Daily Devotional
Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Text: Micah 7:8 (NKJV)
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.”
Message
Micah spoke for those brought low by personal sin and the sin of the community. In spite of their humiliation, he warned their enemies to not rejoice over their condition because, “when I fall, I will arise and when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.”
Going by the Bible, your enemy is anybody who resists you, who contradicts you, who crosses you, who antagonizes you. The enemy in this context is those who resist God, who disobey his laws, who ignore him.
The Bible specifically warns: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice.” (Proverbs 24: 17). It also exposes the damage caused by envy: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30).
Jesus says about your enemy, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44).
Jesus said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5:44). So my enemy who falls in this verse is not someone I don’t like, but someone who doesn’t like me – and I am not supposed to be happy when they fall!
Christians are called to love those who despise us and persecute us. To follow in Christ’s footsteps is to walk in the way of love.
Micah 7: 7 put simply, that rejoicing is a choice. As Christians, we are called to joy, not to hopelessness and negativity. We should focus on what God has done for us instead of dwelling on our current suffering and pain. We are called to share that joy and hope with others.
Your choices are your responsibility, and your choices have the power to shape your life and determine your future.
Every decision you make has consequences, whether positive or negative, and it’s up to you to take responsibility for the outcome.
Fact is negative thoughts are like weights that hold us back and prevent us from reaching our full potential. They can come in many forms; self-doubt, fear, worry, and anxiety, to name a few – and can be incredibly unhelpful in achieving our goals and dreams.
The good news is that we have the power to control our thoughts and choose to focus on the positive instead.
Taking care of ourselves is just as important as achieving our goals and fulfilling our responsibilities. We can not function at our best without proper rest, self-care of our mind. It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to prioritize our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. When we make rest a priority, we show ourselves love and respect.
“Don’t be afraid to fail” is a great motto to live by indeed! Failure is an inevitable part of growth, learning, and success. Every successful person has experienced failure at some point in their journey. It’s how we respond to failure that matters.
Remember, failure provides valuable learning experiences, helps us develop resilience and perseverance, encourages creativity and innovation, allows us to refine our ideas and approaches, and builds character and strength
So, don’t fear failure. Embrace it as an opportunity to learn and improve. As Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Keep pushing forward, and remember that every failure brings you closer to success! So live life intentionally and relationally and don’t be afraid to fail.
You will succeed in Jesus’ name!
Amen.