Tag Archives: flaws

Overcome Your Failures: They Do NOT Define You!

Failures are a common cause of insecurity. Sometimes these insecurities stem from a fear of failure. Maybe it’s from previous failures, maybe even a series of them. Occasionally they may come from failures consisting of bad decisions, wrong living, intentional or even unintentional mistakes, etc. We occasionally have the misbelief that our failures define us. They don’t! Our failures can hinder us and hold us back if we let them, but they don’t have to. We can learn to overcome them and even use them as a springboard to launch us even further into success.

Failures can teach us.

King David’s sin and failures (adultery and murder) haunted him: “For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.” Psalm 51:3 (NLT) Our failures often haunt us. In fact, the devil loves to keep us in this exact position. Another word for it is self-condemnation. The devil wants us to believe that we ARE a failure because we have failed. He loves to keep us in torment over our mistakes. He wants us to believe that we will never be enough because of what we have done. The good news is that God says the complete opposite…

“… And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”” John 8:11 (ESV)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17 (NIV)

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NLT)

God won’t write us off

God won’t write us off. He didn’t write David off, even though he was an adulterer and murderer.

He didn’t write Paul off, even though he was a sworn enemy of Jesus and murderer of Christians.

God won’t write YOU off, regardless of your failures!

God is omniscient (all-knowing). He already knew Continue reading →

“Test Me”…Caution: Invites Harsh Conditions

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24

I’ve mentioned before that it’s a good practice to start your quiet times or Bible reading times with these verses in Psalms as a prayer:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24

It’s a great way to do a regular heart check and listen for God to reveal anything to us that we might need to work on. I actually have these verses written inside the cover of my journals as a daily opening prayer. First, I’ll pray these verses. Then, I’ll try to sit quietly and just listen and pay attention to anything that comes to mind. If something does, I’ll confess it right then and repent, asking God to basically clean me up!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

Recently I saw Psalm 139:23-24 from a different perspective and realized that there might be a little more to this request than just sitting and listening for God to show me areas that need some work or improvement.

“Test”: Hebrew (H974) בָּחַן bâchan

A couple of weeks ago as I was going through this process of saying the verses, the words “test me” stood out to me. That’s usually a prompt for me to dig in a little deeper. So I did! I looked up the Hebrew word for “test” used here in this verse.

“test”: Hebrew (H974) בָּחַן bâchan

The Hebrew definition stated that it means to try, improve, examine, scrutinize, tempt, try/trial, to investigate, or to test (especially metals). Then the part about testing metals stood out to me. Immediately an analogy came to mind.

We like to watch the show “Forged in Fire” on the History Channel where they make weapons, typically knives and swords, out of metal. Throughout the show, which is a competition, they test the weapons (and therefore the metal). This testing phase is to see how the weapons hold up, to see where weaknesses or imperfections are, and to make sure the weapons can withstand use in battle.

Therefore, when I am praying Psalm 139:23-24 not only am I asking got to point out things in me that He doesn’t like, I’m also asking Him to test me like the metal of those weapons on “Forged in Fire” to find any flaws, weaknesses, and imperfections. These are things that may hinder me later which can cause me not to be able to fight any physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual battles properly. Additionally, weaknesses or flaws could potentially cause me to “break” if not identified and dealt with.

Our strength can be tested like that of metal weapons to find any flaws, weaknesses, and imperfections.

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The “test me” phase

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Flaws, Imperfections, Mistakes: Are they really all bad?

Sometimes our flaws, imperfections and mistakes can be a trigger for insecurity. I kind of bundled these in with “appearances and imperfections” as one of the 9 Common Causes of Insecurity. Throughout the bible we see character after character that appeared flawed or unusable. For example, Moses felt that he had an imperfection that would hinder him from doing what God wanted.

“But Moses pleaded with the lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Exodus 4:10 (NLT)

If I’ve learned one thing though, it’s that God uses the unlikely. This gives me hope…That even through all my flaws, imperfections and mistakes (both internal and external), God can and WILL still use me.

God uses the unlikely.

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“[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are” 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (AMP)

Jesus, himself, was unlikely…a baby, from Nazareth (considered a lowly town in Galilee), born in a manger (feeding trough) in a stable, and born of lowly parents. This is not at all how most would expect the King of Kings and Savior of the world to come—unlikely. Jesus’ blood line was also unlikely…including a liar/cheater (Jacob), an ugly/unwanted/unloved woman (Leah), a betrayer (Judah), a woman who acted like a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law (Tamar), a prostitute (Rahab), a murderer and adulterer (David), a polygamist and sex-addict (Solomon), and many kings who turned away from God. Basically, Jesus descended from some pretty flawed and shady characters! Continue reading →

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Tag Archives: flaws

Overcome Your Failures: They Do NOT Define You!