Growing Through Failure

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” Luke 22:31-34

All of us have experienced failure - times when we rebelled from what God wanted us to do or moments when temptation became so great we collapsed under its pressure. Peter was one of the three men closest to Jesus. Despite his zealous nature, his insensitive spirit, and fiery temper, he was a born leader. In him Jesus saw a uniqueness that was rare among men - a hidden strength. However, it lay dormant, untested, and unrefined by God’s standards.

Until Peter denied Christ, he had no idea of the unfaithfulness of his heart. Failure was the tool God chose to sift Peter’s heart. Just as chaff surfaces during the winnow process, failure reveals the motivations of our hearts.

Learning to respond correctly to failure leads to spiritual growth. Ask God to reveal any sin in your life. Confess it and deal with it. Then move on in service for the Lord. Notice what Jesus told Peter before he denied Him: “...once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). That is God’s encouraging message to you today. Our failures are never meant to be the end of our service. They are strategically allowed by God to refine us for His work and His glory.

“...the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26