Bible Ballistics: BBs #508  Failure Isn’t Fatal!!!

 

“If we confess

our sins,

he is faithful

and just

to forgive us

our sins,

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

As believers in and followers of Jesus, we sometimes think that we have failed our Lord and ruined our ministry, but God says different. Then there are also those times that we are striving diligently to yield to the Spirit’s leading and everything seems to fall apart; but our God clearly tells us that He is ever at work in our lives. While we ought to continually search our hearts for secret sin as well as known sin. And not only does God call us to “confess” our sins (And yes that is plural, for we all fail regularly, and ‘confess’ simply means to agree with God that the sin in our lives, IS sin!), He assures us that when we face our sin and bring it to HIM, that HE will not only forgive us, but He will also “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”! God also knows that we often struggle to know our own hearts—and when we bring that to Him, HE will hear our prayer and reveal any short-coming or sin that we are truly desiring to set aright!

“Search me,

O God,

and know

my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be

any wicked way

in me,

and lead me

in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23

While the Psalmist knew that God would hear and reveal his own heart in a way that he could keep “short accounts” with his God, for the believers since the cross and the New Covenant of grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit we have that privilege continually as The Spirit is our ever-present intercessor!

“Likewise the Spirit

also helpeth our infirmities:

for we know not

what we should pray for

as we ought:

but the Spirit itself

maketh intercession

for us

with groanings

which cannot be uttered.”    Romans 8:26

Yet we have even more assurance of our recovery from failure—our Lord, even as the author of Hebrews reminds us of HIM!

“Wherefore he is able also

to save them to the uttermost

that come unto God by him,

seeing he ever liveth

to make intercession

for them.” Hebrews 7:25

Our Great High Priest, Jesus, is ever interceding for us and assures us of His faithful provision, grace and cleansing forgiveness!

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work

in you

will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ:”   Philippians 1:6

Our faithful God is working continually so that we will be “conformed to the image of His Son”! (See Romans 8:28-29) And time and space would fail us to mention those precious saints of old who failed and were restored to their Lord’s service—and so can we be, when we but recognize our sin, turn back to seek HIS face and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. David says it better than I can!

“Have mercy upon me, O God,

according to thy lovingkindness:

according unto the multitude

of thy tender mercies

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me throughly

from mine iniquity,

and cleanse me from

my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions:

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only,

have I sinned,

and done this evil in thy sight:

that thou mightest be justified

when thou speakest,

and be clear when thou judgest…..

7 Purge me with hyssop,

and I shall be clean:

wash me,

and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness;

that the bones which thou hast broken

may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins,

and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit

within me.

11 Cast me not away

from thy presence;

and take not thy holy spirit

from me.

12 Restore unto me

the joy of thy salvation;

and uphold me

with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;

and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”   Portions of Psalm 51

God is in the restoration business—He takes ‘cracked pots’ like me and will restore us to become “vessels of honor”, and will so graciously and lovingly give unto us “beauty for ashes”!

So my dear friend, wherever you are—wherever you have been—if you will but seek His face and His heart, HE will meet you and take your ‘failure’ and “ashes” and give you “beauty” in exchange! Don’t despair or give up—but look UP to the One who loves you and has never said “oops”, He can restore you! He is waiting—run to HIM!

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,

to give unto them beauty

for ashes,

the oil of joy

for mourning,

the garment of praise

for the spirit of heaviness;

that they might be called trees of righteousness,   

the planting of the LORD,

that he might be glorified.”   Isaiah 61:3