[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Getting Up Again | Encouragement For Today

[Eric Calhoun]

Just in time for my birthday!


Original Message: 
From: "thefamilyoffaith" <TheFamilyofFaith at tampabay.rr.com>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>,
<INTERCESSORS-ALLNATIONS at yahoogroups.com>,
<dfpprayerwarriors at suddenlink.net>, <unitedprayermail at aol.com>,
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Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Getting Up Again | Encouragement For Today
Date: 
Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:39:13 -0400






           
               
           
                        March 21, 2012

                              Getting Up Again
                              Renee Swope
                             

                          ".though the righteous fall seven times, they
rise again." Proverbs 24:16a (NIV)
                           
                          I've always admired people who aren't afraid to
fail. You know the ones who don't even consider defeat when they blow it;
people who see a personal setback as just another goal to conquer.

                          I can be really hard on myself when I fail to
be the woman God calls me to be or the woman I want to be. Like the other
day, when I disappointed my mom, got impatient with my husband and spoke
harshly to one of my kids. Soon after, my internal dialogue (you know that
voice in your head that won't let you off the hook) started reminding me of
how badly I'd acted and how far I'd fallen short that day.
                          The greatest defeat comes when I allow my
mistakes, sins or broken relationships to convince me that I might as well
give up.
                          Perhaps you have also allowed failure to knock
you down, tie you up with the ropes of regret and hold you hostage like I
have.
                          When I surveyed over 1200 women for my book, A
Confident Heart, I discovered that our past failures, and our fear of
failing again, are two of the most common things that make us doubt
ourselves.
                          But today's key verse shows us that it's not
supposed to be this way. Proverbs 24:16 has helped me release the regret,
guilt, fear and shame that have weighed me down and held me back.
                          Take a minute to read it now and notice how it
says the righteous will fall. Yes, even those of us who have received the
gift of Christ's righteousness and redemption will fall down. But we were
never intended to stay down.

                          Instead of giving up, Jesus empowers us to get
up again.
                          In getting up, we can apologize and ask for
forgiveness. In getting up, we can choose to try again with our kids, in
our jobs, in our marriages, in our ministries, and in all of our mistakes.
Because we trust that although we fall, God will help us up.
                          Listen to His promise in Psalm 37:23-24 and as
you read it insert your name in the blanks: "The steps of ____________ are
established by the Lord, and He delights in ____________'s way. When
____________ falls, __________ will not be hurled headlong, because the
Lord is the One who holds ________'s hand." (NASB)

                          When you get up again failure can actually help
you become the confident woman God created you to be because it can make
you stronger and better-when you go to God for help. Failure might even be
the thing that stretched you to do more than you think you can and push you
to try other methods of doing things when one way doesn't work.
                          Yes, failure can be hurtful, but it can also be
beneficial.
                          Failure produces wisdom when we ask for it and
maturity when we learn from it.
                          I think God wants us to remember that following
Him is not about avoiding failures and being perfect. It's about accepting
our weaknesses and becoming more dependent on His perfect love and power at
work in us.
                          The truth is, we will sometimes fail to be who
we want to be. But we will get closer to who we are meant to be every time
we fall or fail and then choose to take God's hand so we can get up again!

                          Dear Lord, I'm so thankful for Your grace that
reminds me there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Because my steps are established by You, Lord, I will believe that You
delight in me even when I fail or fall. Today, I want to take Your hand and
trust Your heart as You pull me back up again and use my failures to help
me become the confident woman You created me to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

                         
                        Reflect and Respond:
                        Are there any areas of your life where you feel
like you're failing and want to give up? Write down what got you to that
hard place and then ask God to show you how you can get back up again (in
your heart) with the help of His grace and truth.
                         
                        Power Verses:
                        Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a man are
established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will
not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
(NASB)
                        Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but
God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (NIV)
                         
                        © 2012 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
                        877-P31-HOME (877-731-4663)