Unshackled Moments ~ April 17, 2018 ~ Falling Is Not Failing

When it comes to recovery and discipleship, failure is not an option. In recovery failure is not an option because it leads to death. Failure is not an option in discipleship, because no one, not even us, can steal us from the hands of Christ, nothing and no one, not even us can separate us from Daddy's love, and because God is able and faithful to complete the work He has begun in us. So, we ultimately can not fail. The idea of failure leading to death in recovery and being impossible in discipleship may seem contradictory. But it's not.

First, we strive for progress rather than claiming perfection, and while  we try, by grace, to practice the spiritual principles that lead to life and freedom in all our affairs, we will not obtain perfection in our walk on this side of eternity. Therefore falling short of perfection is not failure. Not even relapse is failure. That means that if we fall we don't have to become so overcome with guilt, shame and condemnation that we spiral further down and wallow in the muck and mire we fell into. John told the recipients of his letter we call 1 John that he was writing the letter so that they would not sin, making it clear that grace is not the freedom to sin and that we should not continue in sin, but if we do sin we have an advocate (1 John 2:1).

If we are running through the rain and fall in the mud, we don't become so down on ourselves for falling that we just lay there in the mud. We get up and finish our journey to refuge as quickly as possible so that we can get dry, clean and care for any wounds. We when we fall in life, we don't through up our hands and quick. We cry out to Daddy, trusting in the work of Christ for our immediate forgiveness and the power of the Spirit to lift us back up and bring us to refuge and healing. We don't strive for less than perfection, not do we allow sin in our lives just because we know that we don't have the power on our own not to sin. When we walk in the power of the Spirit, we have the freedom not to sin. We have the power to say no to the old nature and to see the way of escape for temptation. That's grace. But when we fall short, it isn't failure.

It doesn't disqualify us. If we are still breathing, the race is not yet done.  Success or failure is at the end of the race, not in the middle. Success is hearing well done good and faithful servant, and that does not come from being determined and obedient. That comes from surrendering to the Spirit and believing in the work that Jesus did. We can not succeed or fail once we become His. It is all His work, and He doesn't fail. But to surrender to the old nature rather than the Spirit, will lead to destruction and areas of death in our lives. It doesn't make us a failure, and there is no reason to stay in that place. We need to run to Daddy like the prodigal returning home so that we can be restored and healed and brought closer to God.

Falling short does not effect or change our identity. We are not failures. We are children of the King, sealed by the Spirit. If, when we fall, let us not change our identity, consider ourselves failures or losers or hopeless. Let us not just spiral into further destruction by remaining in the muck. Let us remember that we are children of a loving and forgiving Daddy who has the power to heal us and restore us and to clean and heal us. Let us be quick to run to Him, not run from Him. Let us see our falling as an indicator of areas and ways where we need to let the Spirit work in us. We do not need to give up or just go with the flow of destruction because we don't have the power to overcome. The Spirit within us has the power and it is always available to us, if we will surrender to Him.


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