Don't Give Up

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  (Galatians 6:9).  When was the last time you just wanted to "give up?"  or when was the last time you experienced a disappointment or failure in your life?  It may have been recently, or it could have been months or years ago, but one thing is for certain...we all have disappointments and failures!  Often they are the result of poor decisions and mistakes that we make.  Unfortunately, even in the process of seeking the Lord, we can make mistakes.  The important lesson to learn is that the mature and successful Christian knows how to turn every failure into a learning experience for future success and never ever give up!  Here are four things you need to know to have spiritual success.

1. Plan to Succeed

We have all heard it said that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!  Spiritual growth requires a lot of planning.  It doesn't just happen by accident.  If God has called you to a particular area of ministry it is important that you ask yourself how you can best prepare for it.  If you want to succeed as a Christian then you must work toward achieving that goal.

2.  Don't Think You Are Above Missing The Mark

Don't ever look at yourself as being above temptation or failure.  Too many people have made the statement; "I would never do that" only to discover, it's exactly what they did!  "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12).  Missing the mark is never what we want to do, but be careful that pride doesn't puff you up to the point you think you could never fall.

3.  Don't Entertain Failure

Even though we shouldn't look at ourselves as being above missing the mark, at the same time we shouldn't concentrate and entertain the idea that we will fail.  The fear of failure can cause failure.  Fear just sets you up to be a loser.  When we operate in fear, we fail to take advantage of many opportunities that God presents to us.

4.  Don't Ignore God's Advice

The Bible is our instruction manual for life.  It's filled with practical instructions and guidelines for work, home, finances, relationship and health.  If you have experienced failure in your life, here are some steps for starting over:

• Accept responsibility for your own mistakes.  If you made a mistake, admit it!  Quit blaming others and take responsibility for your actions.  Taking responsibility frees you from a defensive posture and give you the clear vision necessary to determine what went wrong.  Winners never blame others for a failure and they never make excuses.
• Recognize the lessons learned when you fail.  At the very least, failure shows you what doesn't work!  Used productively, failure cause you to re-evaluate what is important in life and is something God uses to get us to reflect on the direction our life is going.
• Forget the past and focus on the future.  The past is the past!  It's water under the bridge and you can't change it, so stop worrying about it.  Our God is a God of "second chances."  Failure is never final unless you let it be!  (Philippians 3:13-14).