 From latin, meaning to deceive, disappoint  Shares root word with fallacy, fallible  The condition of not achieving desired ends  Being found insufficient, falling short  Can be something we do or something that happens to us  Can be a matter of interpretation, i.e., whether we judge failure as being in ourselves, or in our performance  Can be a stumbling block or stepping stone

 Adam & Eve  Noah  Abraham  Issac  David  Jonah  Eli  Rahab  Barak  Gideon  Samson  Samuel  And the list goes on Deceit, rebellion, willful sin, drunkenness, fear, lust, hatred, apathy, etc.

…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 Seems to be part of the human condition… so what will we do with it?

 It is inevitable

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:15-24

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 Romans written about 57 AD Philippians written AD

 It is inevitable  It reminds me that I am not God

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently… James 5:17 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

 It is inevitable  It reminds me that I am not God  It reminds me to look through God’s eyes

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14 What is man that you are mindful of him, And the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:4-5

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

 It is inevitable  It reminds me that I am not God  It reminds me to look through God’s eyes  It can point to the need to change

And they all left him and fled. Mark 14:50 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts 9:4-5

 It is inevitable  It reminds me that I am not God  It reminds me to look through God’s eyes  It can point to the need to change  It is an essential part of success

 Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs and struck out 1,330 times.  Thomas Edison failed hundreds of time before succeeding with the light bulb.

August 1978, Double Eagle II made the first transatlantic balloon flight, landing in a barley field near Normandy, France. Beginning in 1873, it had taken 13 efforts in 105 years to make the crossing.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 7:24-8:1 Sins failures should awaken us to the success which can only be found in Christ

Failure leaves scars, hurt feelings, fear, wounded relationships, etc. It can bring softer hearts, stronger character, and a greater awareness of God’s grace. God works with losers like all of us to bring about victory and success.