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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Thank you so much for be willing to take the time to pray for us. Prayer is powerful, and when I hear or read that someone wants to pray for me, (not everyone) but the fruit will speak for itself, I am all for it. The Lord said that when 2 or 3 are gathered in his name he will be in the midst. So with that said, I need prayer that the Lord will work out the financial situations that have and are occuring in our life. Someone from my church came to my husband on last year and told us that the Lord told them to give us a van. For us to name the price that we wanting to pay them. They told us that the only thing that was wrong with it was the lock on the door, and the key alarm. Our pastor got involved and was handling everything, so he named the price. Which was more than we were willing to pay. But because he named it, we just went along with it. Well, we paid some of it, but then after a month and a half the transmission went out on it. I felt terrible! We were depending on our pastor to tell the sellers but he never did. So, when the pastor told her about it, months later, she said that she didn’t have anything to do with that, she wanted her money. Now, not only are we stuck with a 2000 dollar bill, we are now stuck with a van that is going to cost 2000 to get fixed. I was so hurt because I thought that this was a blessing from the Lord. But the Lord says that what he gives you doesn’t add sorrow but maketh rich. My pastor got demoted from the church and they brought in another pastor, so now we are faced with this problem on our own. WE are in a worst shape than we were in before. I saw her in church on Sunday, and she told me that she wants her money. We don’t have it because we are behind 2 months on our rent. We’re trying to find somewhere cheaper to live but can’t find anywhere. I have prayed and prayed about these situations, but I’m getting discourage because, I see the Lord in these situations but only spiriturally so I struggle with patience. I know that the Lord is going to work it all out. But in his time. I often get iritated with christians when they say, just hold on because if it’s not God’s will, then it’s not going to happen. You can pray all you want. I just need prayer for the Lord to move into these situations because I don’t want our good to be evil spoken of in the church, nor with our landlord. He knows that we are christians so we must pay him, and I want to but I have no money. Please pray that the Lord will give us a financial breakthrough to take care of all our financial problems so that we can start over.
Renee, Your devo really hit home when you mentioned how you treat your husband. Unfortunately I have not been honoring my husband of late and I cannot seem to stop! I pray for help from God, but not as intentionally as I should. Your article has given me an idea of how to become intentional. Thank you.
Renee you an amazing woman of God. You have inspired me a great deal
in my spiritual life as well as challenged me to realize who we are in hrist.And what a precious possession we have, of Christ being our Lord and Saviour.
Am Namuunza from Zambia in Southern Africa. God Bless you with JJ and the Boys.You are a woman of valor indeed and so beautiful.
Hello Renee,
It never ceases to amaze me when God speaks directly to my circumstances through others. WOW! Today it was through you, and I really needed it.
I made a relly bad choice yesterday and as a result things have snowballed. I feel terrible, and I needed to hear exactly what you said today. Would you please pray for me? I need to really know that I have fallen Forward. That I’m still growing and changing in Christ, and it’s all okay. Ihave to keep focused on Him and not the fall and sometimes that is very challenging.
Thank you so much for yourprayers and encouragement!
Tahnk you Renee….
Please pray and agree with me that I will continue to walk into God's purpose and plan for my life. That I will continue to rise above any failures and sins and learn from my mistakes and keep looking up. I pray the peace and love of God continue to transform and capture our hearts as wives and mothers. lately I would like to walk more in the spirit concerning my parenting. God says I can do all things He has called me to do and that my children are blessed in the Lord…I need to walk in his grace, yeild to the Holy Spirit, and love & train my children in the way God ordained.
Good Morning Renee,
Thank you for your devotional this morning. Since my husband left me after 15 yrs two years ago, I have often felt like I have failed. I know that it is only because of God’s grace, that I am still able to stand strong, but I still feel lonely at times and ask that you pray with me for healing of a broken heart and that I will continue to bask in God’s Favor. Please also lift up my 11 yr old daughter for peace with this situation as well.
This was exactly what I needed to hear today. I spent yesterday feeling so close to the Lord and today, the devil is fighting hard to pay me back. I spent the morning confused, feeling defeated, like I’d lost my connection, like all the hard work I did yesterday was for naught. Now I realize that it was probably more powerful than I realized because he is fighting me so hard today. Its funny how God always provides the messages I need to see exactly when I need to see them. Thank you for letting me feel like Im not crazy, not alone. Please pray that I will continue to fail forward and not feel like a failure period.
How Great our God is! I have been feeling so defeated today, so discouraged. Your devotion and blog spoke straight to my heart, reminding me to let go and allow God to guide as He chooses. I so desperately want to be a godly mother and wife, to be overflowing in the fruits of the Spirit, to be radiant with God’s love- but oh how the accuser beats me down. I have been asking God to show me who I am in Him, to allow me to grasp how deep, wide, high, and long His love is and who I am in that love. I know satan just wants to diminish any truth I have found, but I am believing Christ has defeated him and that He is my Deliverer.
I’m thankful for P31, as God uses your ministry daily to speak truth into my life. Thanks for your encouragement to fail forward.
Failing Forward! What a great new concept that I can incorporate in my life but also in my children’s lives. There have been times when my children have failed and I may have made it worse for them confirming their failure instead of helping them “fail forward”.
I was a young mom with my first two children (20 years old) and while I thought I was a great mother over the years, I realize now that I made some pretty huge mistakes. My prayer request would be that I be a wiser mom of my young adult children. And also for God to show me ways I “fail forward” so I might use these failures as stepping stones to grow.
Thanks for your devotion and your love for the Lord.
Nanci
I keep hearing in my head “Slow to Anger” this is something I struggle with not that I get anger but snap too quickly either my kids or husband but I have been trying to think before reacting and even my kids have told me that I seem different but there are times when all 3 babies are running about Hubby is just watching TV and I go off.. So I have to keep reminding myself “slow To Anger.” I love to read your Devontions they really have helped me and its so wonderful to see that I am not alone and I wouldn’t change over night but the important thing is that I am trying and failing foward. HUGS and Blessing to you!
-Ellie
Thank you, Tammy.
I love the clean sweep idea. And I know I need to do it and I’m looking forward to the time when I can get started on it.
Thank you, again, Renee. For being encouraging and giving us an opportunity to support one another. So many things and people around us tell us we’re failures–except God.
Please be assured that I will be praying for you all.
Goodmorning Renee, thank you so much for your dedication to P31! The past 2 weeks have been extremely stressful. My patience seems to be wearing very thin at this point. My attitude has been less than stellar since yesterday and this morning I started beating myself up for it. “Rising Again” has really encouraged me. Thank you for allowing God to use you to be an encouragement to others.
Hello Renee,
Seems like GOd has sent you to me these days… i fell related with your today´s devotional. Thank you for your every day words and keep doing it, i´m sure that you encourage a lot of people on their life´s journey…
thank you so much for today’s devo and your post! i have been terribly depressed lately and feeling like a failure at everything–as a mom, wife, and woman. this devo has given me a new way to look at my failures. i truly needed to read these today! thank you so much!
many blessings,
melissa
Hi, Renee!!!!
Thank you for being so transparent!
I am blessed with my oldest boy (13) who tells me that I am better than I used to be, when I blow it!
Right now, I am struggling with getting the homeschooling and household chores in order. I keep saying I need to write that down… :S It may seem odd that I am still struggling with homeschooling, being the end of the year and all, however! We lightly homeschool through the summer and have a wee one due at the end of Sept!!!
Bless you!!!
Dear Renee,
Your words were so encouraging and were words I needed to hear. I especially enjoyed the the blog about getting back up. Sometimes it seems so easy to just give up, but I would miss out on what God wants to do in my life.
Thank you for your encouragement today to keep going. And that even when I start to fail, God is holding out His hand.
Sincerely,
Crystal
[email protected]
Thank you. I need to embrace God’s healing and forgiveness right now. I need His grace to forgive myself as well. He is so good. It’s hard to believe that He loves me with how ridiculous I act sometimes. I think the enemy wants me to feel like I cannot be effective for the Lord after the things I have said or done. I know that’s not true. I just wish I could stop tripping up in this one area of my life. It’s definitely a thorn in my flesh!
Thanks for allowing God to speak through you to me!!!
Renee
Thanks for sharing.
As a mom of 3- 1 being special needs in several areas. It seems that my house is always chaotic.
The more I try to do the more I get stressed.
God has showed me thought Dave that I can only do what I can do due to nathans issues.
I also struggle with depression here and there.
God has been giving me prayers warriors to help lift me out of those times.
I hate a messy house.. it jsut seems that I can never get ahead.. I am thankful that God has given me a husband that understands that we have 3 young kids ages 5, 4 and 2.
There are times when I want to give up/feel that I am letting my family down.
Please pray for me.
Chrissy Gunning
Thank you for your devotion today. I am a single parent who is struggling. I am unemployed with no support or familial help or care. I am trying to be a good parent to my 14 year old daughter and provide for her and keep her in a good situation. It seems that it is one thing after another. I am so tired of going through these trials and tribulations. I know that God is trying to tell me something and prepare me for something. I know He is not going to place no more on me than I can handle. I have tried to get help from the government and agencies only to get turned away. It is so said to say that I understand why people resort to criminal things. I have thought about it. I lost my fulltime benenfitted job 2 years ago. Since then, I have obtained jobs only to enter the position doing a good job and to have jealousy of employees and managers to cause me to lose my job. This has happened three times. I am good at my job. Others on these jobs did a half job. I did not intentionally try to show them up. I just wanted to work well and do a good job. I am so tired of the dishonesty on jobs and life. I try to live right and raise my child. In my heart, I feel I am a failure because I just can take care of myself and my daughter. People have things to say. I just say that if they were in my shoes they would understand. Please pray for my daughter and I. I need a job that is flexible and well paying. A job with benefits and honest in their work. Lord, I need a financial miracle for we are on the way to the streets. Please along with our prayer warriors pray for us. I am getting tired and my faith sometimes wanes.
I have tons of gratitude, but contentment, not so much. Please pray that I continue to work towards turning gratitude into contentment and not contantly live in the “just one more thing” world.