By Agustus Henry
There are times when failures occur in business. I listened to a story of a couple who started a business. They had a 4-bedroom house which they sold and moved into a 2-bedroom with 3 children and invested the money in a high-end hair service enterprise. The venture was doing well until COVID hit. Within three months, the pandemic threatened to shut down their operation. At that point it was making just enough money to pay the business rent. As they contemplated what to do, the wife who managed the operation applied for government assistance but was one day late in filling that application. She applied for another program only to find out that it helps businesses with 20 or more employees and she had 18. Currently, they are contemplating closure. In all of that, her question was, where did I go wrong?
On many occasions I find myself incapable of reaching long held desires of mine. Sometimes it happens in my profession or my relationships. Who among us have not felt defeated, abandoned, or unfairly chastised? Other times we come up short as parents. Which among you with children who have not had a situation where you felt like a failure? Some people do the best that they can with their sons and daughters, only for that child to disappoint them in the end. And often, we feel like it is our fault. We end up worrying about our misfortunes, feeling disserted and depleted. At times you blame yourself for things that were not your fault.
Whose fault is it?
There are generally three reasons why things go wrong in your life and two are never your fault: some mistakes are definitely yours and there are repercussions for those behaviors. Many hardships are brought on by the devil traps. Still, others are trials God allows to make you strong. He allowed Daniel to encounter the lion’s den – The Hebrew boys a fiery furnace and Jesus, Calvary. Still, note that trials come for various reasons:
1. When the reason is you – Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). And, we know that there is consequence for sin. If we disobey, penalties follow (Romans 6: 23).
2. God’s will – Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (1 Peter 4:19). So, if you are walking in faith and obedience, the trials that come are to make you strong.
3. Satan’s snares – “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat” (Luke 22: 31), Jesus told Peter. Have you ever felt like life was sifting or squeezing every ounce of energy or sanity out of you? Well, the devil will come at you like that. He seeks to reach you at your weakest point – like he did Jesus when he was fasting.
Whether God’s will or the devil’s insistence, some test will come anyway: it will come in the disguise of family; friends; job; church members; neighbors, or even your own body will act out against you – but trouble will come (Romans 7:21).
Know the difference between when you are at fault and when your trial is from another source, but you are never inadequate. There is no need to feel regret or shame when your failures, sufferings or trials are no fault of yours. Even in your mistakes God is ever ready to forgive and restore.
The devil attacks your weaknesses
The Bible tells us, “Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards He was famished. The tempter came and said to Him, ‘If indeed you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:2-3). Satan chose the time when Jesus was at his lowest – when he was hungry, when he was lonely – in both physical and emotional pain. It is his tactics for all of us. With that he tries demoralizing us. We all have times when low self-confidence absorbs our being and makes us feel horrible about ourselves. That is when messages from all sides seem to buffer us about our inadequacies – we feel unworthy, not-good-enough: You may feel too stupid to apply for that job – that person is beyond my reach, or I have been trying for too long and that is the final blow. It will never happen. Those are the thoughts the devil uses to attack us.
Rejoicing can come out of trial
It is when you have your deepest failures, the most impactful setbacks, and the lowest points in your life that God comes through. That is when he says “my grace is sufficient for you. It is when you feel your nothingness that God comes through. Steve Harvey says that in pursuit of a goal, at the point of defeat is when God shows up and regenerates morale and your self-confidence – reminding you that he is faithful, and you are worth his time.
Paul says “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me”, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2Cor. 12:9). The conclusion therefore is:
1. Learn to recognize our weaknesses
2. Acknowledge and confess our faults
3. Learn to resist the devil
4. Recognize that we go wrong when we refuse to acknowledge our weaknesses.