4/21/06

FACING FAILURE

 

Movie Clip: The Sandlot, 54 – 60 min.

 

1)      You feel like a failure when _______________________ happens.

 

2)      __________________ is how you manage it.

 

3)      You believe if ______________________ were different, things would be easier.

 

What to do when you fail:

 

1)      Remember everyone fails.

a.       We all stumble in many ways (Jas. 3:2).

b.      There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake (Ec. 7:20).

 

                                                               i.      Why does it help you to remember everyone fails?

1.      I know I’m not alone

2.      It’s easier to be honest when I blow it

3.      God surely understands my shortcomings

4.      It helps me ease the pain

5.      Other: __________________

 

2)      Realize it’s not fatal.

a.       No matter how often an honest man falls, he always gets up again (Prov. 24:16).

b.      We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

 

                                                               i.      In order to keep from focusing on your failures, you try to:

1.      Be grateful for what’s going well

2.      Remember God is with me even when I fall

3.      Ask myself, “What can I learn from this particular failure?”

4.      Realize it could have been worse

5.      Other: ___________________

 

3)      Recognize the benefits…

 

a.      God uses failure to educate you.

                                                               i.      My troubles turned out for all the best… they forced me to learn from God’s decrees (Ps. 119:71).

                                                             ii.      A man who refuses to admit his mistake can never be successful (Prov. 28:13).

 

b.      God uses failure to motivate you.

                                                               i.      Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways (Prov. 20:30).

                                                             ii.      You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised (Heb. 10:36).

 

c.       God uses failure to cultivate you.

                                                               i.      We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us… they develop strength of character (Rom. 5:3-4).

 

1.      What’s one way you’ve seen God use your failure in a positive way ____________________________________?

 

4)      Relax in God’s grace.

a.       God canceled our debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow.  He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:14).

b.      I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”  Suddenly, the pressure was gone!  My guilt dissolved and my sin disappeared (Ps. 32:5).

c.       Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace (Heb. 12:15).

 

                                                               i.      What helps you relax in God’s grace?

1.      God understands my weaknesses

2.      God doesn’t stop loving me when I blow it

3.      God uses people who give their failures to Him

4.      God still has a good plan for my life

5.      Other: ___________________

 

                                                             ii.      What’s an embarrassing moment you can laugh at today _______?