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October 27, 2023
Highs and Lows
My beloved, why do you believe I have failed you? Why do you think I am not with you even in the storms of life? There are times when life seems hard to bear, full of sorrow and trouble. If you stay on the mountaintop and never experience pain, you will never appreciate My great love for you and living would be useless, because it is in the valleys that you grow. (John 3:16) Your little valleys are nothing compared to the great price My Son paid for you when He died on the cross, shedding His blood for all your sins so you can walk in liberty and freedom. (Ephesians 1:7-8 NLT) He walked through the valley of the shadow of death for you. (Psalms 23:4) Jesus’ victory was Satan’s loss! Be grateful for the valleys for it is there that you grow!
Paul said, ‘Consider it a sheer gift, friends when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not lacking in any way. (James 1:2-4 Message) Don’t be discouraged! Even the greatest men and women of God throughout history had good days and bad. Jeremiah one of My prophets allows you to see into his heart again and again when he faced discouraging days.
Jeremiah had just been beaten and thrown into stocks for prophesying the Word of the Lord (Jeremiah 20:2) then he said, ‘If I say, “I will not remember Him or speak His name (Jehovah Yahweh) anymore,” then my heart becomes like a burning fire in my belly, a fire shut up in my bones. (Jeremiah 20:9) I am worn out trying to hold the Word of God inside; I can’t do it any longer! He said, ‘I feel like a public joke; everyone makes fun of me. Every time I open my mouth, I’m shouting God’s warnings to the people, and I am insulted and held in contempt. (Jeremiah 20:9-10) Jeremiah complains to God in the first ten verses in chapter 20, and then He praises God for his victories in the next three verses.
God, a fierce warrior at my side – the God of the Angel Armies, no one fools Him, He sees through everyone, everything! Sing to God! All praise to God! He saves the weak from the grip of the wicked. (Jeremiah 20:11-13) The vital question on your bad day is: Are you going to give up or get up? So, how can you get up?
1. Rise above your circumstances and self-pity by focusing on the blessing on the other side of this trial. Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.
2. Think positive. As a man thinks, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) Success comes by going through failure without losing your enthusiasm.
3. Learn from your experiences. Discover what not to do, then you will know what to do.
4. Pray and look at all your options. All successful leaders have a plan A and B.
5. Learn to laugh at yourself and your mistakes. It’s the quickest way to gain perspective.
6. Be real. The first job you have is to define reality.
7. Establish new goals. (Habakkuk 2:2-3) Failure is an opportunity for a New Beginning, as a wiser person.
8. Find your love and passion for what you do; then you cannot keep from succeeding.
9. Enlarge your base support.
10. Separate your self-worth from your performance. Your identity can only come from the father. A healthy self-image prepares you for what God has for you.
Pray with me:
Forgive me, Father, for complaining about my circumstances when I am low, I have not walked through what Jeremiah walked through. I fix my gaze on You Lord alone! Nudge me to remember; that it’s in the valleys I grow! I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! (Philippians 4:13) If God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)
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