John 16:33 “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Trouble sometimes brings failures. What do I do with life’s failures? First of all you should not consider that you have failed unless you have not had a relationship with the Lord Jesus.  If you do not have such a relationship then you can say you have failed because you are not living the purposeful life that God meant for you to live when he created you. “That is being harsh” you say.  Then you begin to itemize all the wonderful things you have already done, your many accomplishments and the accolades you have received from your friends and colleagues, the things you own, etc.  All well and good! Now take that package and present it to God as the sum total of your life in the earth. “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast in his riches, but let him that boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23). How does your list stand up against this measurement now? Are they successes or failures?

On the other hand, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus and you are allowing the Holy Spirit to have his way, you will embrace every trial and heartache as a way to know God better. That quest brings delight to the heart of God. Your deeds will then flow from your obedience. In time it will dawn on you that many of your deeds are at odds with the person you used to be.  Those are the sacrificial deeds which have eternal worth.

So if you are walking in lockstep with the things that God purposed for you to do, no aspect of your life can be considered a failure, no matter what your current circumstances look like. Setback is not failure. You serve a God of new beginnings, and he creates favor for his children. Believe and trust him for the forward movement you need. You can be an overcomer! With God all things are possible!