“Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways” (Prov. 20:30, GN).
Ask God for wisdom to understand the cause for your failure. Ask, “Why did I fail? Is there any reason I might have set myself up to fail?”
There are many unconscious reasons we sometimes sabotage our own efforts:
- A fear of success: Success may mean handling more responsibility than you want to carry.
- A sense of guilt: If you feel you don’t deserve to succeed, you may have set yourself up to fail.
- An attitude of resentment: Some people fail as a way to get even with those who are pressuring them to succeed.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all” (James 1:5, NIV).
Forget the past and focus on the future
Your past is past! It’s water under the bridge. You can’t change it so you may as well stop worrying about it.
“Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back; I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14, GW).
We serve a God of second chances—failure is never final unless you let it be!
