" in each of the beatitudes implies a current state of happiness or well-being—an attitude, as well as a promised future reward.  The expression held powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness" to the people of the day.  In other words, Jesus was saying "divinely happy and fortunate are" those who possess these inward qualities / attitudes.

 

Today we will highlight the Be Attitudes in Matthew 5:3 and 10

 

(v. 3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor in spirit / kingdom of heaven

 The word “poor” is speaking of being inferior, inadequate, or lacking, such as when we speak of poor attendance or poor health.  Jesus was telling those who recognized their spiritual inadequacies to be happy because help had come. They could receive new spirits (2 Corinthians 5:17) by letting the kingdom of God come within them (Luke 17:21 and Romans 14:17).

  

 (v. 10) “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Revile, persecute and all kinds of evil / great reward in heaven

 Persecution is an inevitable part of the Christian life (John 15:18-20 and Philippians 1:29-30). The only Christians who don't suffer persecution are those who aren't living godly lives (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecution is from Satan and is designed to uproot God's Word in our lives (Mark 4:16-17) by taking our eyes off of Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3) and, therefore, making us fall into strife or despondency (James 3:16).

 

There are many forms of persecution. Having our lives threatened because of our faith in Jesus is one way we can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging. History shows that the church has always flourished under persecution with increased numbers and zeal. During intense, life-threatening persecution, people's priorities get straightened out, and the Lord assumes His rightful place. This always works for our good, regardless of what our outward circumstances might be.

 

A far deadlier form of persecution is simply people speaking evil of us or separating us from their company, as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:11-12.  It is deadlier because it's more subtle. Many who would never directly deny the Lord will fall into self-pity or strife because of someone's criticism. This will render us just as ineffective as would a negative reaction to our lives being threatened.

 

It helps to recognize that it is not us whom they are persecuting, but rather Christ in us (Acts 9:4). We are actually becoming partakers of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10) and will share His rewards (Romans 8:17-18, 2 Timothy 2:11-12, and Hebrews 11:26). With this in mind, we can actually shout and leap for joy in persecution (Luke 6:22-23 and Acts 5:41).

 

These “be attitudes” give us a clear picture of the true disciple of God.

 

Prayer—Father I repent for attitudes that do not reflect You, and I ask You to refocus and reshape any attitude that is not aligned with how You think, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.