THE LAWS OF FAILURE There two kinds of people who fail: the first kind fails because he is trying; the second kind fails to try. The first failure is God-focused; the second is self-focused. The God-focused failure is a good failure. This failure pleases God in his effort to obey and follow. This failure is goal oriented. Not accomplishing the goal given to him by God is more of a concern to him than failing in his attempts to reach the goal. Failing only motivates him to seek God more and try harder to follow exactly what the Lord tells him to do. Failing intensifies his determination. The self-focused failure is the worst kind of failure. This failure is performance oriented. Failing in his performance is more embarrassing to him than not accomplishing anything. Frequently, failing paralyzes him into doing nothing. The God-focused failure fears disappointing God and himself by failing to accomplish what God has given him to do. This one is humble and is willing to learn through failing that without God he can do nothing. This failure concerns himself most, not with grading his performance, but with getting God glory through his yielded and obedient efforts. The self-focused failure is so self-oriented that he fears what “failing” says to him about himself. This one is so full of pride and an unwillingness to fail or make any mistakes that he is willing to let souls go to hell to spare himself the “humiliation” of failing. This one is so concerned about his self-image and his image among people that he refuses to do God’s will and obey His word lest he allows trying to follow God to shame him and to put him under “condemnation” because of his failures in trying. The God-focused failure is more concerned about the eternal destination of souls. Doing nothing is not an option. Doing something, no matter how risky, is mandatory. This failure could not live with himself if he let people be lost because he put himself first. The self-focused failure is more concerned about the opinions of men, pleasing them, and protecting himself. Therefore, he risks nothing in order to keep from risking being embarrassed before men and being an embarrassment to himself. The God-focused failure thinks mostly about what God thinks; the self-focused failure thinks mostly about what people think about him and what they say about him. The first is more concerned with God’s blessings; the second is more concerned with man’s approval. The first is more concerned about the eternal; the second (by default) is more concerned about the temporal. The first does not think about himself and/or the consequence that his failures may bring upon himself. The second tells himself that he just trying to protect God from being embarrassed by his failure when, in reality, his only real concern is himself and people’s opinion of him. The first is more concerned with results; the second is most concerned with “properly performing” his duties in a manner that avoids embarrassment. The first is an obedient failure; the second is a disobedient “success.” As leaders, the God-focused failure is a “visionary” leader; the self-focused is a “maintenance” leader. The first is focused on getting to where he and his followers are supposed to be; the second is focused on “keeping the peace.” The first is more concerned with decision making; the second with problem solving. The first has no problem admitting his mistakes; the second is an excuse-maker who will do anything to shift the blame to others and spare himself the shame. The God-focused failure is envied by men and honored by God. The self-focused failure is pitied by men and despised by God. The God-focused failure will almost certainly be saved. The self-focused has very little chance to be saved unless he comes to repentance, but since he has spent so much time justifying himself, it would take a miracle of the grace of God for him ever to be willing to admit who and what he really is — a failure in God’s eyes! Which failure you and I are is NOT a matter of character, personality, or disposition. It is a matter of humility or pride. God does not judge my personality; He does judge my faith and my obedience. Determining which type of failure that I will be is my choice and mine alone because ultimately, it is a spiritual problem not a psychological one. It is a faith issue not a performance critique. It is not about who has the most giftings and/or opportunities; it is about who is willing to seek God and be the most submitted and obedient. God predetermined us to be failures according to His Word. God alone is perfect and never makes mistakes. The Lord knew that we could not “perform” His commands through our own strength. His goals and expectations for us are impossible for humans to accomplish through human strength, intellect, and ability. Until we learn to totally depend upon God, we are purposed by God to fail. Failure is His plan for us; our failures are intended by the Lord to cause us to face our limitations, to bring us into His yoke, and to promote a relationship with Him. When we do appear to have succeeded, we immediately reveal what type of a failure that we are by our reaction to “our” success. The God-focused failure profusely thanks and praises God for His blessing, acknowledging the fact that it was God who did the work, and therefore, deserves the glory. The self-focused failure feels great pride and satisfaction in his accomplishment and waits impatiently for others to recognize his success and give him the accolades that “he so richly deserves.” If these praises of men do not come his way or are not as profuse or intense as he thinks he deserves, then this “failure” is offended! The God-focused failure discovers his “self-worth” is in WHO he is: a “child of God”! The second craves the approval of men to try and overcome the secret fears that he harbors that he is less than others. The self-focused performs in order to be accepted by God without realizing that it is impossible to win God’s approval through performance. Therefore, never feeling accepted by God and not understanding why, the second subconsciously shifts his source of approval from God to man believing that man is easier to please than God is. Unfortunately the second failure never understands that he is loved by God for WHO HE IS AND NOT WHAT HE DOES! The God-focused failure is blessed to fail because it compels him to face himself and his need for God. The self-focused failure avoids looking at himself at all cost because he fears what inner honesty will say to him about himself. Therefore, the second is actually being cursed by God when allowed any measure of “success” because it allows him to avoid having to examine himself and it “promotes” to him a false sense of “goodness” and “rightness” about who he is and how he approaches “living” his “Christianity.” God works for and with the first failure; He resists the efforts of the second. God only allows the second to succeed so that he would be further filled with himself and more completely deceived by himself. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Man considers the “successful” man proud and the “unsuccessful” man humble; but not God! Humility and/or pride describe the source of the strength being depended upon for the successes and determine the one who receives the credit after the success is realized. Success causes the God-focused failure to seek God more earnestly because he realizes that the Lord alone is able to give true success. The self-focused failure sees his success as confirmation of the rightness of his efforts to win the approval of others through self-effort and becomes more fully resolved to “work harder” to become even more successful. Success causes the first to become more humble and the second to become even more embolden in the pride of his self-sufficiency and his independence from the needing the empowerment of God’s Spirit to please God. He thinks that if can please himself, then God should be pleased with him as well. Both the God-focused and self-focused failures do “work.” However, the first failure does his work through the strength and the enablement of God’s grace working with God and at His direction; the second depends upon his own strength and goodness to do a work “for” God. The first seeks God’s glory; the second seeks his own. The man Christ Jesus hung on the cross as a failure in the eyes of all; but in the end he was resurrected by the power of God to a place of great success. Similarly the first failure strives to be close to God and to be obedient to Him regardless of the cost; the second denies, lies, and flees to avoid the fate of the savior. The second is more likely to be shouting with the crowd “Crucify him,” than standing with the one whose obedience has taken them to the point of rejection, defeat, and death. Jesus proved conclusively that what God makes to “appear” as failure is in reality only an open door to victory and great blessing. The God-focused failure welcomes the trial; the self-focused considers the trial the judgement of God and thus attempts to avoid the test by any means possible. Therefore, the first failure embraces the cross while the second avoids the cross at all cost! The cross of failure is the only source of true success — victory in Jesus! You and I will be one failure or the other. We cannot be both — they are mutually exclusive attitudes and perspectives! We must and will choose between the two. Which failure we choose to be will determine our actual destiny here and our final destination there! (Given to me at 5:30 am before waking - 12/1/2008) Shared today by the will of God. Chester M Wright Twitter: @thebishop7 Facebook: Apostolic Iron page
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 12:19:42 +0000
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