When Failure Strikes - Martin Wiles

Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. Joshua 7:11 NLT

He sat on the bed and listened as tears meandered down her cheeks.

Her tone had been somewhat gruff of late. She blamed it on her tiredness due to a heart issue. Now she admitted she was frustrated with him. He questioned what he’d done. So he sat beside her on the bed and listened. She reminisced about how they once did everything together. They enjoyed merely being in each other’s company. But life had changed . . . he had changed. The busyness of life, his career, and his hobbies had taken him away. Not literally, but in spirit. When he was with her, she needed him to be with her. He got the message. He had failed. 

Joshua and the nation of Israel also failed. Moses was dead. Joshua led the people across the Jordan River to their first victory in the Promised Land: Jericho. From here, they attacked the small town of Ai but were soundly defeated. The reason? Sin. A man named Achan had taken items from Jericho that God had said must be destroyed. 

Failure is common and inevitable. I’ve not recorded mine—and attempt not to dwell on them—but had I, I’m sure they’d fill a book. I’m living within an imperfect body accompanied by a defective mind. A combination that guarantees failure. I should expect unintentional failures, but Achan’s was intentional. God understands our unintentional shortcomings, but he expects us to take action to guard against and rectify deliberate failures.

Achan tried to cover up his failure (sin). Only when confronted, did he admit his defeat. Yet his admission addressed the line of action we should take when we fail God. We must admit we’ve failed before we can receive help. Then we must acknowledge the moral wrongness of our actions.

If we don’t see the sin, we’re only sorry we got caught. Next, we must accept the consequences. Rarely does God remove these. Consequences are his way of reminding us not to tread in that particular area again. Finally, we must chart a new path of obedience by strolling down the path of righteousness.

What line of action do you take when failure strikes?

Father, when I fail you, move me to repent quickly and return to the path of obedience. 

Tweetable: Where do you turn when failure strikes? 

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