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Take this child away and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy wages. Exodus 2:9.

This verse is an order from Pharo’s daughter. Let us consider this as an order from our Lord to every parent. The Lord has blessed us with earnings, wealth, and facilities as Moses’s mother was given wages, so that we can bring up the children given by God for Him and for His glory. God created man and woman to fill this earth with God fearing generation. Are we one among such parents who do the will of God?

There are Christian parents who devote their lives for the sake of making money; some prioritise expanding business and friends circle . They give the secondary place to family and children.

^{Nurturing children is not easy ; it is an important responsibility that fills a great part of one’s own life. But it is pleasing to God who has trusted the parents with children. The Lord helps the parents who seek His help in raising them .We are called to be God’s servants who are truthful and honest in raising a pious generation.}

It is not enough if we give them education, training which may make them fit to live in this world. Parents have to take care of the spiritual life of the children so that they learn to meditate on the word of God, pray and listen to Him. This will make them worthy citizens of Heaven.

Prayer

Dear God,
Help us to raise our children for your glory. If there are lapses, help us to rectify them and do your will.
Amen.

Sol.Angelin

From Depraved Mind to Renewed Mind

In the beginning, God created man and woman in His own image (Genesis 1:27), endowing them with the remarkable ability to think and act like their Creator. However, with Adam’s tragic descent into sin, he distanced himself from God and engaged in actions that were contrary to the divine nature. They became tainted by corruption, losing their original nature. This corruption of mind was a legacy passed down to all subsequent generations. This deterioration of the human condition is vividly portrayed in

Romans 1:28-31: Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

The roots of our sinful nature, therefore, dwell deep into this depraved state of mind, where we often discern what is right yet falter in implementing it. We continually choose the wrong path, transgress against God’s commandments and will, resulting in unrighteous life. However, God did not abandon us in this fallen state. His desire was to renew our minds so that we could once again think and act in alignment with His divine attributes. This profound purpose led to the advent of Jesus, the only Son of God, who descended to Earth as a man and willingly sacrificed Himself as the perfect atonement for all our sins. Through our faith in and acceptance of Jesus as our Savior, we are endowed with the power and strength to consistently make righteous choices and adhere to God’s commandments.

Romans 3:21-22  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 

Yet, despite our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior, we often find ourselves falling short in various aspects of life. To better understand and follow God’s will in every part of our life, we must cultivate a vital practice as believers: the act of submitting our bodies as living sacrifices to God.

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

As we place our bodies on the altar of God as a living sacrifice, He sanctifies us, extinguishing our sinful nature and endowing us with His own divine nature. This renewal of our formerly depraved minds liberates us from conformity to the world’s standards, allowing us to discern and embrace God’s perfect will in every aspect of our lives.

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.

God, characterized by unwavering righteousness, expects us to consistently make right choices. As we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, God renews our minds, enabling us to reflect His divine image and transforming us into beings of righteousness like Him. Let us conclude with a prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for instilling faith in Jesus, our Savior. As we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, cleanse us with Your holy blood and renew our minds. Amplify our righteousness, guiding us to become more like You. Lead us in Your divine will and empower us to consistently choose what is right. Amen.

Sol.Edvitta

You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it – James 4:2

^{Prayer is our conversation with God and when we read the Bible the Word of God, He speaks to us through His Word. When we pray and read His Word daily, we are strengthening our relationship with God and if we are not praying, we are lacking seriously in our spiritual life.}

When we are not praying to God, we are telling God that we do not need Him in our life, we can do everything by our own strength, we are self-reliant, independent. Maybe due to life situations from a young age a person may have to be responsible for others which causes them to be self-reliant and independent or we live in a culture which asks us to be self-sufficient. But we need to be aware of what God asks us to do “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest “- Matthew 11:28 also ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. – Zechariah 4:6.

God clearly states in these promise verses that He will help us when we turn to Him.

If we lack prayer in our lives this is a serious issue because then we are not leading a life according to God’s will. God wants to spend time with us and teach and instruct and show us great and unsearchable things we do not know. But we are so busy in our own lives, work, family, social demands that we try to do everything by ourselves and then suffer burn out, depression, chaos. This is the way of the enemy to make us so busy that we will not have time to spend time with God because there is always going to be something important to do, send that work email, pick up the kids, attend that phone call, cook and feed the family, catch up on the latest episode of that favorite show the list is endless. But let us listen to what God wants us to do “Be still and know that I am God” – Psalm 46:10.

We need to take a step back and breathe, move away from the chaos into silence, remove the electronic devices, quieten the mind, and seek the Lord with our heart.

Testimony

As a young mother I was constantly overwhelmed with responsibilities and workload. Once confiding to my sister about this, I received the most wonderful advice. She told me, I can sympathize with your situation but being geographically far away from you I cannot really help you. ‘But there is Someone to whom if you turn and confide in, will be able to help you and give you the strength and peace which you are lacking’. Such a wonderful advice which I cling to everyday.
I understand that life can be busy and hectic, but instead of trying to do everything by own strength and intellect let us rely on God and ask His help, for He promises us in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. And I will guide you with my own two eyes. “. Such a beautiful promise the Lord God Almighty gives us let us trust in God with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding and in all our ways let us acknowledge him and he will make all our paths straight.”

Prayer

Abba Father, we thank you, for you are Lord God Almighty and you have promised us that you will never leave us nor forsake us. We thank you Lord for your presence in our lives, thank you Lord for your mercy, thank you Lord for your blessings. We thank you Lord for you are good and your love endures forever. Help us Lord to remember your promises and to rely on you, to trust in you and to ask you for help. Lord, we come to you because we are weary and burdened, give us rest and take control of all our needs. Strengthen us and help us and uphold us with your righteous right hand.
In Jesus mighty name I ask.
Amen and Amen

Sol. Rumna

1 Cor 12:1 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”

Dear Soldiers, Above verse is inspiring us to be concern about spiritual gifts.  In 1 Cor 14: 4-11 verses Paul explains about different kinds of spiritual gifts. All of us having one or more gifts, but we may be ignorant about them.

After my born again experience, I was longing for the gift of tongues.  Every time, I gave prayer request for getting me this gift. It took 4 years for me to activate speaking in tongues. As soon as I got this gift, I started praying in tongues and I am astonished by joy and increased ability to pray by speaking in tongues.  Slowly, I became ignorant of the gift, but Holy Spirit always inspiring and insisting me to pray in tongues.

I sometimes pray a little and then forget. I started giving more attention to ministry and slowly my prayer time has decreased and eventually it has gone very down. I started feeling depressed and tense.  Though I knew that I have to spend more time in prayer, I was not able to do it. I felt that I have lost relationship with The Lord and stared feeling the bondage of prayerlessness.  I have shared my experience with two of my spiritual friends. They encouraged me and gave me hope.

One day, I was just casually praying in my desperate mood on my sofa.  Lord urged me to go to the upper floor in separate room.  There Lord started talking to me and showed my mistakes and how I slowly became ignorant to the voice of Holy Spirit.  I broke out before The Lord and asked pardon. Then, Lord gave me some instructions to rebuild my prayer life. Praying in tongues was one of them to be started constantly and diligently. For last many days, I have started praying in tongues and now I am seeing many changes in my spiritual life.

1 Cor 14:4 says “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself.” By praying in tongues, we can strengthen our spirit, allow our spirit to be more sensitive to Holy Spirit, able to surrender more to the Holy Spirit, it can also help us to active our spiritual senses, it can help us to understand bible verses and even can give us revelations and so on.

So, Dear Soldiers, we must strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts and use them for personal as well as church’s edification.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for your love and the gifts you have given us. Help us to pursue the spiritual gifts and use them diligently, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sol.Grishma Patel

Exodus 23 :15 -“No one shall appear before me empty handed but you shall bring sacrificial offerings.”

These words we read in Exodus 23 while Israelites were preparing themselves for Spring festival of unraised bread . Here God emphasizes on not coming empty -handed in front of Him .This was spoken by God the father in the Old Testament to Israelites. As we know that God never changes. He is same yesterday ,today and forever. He still expects us to bring some sacrifice to Him when we come to meet Him ,that is ,when we come to pray to Him.

During the Old Testament days ,we had five types of sacrifices which people would offer to God that is Burnt offering, Grain offering, Fellowship offering, Sin offering and Guilt offering but now we have only three offerings that are-

1)Burnt offering-

Now what is burnt offering ? Burnt offering is giving up our sinful nature ,grudges, bitterness ,our pride , anger. This includes all our fleshly nature and we have to die for all these weaknesses that we have in our flesh .

2) Sin Offering –

We very well know how many sins we commit everyday knowingly or unknowingly and so many sins have been committed by our forefathers after Adam and Eve . The word of God tells us that we really need to repent for our sins. If we believe in Jesus we know that He has already taken our sins on the cross and died for our sins.

So we really need to be careful in our daily walk with Christ and try to keep ourselves away from committing any sins and live a holy life.

Paul says in Roman 4: 6 that “Justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ by His atoning power.” We have to die for our flesh. we have to die for sins.

3) Fellowship offering-

This tells us of having Fellowship with God. We can use our talents, all blessings ,that is ,family, sources ,money etc.,we can come out of our comfort zone and love others, live for other people, forgive others, sacrifice things for others.

Roman 6: 5 tells us ” for if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like His.” means we will be filled with that Glory. We have to die for ourselves and do righteous things.

Ephesians 5:2 tells us ,”And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us ,a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God .” So to walk in love with all is nothing but Fellowship offering. We need to give such sacrifices to remain under God’s blessings and protection.

Prayer
Father help each one of us to give the best sacrifice in our lives to please You and to honour You .

Sol.Richa Jain

Wise Builder

So, then anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man, who built is house on rock. The rain poured, the rivers flooded and the wind blew against that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock.  Mathew 7:24.

Jesus speaks about the wise man here. A wise man is not an intelligent or clever one he is far more above than those people. A wise man is the one who never makes mistakes and his paths are always firm and secured, he does not lack anything and he don’t have to fear. Technically speaking no one can be wise enough to fit in the Wisdom of God for we all fall short of sin. But, we have hope in Christ where He says IF we hear His words and follow that, we are wise and whatever we build will not collapse. Let’s try to understand the words in a psycho- spiritual dimension.

As a human being what we constantly building is nothing less than our thoughts. We are building lots and lots of buildings in our thoughts. Our thoughts are so prompt and wide that it builds about anything and anyone. Our judgements, ideas, desires, passions, feelings, intuition everything is originated from our thoughts. Now when these thoughts are so powerful and viable to our life then how much we have to be careful on how we are building this in daily life.

We are so careless in our thoughts most of the time. We build our thoughts based on our past experience, future expectations, situations, circumstances, people around us and many more such factors. And, no wonder we miserably fail and suffer in most of the areas of our life. In this game of life there are very few people who are successful and peaceful in every dimension of their lives.

Some are financially successful but miss their relationship, some are successful in their relationship but fail in their intellectual ability, some are very strong intellectually but fail emotionally. But, being perfect is not only successful in every area of life but also in every dimension of our thinking. Success is not what we believe as success it is what others see in us as success, how balanced we are how peaceful we are how consistent we are in our lives, work and actions we take.

It’s a very simple logic that we are not able to perform in every area of our life successfully and when the flood comes and wind blew against the building it goes down with a mighty crash. The only way to build a house of peace, joy, prosperity and righteousness is in the words of Christ. Here Jesus is not only talking about the words in Bible, rather He is also talking about the Holy Spirit God who constantly speaks to us every single day.

He yearns us to listen to Him in every decision we make and every thought that comes across our mind. Paul strongly says in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

It is our primary Christian duty to captivate and bring every thought to obey Christ our Lord in order to be completely confident enough that we are building with not bricks but with words of Christ in our every day life. This not only makes our thoughts stronger but also helps us to demolish strongholds, arguments and every pretention that’s against the knowledge of God and grow closer to God in faith and love towards human being.

The most difficult person we find to tame and control in the world is ourselves. When we are able to bring our flesh into the submission of Christ and His principalities, He takes complete control over our life and whatever Thought Building He helps us to build stands forever even to eternity for He also promised us that what ever we bind on earth will be bound on heaven and whatever we lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Mat 18:18.

Sol.Simon

ELI`S SONS IN SHILOH AND JESUS IN JERUSALEM

“My Temple will be called a house of Prayer. You had made it as a den of thieves”. (Luke 19.46)

It was Joshua, who set the Tabernacle of God in Shiloh and later it was placed in Jerusalem by king David.

In I Sam 2:12-17, we see that Eli`s two sons who were the Priests of the Lord in Shiloh, were ungodly and they knew not The Lord. They did not do the offering as directed by God and followed their own ways. The sins of the men were very grave, for, men abhorred the offering of The Lord. God decided to destroy them.

His word came through Samuel. Israel went against Phil-is-tines and a total of 34000 of them died including Eli`sons. (1 Sam 4.2) Besides, thousands of philistines died due to emarodes (bleeding piles) in Ash dod and Gath because God`s ark was taken by them to their place and handled as they liked.

All these happened because of the faults of the priests. It is a warning to all His believers, who are called do His Holy work.

In Revelation, we see that there were faults in churches. The Holy Spirit pointed them out so that, they would be corrected. Jesus said that “You are the Temple of God”. He meant our body which is to be kept holy.

What Jesus, son of God did when he entered Jerusalem?

1. Multitude of disciples began to rejoice.
2. Praised God for all mighty works they saw through Jesus (Luke 19-37,38)
3. They shouted Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed, is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
4. Jesus wept over Jerusalem for all its weakness (Luke 19.41-40)
5. He cast out all the people who sold sheep and goats. (Luke 19:45,46)
6. Every day he taught in the temple. They were attentive to hear him. (Luke 19:47)
7. The blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them. (Math 21:14)
8. The Greeks also wanted to meet him and his disciples helped them to see Jesus. (John 12:21)

What a great contrast between worldly priests and our High Priest “Jesus”

Witness:

Prophet Jonah disobeyed God and went to Tarshish and got punishment. Besides the crew of the ship suffered a lot. But the life of Jesus was a blessing to the whole humanity.

Prayer:

Lord help us to keep our body holy, because, it is the Temple of God. Help us to be free from earthly matters and help us to keep it spotless and pure to fulfil your plans in us. Amen.

Sol. Victy Mythila

“I am the vine,you are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him,the same bringeth forth much fruit:for without me you can do nothing “.  John 15:5

                   The parable teaches us the completeness of the union. So close is the union between the vine and the branches,that each is nothing without the other.And so the Lord says”without me you can do nothing “. The  daily inflow of the life-sap of the Holy Spirit is His power to bring forth fruit.A vine without branches cannot bear much good fruits.What all the vine possess belong to the branches. The sap flow from the vine to branches produce the fruits.Similarly,Jesus,to Whom we owe our life, completely give Himself for us,all His fullness and richness,from God the Father.

               When we abide in Him , according to Zechariah 2:5 “…He is a wall of fire round about us and a glory in our midst”.Just as the wall of our homes surround us on all sides, so also Jesus surrounds us on all sides at all times. The Lord will bless and protect us always.

               When we abide in Him, we abide in His Word. We give priority to feed His Word daily, constantly and frequently. When we abide in Him ,we obey His commandments and believe His promises.So there is no room in our life for fear, doubts,negative thoughts and words.We abide in Holy Spirit and produce abundantly the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy,  peace, long suffering,gentleness,goodness,faith, meekness,temperance”.

Galatians 5:22,23  and use the gift of the Holy Spirit like healing, prophecy, word if wisdom and knowledge to encourage,exhort and build others in the Kingdom of God. We feel safe.,joyful, worshipful and thankful. We will listen to his  wise counsel and live in fellowship with other believers. He will enable us to flourish and yield fruit of the Holy Spirit .

                    As we the believers are branches connected or grafted to the vine of Jesus, we are useful and fruitful.Without Him we can do nothing. He empowers us, anoint us, enables us, delivers us, strengthen us , perfect us and purifies us . We need to live in Him, with Him and for Him.

^{In Philippians 1:21 Paul says “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Paul achieved a complete identification with Jesus. He is the way, the  truth , the life “. John14:6.He is also the resurrection. When we abide in Him the resurrection power works in us. We can excel in our work place as a testimony for Christ  Colossians 1:10 ,11 “……walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work……..strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joy fullness”.}

              We can endure much suffering and go to extraordinary lengths to help others. He will make us go places for Him. He will infuse courage in us to withstand great trials and face the odds. That is why Paul says in Philippians 4:13 “ I  can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth  me”.

                   Dear Heavenly Father help us to abide in you always and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit and to use the gifts you gave us. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask . Amen

Sol.Gigi Jacob

When we speak of a relationship with God, what does that mean? Why is it important? What can disrupt our relationship with God? How can we grow closer in our relationship with God?

“Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings.”

“To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him.”

God wants a relationship with us.

God desires true intimacy with His children. He wants us to understand the infinite depths of His love. He wants us to cry out to Him, “Abba!” (Daddy!).

• “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6)

• In Jesus, “we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” (Ephesians 3:12)

• He wants us to “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, for who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

What does it mean to have a relationship with God?

Just like healthy relationships with our spouses, friends, and family, a relationship with God is characterized by frequent communication and experiencing His faithful and loving presence. How do we communicate with God? Through prayer and through His Word, the Bible.

Prayer involves several aspects of communication. When we sing hymns and worship songs, it’s a type of prayer because we are singing to Him! Prayer involves repentance and confession of sin, which can disrupt our relationship. Through prayer, we bring our own needs, concerns, and anxieties – and those of others – before God, asking for His guidance and intervention

• “Let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Hebrews 4:16
• “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

• “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:1

Why is a relationship with God important?

God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He didn’t make any of the other animals in His image, but He created us to be like Him! Why? For relationship! Relationship with God is the most important relationships you will ever have.

Repeatedly, through the Bible, God calls Himself our Father. And He calls us His children.

• For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15)

• “See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1)

• “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

Relationship with God is important because it determines our eternal future. Our relationship with God begins when we repent and confess our sins and receive Christ as our Savior. If we do that, our eternal future is life with God. If not, we face eternity in hell.

The problem of sin

Sin destroyed God’s intimate relationship with Adam and Eve, and through them, the entire human race. When they disobeyed God, and ate the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world, along with judgment.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you on account of His name.” (1 John 2:12) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

When we do sin, we should be quick to confess our sin to God and repent (turn away from the sin). Think about the relationship between husband and wife. If one spouse lashes out in anger or otherwise hurts the other, they are still married, but the relationship isn’t as happy as it could be. When the guilty spouse apologizes and asks forgiveness, and the other forgives, then they can enjoy a fulfilling relationship. We need to do the same when we sin, to enjoy all the blessings to experience in our relationship with God.

Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV) “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

Examples of relationships with God in the Bible

Jesus: Even though Jesus is God, when He walked the earth as a man, He was intentional in making His relationship with God the Father His chief priority. Over and over, we read in the Gospels that He withdrew from the crowds and even His disciples and slipped away to a quiet place to pray. Sometimes it was late at night or early in the morning, when it was still dark, and sometimes it was all night (Luke 6:12, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46).

David – He used to speak with God in all the situations. Even though when he committed sin, he never hides himself from God because he knows God can see wherever he goes. He used to confess his sins and surrendering him to God.

You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you Psalm 69*5

TESTIMONY

During my first days of salvation, I used to pray and worship all the time and speaking to God always. When I was pregnant for my second child, I used to spend more time to God. Since my mother was sick, I could not have any help after my delivery. So, I used to ask only normal delivery since I was helpless. When I get delivery pain God speak to me directly like don’t want to go the hospital where I gone for nine months. But I never obey to Gods words I went to the same hospital where I gone for nine months. The tragedy happened in my life. Girl baby born to me by operation not by normal delivery. Too much blood loss I faced many problems in my body. I used to quarrel and cry to Lord because he never heard my prayer. He answered to me I spoke to you strictly not to go the respective hospital. At that time only I could understand not only prayer alone obedience to God’s word is very important in our life. Relationship is not only praying alone it is obedience, A complete obedience to Gods word.

INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT ONLY PRAYER ALONE IT IS A COMPLETE OBEDIENCE WITHOUT ANY ARGUMENT ACCEPTING THE GODS WORD AND START TO ACT IMMEDIATELY.

Sol. A. JOTHI KUMARI

Failure is not final

The only time we’re really defeated is when we stop moving.

• Using Failure

How can God use our many failures and turn them into success? I can’t count all the inventors who, if they had given up, would have never invented great things like the airplane, the light bulb, the television, and any other number of things. If we see failure as not being final, we’ll persevere and keep moving forward. If we can see that our failures can be launching pads for future success. One lady who was swimming across the English Channel finally gave up, but when she got in the boat, she could see through the fog that she was less than a mile away. If she’d known that, she said that she wouldn’t have given up. The point being, success may come just after the time when you feel like giving up. The great inventors learned that if it didn’t work, they kept trying and trying, but one thing they didn’t do. They didn’t give up.

• Blood, Sweat & Tears

Most people can pour their life into something and yet see no tangible or visible results, but it may be that just down the road that it all smooth’s out. The bumpy ride you’re having today may be easier once you’re down the road a ways. Nothing worthwhile comes easily and it may take a little blood, sweat, and tears to endure the road of failure which should ultimately lead to success. The only time you’re really defeated is when you stop moving.

• Getting Strength

We can do nothing without Jesus Christ (John 15:5), but with Christ Who will strengthen us, we can do all things (Phil 4:13) within His will. That’s why the Apostle Paul could say, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Phil 4:12), so he would say, stay on the road, even if it appears to be going nowhere.  Paul was content with the ride.  Keep going and keep trying to find the road to success. This trip’s going to require us to be content with the ride, but it’s not so much the journey as it is the destination for believers.

• Failure is Not Final

Solomon once wrote that “the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Prov. 24:16). Perhaps Solomon knew very well what it meant to fall, as he fell into serious sin after marrying a foreign woman and falling into idolatry, but he did finally repent near the end of his life. The difference between Christians and the lost are that we can fall into sin, but the unsaved dive and swim in it and don’t seek to repent of it. We all fall into sin, but we don’t stay there. We get back up, and God forgives us of all our sins and then cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We get a fresh start every day!

• Biblical Examples of ‘Failing Forward’

Though it may seem counterintuitive, it is through the experience of failure that we come to know Christ in the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10). This knowledge gives us the ability to “fail forward” through the many setbacks we face in life. Scripture is the perfect tool to engage people on this point.

For instance, you might appropriate the example of a well-known figure like Paul. Paul was a minister of the gospel par excellence, yet his work was riddled with what could be perceived as failures. Perhaps greatest of all was his repeated attempts to reach the Jewish people, resulting in him being flogged, jailed, and run out of town. How many times must a man be rejected before he finally gets the point? Yet it was Paul’s apparent failure to reach the Jews that led him to turn to the Gentiles.

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that God intended all along for Paul to be “a light for the Gentiles, so that all the world may be saved” (Acts 13:47). But if failure can be summed up as coming short of one’s goal, then it does seem that Paul “failed” to reach the Jews as he hoped he would. The sorrow he felt over this fact is evident in his letter to the Romans (see Romans 9:1-3). Yet it was through this “failure” that God worked out his plan for Paul to take the gospel to the Gentiles. One door of ministry closed so that another, wider door, might open.

• Conclusion:

^{When you do fail at something, take heart; you’re not alone. Others in higher positions, who have succeeded, have also failed spectacularly. So try something new. Don’t be afraid or defined by that moment. Surround yourself with friends and family who support you. Be in Scripture and prayer. In the providence of God, there is a purpose in failing.}

• Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for boldness to step out to do what we we're made to do and faith to trust You are ordering every step. In Jesus Christ Name, I pray, Amen.

Sol Neelima