Our Promise Today

For many people their daily lives are filled with regrets. Shadows of what might have been and the ever present could have, should have, would have seem to dominate our thoughts. While we are supposed to learn from our mistakes and missed opportunities, we are by no means supposed to dwell on them so much that they become permanent fixtures in our lives and our decision making.

Every single person in the world has at some point in their life made a mistake or missed an opportunity. There you go. Now you can breathe. The pressure is off. You don't have to be perfect. We place so much effort on perfection. I remember sitting the the recording studio tracking a bass line. I found every little thing to criticize. I spent almost an hour on one track. The more I compared it to my last track, the more I wanted to redo it. Finally the engineer made me move on. The project released without a hitch.

All you need to do is read the scriptures and you will see that the imperfection of humanity is exactly what God wants to use. If we did it in our strength, we would brag about it and become arrogant. God does want us to get better and use the past to make better decisions but the greatest promise I think I have found in scripture is simply this.

What is to come is greater than what has passed. 

God has destined us for great things. Understand that your definition of great and God's definition of great might be two very different things. We often over use Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord...You know the rest but understand that God does know the plans he has for you. They are not plans to destroy you but rather to do greater things than you have done in the past.

In the spiritual sense, we are all late bloomers. No matter how many great things you have done in your life, your future is greater than your past. The lyrics of Chris Tomlin's God Of This City are very true. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done where you are. Don't get hung up in your past. With Christ every day is a new day. We just need to recognize that and live our lives like he is directing us to live them.

How To Get Past Failure

For many people the fear of failure is a life alterer. Decisions that should be simple are made complex by rehashing past experiences and dwelling on the mistake rather than the current set of circumstances. It is estimated that somewhere in the neighborhood of 60% of all Americans have some type of life altering fear of failure.

Failure is going to happen at some point in our life. We will make a mistake or an assumption that will lead to an error. When that time comes, we need to remember one thing.

FAILURE IS AN EVENT NOT A PERSON

I wish I could take credit for that little pear of wisdom but I can't. Wilfredo De Jesus in one of his leadership periscopes dropped that piece of knowledge. I do however want to dwell on that for a moment. In life, there will be events that we excel in and events that we totally bomb. Both events have teachable moments in them but just because you bomb an event doesn't mean you as an individual are a failure.

Satan tries to get us to beat ourselves up on a daily basis. He uses well intentioned individuals in many cases to expedite the process. If the enemy can get you to destroy yourself, you are no danger to him. Where true hope and worth come from is realizing 3 things.

1. God has created you. I know that seems rather trivial to think about because most of us share that belief. However, we seem to forget that God in the creation process had to know that we are flawed. If we weren't flawed then why would he have to send Jesus to redeem us? He knows us and what we are capable of. We need to trust him and his plan.

2. We are placed intentionally not by chance. Have you ever prayed for a new job? I think we all have at some point. We could have felt marginalized or even out right taken advantage of. But, we need to understand that God doesn't do accidents. We are where we are for a reason. Yes, it could just be for a certain period of time, but until God says your done keep looking and keep trying.

3. Success is not measured by your standard. One of my favorite verses in scripture is Col 3:23. Do everything are you are doing it for God instead of man. When we work and make the effort with the proper motive (pleasing God) our rubric for analyzing success changes. Suddenly, man's opinion is just that an opinion. It may be loud and boisterous but it is still his opinion. Success is measured by the amount of failure you stand on.

God helps us rise above failure and he also has a fun way of silencing the critics that we come in contact on a daily basis. Have you failed in life? Do you feel that your past failures eliminate you from deserving success? You are not a failure. You have bombed some things in your life but God has created you and placed you intentionally and he is measuring you. If you heart is right, he is pleased. You are here to serve him and be his message and mouthpiece. You are here to be his hands and feet not to bow down at the altar of self-inhalation. If you have failed in events, choose to defy them instead of let them define you. Rise up and be the person God has called you to be. You are more than a conquerer. You are destined for greatness and to reign in life.

FAILURE IS AN EVENT NOT A PERSON.