“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:”
Proverbs 24:16 kjv
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Falling is Not Failure — Keep Getting Back Up![/caption]
Yesterday I felt like a
failure. I just didn’t pray enough. I prayed a few shorts spurts of prayer here and there, but I knew my heart wasn’t really into it like it should have been.
It’s at these times we have to
recognize our shortcomings. The flesh does continually battle against the spirit.
What I
should have done was go lock myself in the bathroom for awhile, soaked in some peace and quiet…. and deliberately took some “
time out” to just put my thoughts back on the Lord and His will… while asking the Holy Spirit to lead me in praying for others.
If our car wavers too far to the side of the road, what do we have to do? We have to pull the steering wheel back to the direction we need to go. That requires just a
simple, deliberate effort to head back in the right direction.
I want to encourage you not to quit.
Falling is not failure. Failure only happens when you quit — and
refuse to get back up. Falling is just a
delay in your progress.
If you feel that you’ve wavered too far from where you should be,
just get back on track! Trust me, the Lord’s more than willing to help you go the right direction.
He wants you there more than you want yourself there!
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalms 86:5
Today is a new day,
fresh without mistakes. And if by the time you’re reading my post you’ve already messed up for the day, just rise up again. Ask the Lord to forgive you (
He’s ready and waiting) for your failure, and ask Him strength to continue on. He’ll do just that!
Prayer Bits
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Psalms 66:18
The Lord is certainly willing to forgive us when it’s a genuine effort of
repentance. But, when we cling to that sin and continue on in that sin, we’re
missing out on our prayers being heard. When we pray, we need to ask forgiveness for our sin so that we can restore our fellowship with the Lord. This doesn’t require an hour of begging God to forgive us. He’s “
ready to forgive” (Psalms 86:5). Just
ask Him to forgive you and trust Him to do so.
Don’t let Satan use your past failures to discourage you. He wants you to continue feeling shame so that you won’t pray and have joy. Satan wants you to feel like a loser instead of feeling victorious over sin. He wants you to miss out on the blessings of God!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10
Ask God right now to create a clean heart and to renew a right spirit in you.
He will do just that! Keep walking in faith. Just do it today! Don’t look too far down the road or worry about what’s around the corner. Serve God today. Pray to day. Follow on today.
Day 5
Get addicted to your
prayer journal! If you don’t yet have a prayer journal, try to get one started today. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A simple notebook will do.
Don’t trust your own memory to remember all the prayer needs. People are counting on your prayers!
A prayer journal also makes a great
timeline to look back and see what prayers have been answered.
Praise God for His faithfulness and for those answered prayers! If you’ll include dates and some specific details about your personal prayers, you’ll have a great journal to see God’s awesome handiwork in your life. His plan is perfect. His timing is perfect!
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