I am sure, I am not alone in saying, “I sometimes feel like a failure.” There are many reasons why you may feel like a failure. You may have recently been let go from work. You may have failed your finals in school. You may have bombed an important interview. Your boyfriend/girlfriend recently broke up with you. You may have been cheated on. You lost money on a business deal gone bad. You keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Life is just not working for you. You feel inadequate, unqualified, a failure. I want to remind you that you are not a failure. You may have gone through difficult times, but the difficulties do not define you. God placed you there for a reason. God does not make mistakes.

Do not allow the feelings of failure to debilitate you. Do not let the feelings of inadequacy leave functionally incapacitated.

1. Refuse to believe the lie.

You may have done it, but you are not it. You are not defined by your failures. You are a child of God. “So, if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

 2. You are not alone.

The feelings of failure are indiscriminate. We all feel like failures, at some point. When you fall, do not stay down. You may be down, but you are not out. Rise! “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” – Proverbs 24:16.

3. You have been forgiven.

You do not have to live in guilt. You are forgiven. You are a new creature in Christ. “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” – I John 1:9

^“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

4. No condemnation

When you feel like a failure, feelings of condemnation abound. Stop playing the blame game. Stop overanalyzing your mistakes and shortcomings. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2

5. His grace is sufficient

God provides enough grace to cover all your sins. When you are forgiven, God does not keep a remnant of your errors to hold above your head. He loves you enough to give all your shortcomings. His grace is enough for you. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

6. And this too, shall pass.

Nothing on earth is permanent. These feelings of failure. The problems and challenges of life are temporary. The sadness is for a brief moment. God will soon turn it all around. You will be walking in victory soon! Cheer up! Hope is at the end of the rope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Hang on in there! “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5