Thanks for stopping by today! If you found your way here from my P31 devotion, I’m so glad you stopped by. I promised to share some practical ways we can fail forward with God’s help in areas where we most often feel defeated.
Failing forward is about rising again and doing the best you can the next time. It’s also about giving yourself grace when your best isn’t as good as you want it to be.
If you really want to move forward when you have a setback, first determine one or two areas of your life that are most important for you to start seeing progress. Then ask yourself these questions:
What makes you feel like you are failing in each area? (when I yell, when I overeat, when I lie, when I…)
List common things that keep you from succeeding? (tiredness, busyness, unorganized)
How do you feel when you fail in those areas? (depressed, angry, sad)
Who can determine the actions you take or reactions you have?
What is one change you can make so that you see at least a little progress in one area?
Now, ask God to show you how you can take one step forward with His help in that area. Then another.
Set a goal or boundary, that you will commit to today to keep from falling again. Then stick to it. I know you can and I’ll be praying for you!!!
Please also ask God to show you the progress you’ve made and how you are becoming the woman He created you to be. We need to encourage our hearts and notice our progress or we’ll always feel defeated!
Also, click here to read why it’s important that we don’t give up, and how we can learn to get up and keep going! But first, let me know how I can pray for you today by sharing your thoughts and goals in today’s comments.
Tomorrow I’ll share some more thoughts in specific areas, and I’ll do a fun give-away from your comments today – so be sure to leave your email, too! I’ll announce last week and this week’s winners on Friday!
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I am struggling with my job. I have made some bad career moves in the past and had one really bad experience with an interview in the field I would LOVE to get back into…so it has crushed me! Out of the blue I received a call last week about an opening that would be PERFECT for me. I have gone on one interview and have a second interview today. I am so scared that “I” will mess it up. Please pray for me. To learn from the past and press forward to the future and what God has planned. Thanks for your devotion and blog. It has really opened my eyes today. Brandi Laws ([email protected])
HI Renee,
I thank you for your devotional today.
So often I struggle with second guessing myself.
Thank you for pointing out that we mess up from time to time and yet that all can be used of the Lord for His purposes. Thank you for the reminder to get my eyes off myself and look to the Lord’s hand to pull me back up to lead and strengthen me.
Your scripture refereces today will be my first steps in keeping my thoughts focused on the Lord, my source of confidence.
Blessings to you,
Cathy
Hi Renee,
I am so stressed out, I live with my mom and my grandmother, they are hypocrites, lying and back stabbing. I have been enduring this problem for 17 years. I am 26 years and I am asking you to pray for me that I able to move out and find my own place.
Lyn
Good Morning Renee,
What you said today really hit home because I have been struggling with feelings of failure in my relationship with my father. You see my Mother lives in a nursing home due to Azlheimer’s and my 82 year old Dad lives with my Husband, 10yr Son and myself. My parents have been married over 60yrs and for the past 9 months they have had to live apart. I know this is really hard on my Dad so I try to be compassionate but sometimes I find myself frustrated with him. This is where I really need prayer! My Dad doesn’t realize that he competes with my Son for my attention. I feel pulled in many directions.
Two weeks ago I had to have knee surgery. This was a blessing from God because through all of this my Husband has had to take care of everything! Because I am on crutches for 4 weeks. He is now telling friends and coworkers that he never realized how much I was handling around our house and life.
I know God is hearing me because he answered me with your devontional. I am praying for wisdom and guidence. I know if I keep my eye’s on the Lord he see me through.
Thank you for your devontional and words of encouragement.
Your Sister in Christ,
Jeannine
Hey Renee,
Thank you for the steps to follow. So many times I find myself feeling defeated but don’t know why. I am looking at the big picture of what I need to do or change and I am trying to do it all.
Now I have something to follow, something to shoot for. A little bit of guidance that can provide such satisfaction and comfort. Baby steps, I’ve got to remember baby
steps.
Love,
Angie
Thank you!!! Just yesterday my counselor was telling me that it’s okay to fail and how we learn from it….then this morning I read your devotional (Prov. 31) and it reinforces the same thing…God is speaking through you (and my counselor)…
Thank you for sharing His heart…
C.J.
Hi Renee,
Thanks so much for this devotional. I have felt so much like a failure lately. “Felt” is probably an indication that I have been listening to the enemy. I have been discouraged, tired and just want to run away to the beach. A few months back, God burdened my heart everyday for two boys whose dad just passed away suddenly, their Mom left their family the year before, they were failing in school with little hope of recovering. I am a homeschool Mom and God pressed the idea of helping them graduate on my heart each and every day. I am a woman of faith in a BIG God and after praying through this, we knew this was how God was leading us to pour out into their lives.
We have been schooling them since April 8th. While things are going alright, they are making better grades, it is so draining on me! I told a dear friend yesteday, “the honeymoon is over”. The yes to God is easy, it’s when you start walking that faith path, that things heat up. I know He has called us to do this and there is an end in sight. Just need a little encouraging prayer.
Thanks for your words,
Renee
Hi Renee,
Great post! I struggle with not consistently correcting my 12 yr old’s sometimes disrespectful speech/behavior. Why? I am too tired from working all day. Your ideas on how to make changes are wonderful. I really like the idea of “failing forward”, because we are all works in progress with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Hi Renee,
Thank you for your obedience in Christ in reaching out with honesty and encouragement to the women of God. Failing Forward is a fresh way of looking at your life.
I have been out of work since Nov 08 and have been looking but no work even thru temp agencies. My husband has faithfully worked even though he wants to quit because his last eval was not the greatest but we can’t loose medical right now, he is diabetic. In this I believe God is busy working out some old attitudes that have held him captive.
I feel I am a failure in that I don’t look hard enough for a job and my back will not allow me to do certain types of work so my confidence fails me. I do my duties at home the best I can as this is my “job” now. I feel I fail in being a proper wife in that I’m placing a burden on my husband by not contributing to the income and trapping him in his current job. Despite this, deep in my heart, I know that God will provide for our needs, that He is working to correct my heart attitude, and that He has planned the perfect job at the perfect time for both of us. With all this time on my hands I am learning to “redeem the time wisely.”
I love the thought of “failing forward!”
I think the devil has attacked women since the beginning of time….somehow convincing us that we are just not good enough….ewww!
Thanks for the reminder that even when we feel inadequate or fail…..we can use these moments to learn and become more of what God desires us to be!
To DOakley…..A cleaning tip that has helped me through the years is this:
Start with one room and three containers (one for give away, one for throw away, and one for “this goes in another room). As you clean, DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM YOU ARE IN!!! YOU WILL GET SIDETRACKED! Then after you finish one room you can move on with your three containers, leaving things in the room they belong in as you get there. Just do one room a day! It really does make all the difference for me!
Happy cleaning!
Love,
Tammy
The devotional was amazing. It was exactly what God has been speaking to me. I do not need to be concerned about how “man” feels about me. I only need to ask God what he wants from me. That is the place that I fall most often, though. When I “fail” and it affects others and/or a job that was supposed to do, in the Church, then I get upset with myself. But God is strong to help me overcome!
Your devotional was right on time!
I feel I have failed in my relatiionship with my best friend/fiance’. I need prayer for better communication between me and him and for me not to be so frustruated with him and the kids.
Renee,
Great post. Reading alot about failure lately…and came across this…kinda put it into perspective for me…
A. B. Simpson said: “You can take Christ as the King of your life by giving Him your difficulties and adversaries to overcome, and permitting Him to subdue all His enemies and yours and reign as Lord of all. Everything that comes up in your life is but another opportunity of giving him a larger and richer crown.”
Hi- your devotional today really hit home. They often do. There are 2 main areas for me that I need prayer and God’s help to teach me to Fail Forward. Last night, we had yet another blow up with our 18 yr old, who, although raised with the Lord, swears and verbally attacks any and all of our involvements in his life. He has college lined up, many outside successes and opportunities, but at home, he just unloads and hurts, and confuses, and outright hates us, especially me, because I dare to try to speak into his life, his choices. When he turns on us/me, I loose control, and react, then blame his dad, who never disciplines him. Adding to his stress. Just like in your story. I don’t know how we are going to come out of this, as an intact family. But God does. Please Pray for us, our 16 year old, who is living through all of this, I don’t know where he is in all of this. I can see it taking its toll on him too. And our 20 year old is coming home from school this week. He says he doesn’t believe in God anymore. I don’t know anything, only that I have to cling to God, He is the only way I’ll stay sane at all. Any advice? I’ll stay in the Word, and stay on my face before Him, but what do I do, and say, once I’m back in their presence? Serving them as unto the Lord. Thanks, -LS, Ohio
I am certain that God’s timing is perfect. Thank you for listening to Him. I hate failure. But I’m slowly learning that maybe we’ve got it all wrong. Maybe the whole definition of failure is a chance to try again.
I need prayer in how I deal with my kids and my husband. My words are sometimes filled with frustration and anger and I am beginning to see the same responses in my kids. I need to change and show them how to change.
Please pray for me.
Hi I read your devotional and the timing couldn’t have been better. I am feeling I have failed today as I have let down someone I was meant to be helping today. I had to make the decision that choosing to sort out the financial mess I am in and sorting out my realationship with God was more important. I feel like I am failing in every area of my life but know that I have to keep getting myself up, learning and move on. Thankyou for your encouragement
I love you so much for allowing the Lord to take you through so much so that you can help others. What I have to remind myself sometimes is that the things that I go through are not for just me, it is to help someone else. That’s exactly what you do. When I read your devotions, it helps me so much because for one, you’re not too good to say when you mess up or to show your imperfections. I know that you are human and man, but sometimes it helps to know that someone who is in the public eye messes up the same way you do, because it reminds me that we all are human. I do need prayer for the Lord to help me in my insecurities. I listen to my friends talk to me all the time about what they’re doing for the kingdom, but I have nothing to tell. I’m just a mother, and a wife who seems as if all that I’m ever doing is fighting in a warfare. I am out of work because of a illness that I have, have been for some years now. Have never been stable for a year, and always hoping and praying that a miracle walks through the door. I beat myself up and start looking at my situations and wander if I’m ever going to come out of the situations. Faced with so many mountains, I pray but find myself getting weaker and weaker. My mind constantly nags me and tells me that I am a failer. I get lazy and don’t do anything, but just want to lay around all day. I know that I have a purpose but it is hard to see when I am not doing anything. I have so many gifts that the Lord has given me. I sing, write songs, poems, and have a teaching ministry inside of me, but yet, I’m not doing anything with none of it. So, I tend to get flesh y sometimes and judge other people. And envious because I am not doing anything, so I have to find something wrong in someone else. It’s evil and I don’t do it on purpose, but when the Lord shows it to me, I feel terrible! But, Of course I want to be happy for others and rejoice with others when they rejoice, and I do. But sometimes I just wish that it was me on the other side. Instead of going through so many storms. I need prayer that the Lord will lead and guide me to my purpose. I have a head, that’s not exactly where he should be, so I have to be even stronger, and stay in God’s will the even more so that the Lord will bless us through my obedience. It gets hard sometimes because, I am the 4th child of 5 children, and I am the only one who is saved, and my parents aren’t living a Godly style, so sometimes I feel alone. None of my family has crossed over so it’s a hard fight for me sometimes. Serving the Lord as I do, but always never seeing a door open in my finances or etc… sometimes cause me to just want to give up, but I know that the Lord is Able, and he always picks me up when I don’t even won’t to get up. I feel sometimes that I’m always getting chastise when I do wrong but I’m ready to see the ending. I love you and I pray that the Lord will continue to use you for h is glory. As you allow so many people to peep in on you and the Lord. God Bless you!
HI Renee
Thank you for your devotion today it was incredibly comforting to me. I am struggling in the area of intimacy with my boyfriend. It has been a very difficult area for me to overcome. We both know this relationship is heading toward marriage and we want to do what is right. It’s hard for me not to carry around shame or guilt about our failures. Thank you for reminding me that I am a work in progress and that I am becoming the woman God created me to be.
Hey Renee…
I love you and your devotions!! They always hit the nail on the head with things I need to hear. Just yesturday I was really feeling like I was failing. I need to be able to balance my hobbies and my need tos. Things I need and should be doing.
I get passions with hobbies and that seem to take control of my life.
Hi, Renee,
I haven’t read your devotional, yet. (I’m usually sitting at my computer before the automated e-mail arrives, so I visit a blog and go from there. Today, I decided to visit yours.)
I struggle with housecleaning. I’m self-employed and work from home and still haven’t reached the point of ideal self-sufficiency, so I rarely leave my computer. Nearly 10 years ago, I gave housecleaning up because I was working outside the home and didn’t really have time, plus my husband and son were innately disorganized and I found it too stressful keeping up with them and working, too.
Now, I’m involved in a church and have a large enough house to host Bible studies and youth events, but am very self-conscious of having anyone over. I try to have a “take-me-as-I-am” attitude, but I know I don’t want people to remember my house as cluttered, though they all understand how busy I am.
I’m hoping that one of these days I will find a balance between work and house, get my house organized and keep it organized.