Facing the Failure

Facing the Failure

Testimony – Lessions Learnt Through Failure

“Hello! My name is failure” failure knocked at my door one day. An invited guest forcibly entered my life.
I had graduated from MIT Chennai in 2014 and started working in a private firm. After attending a leadership camp, God talked to me to move to government job, so I started writing exams. Having read so many success stories and positive quotes, failures in the initial exams did not bother me. I was able to take it in a positive way. But slowly, as the number of failures in exams started increasing, my confidence level started going down. Every failure started choking my confidence level and positive energy. This led into sleepless nights, depression, stress, doubting God’s plan for my life and finally great disappointment with God.

My uninvited guest ‘failure’ was laughing at me and it took hold of me. I thought my life is sunk and every effort was down the drain. I could see nothing but darkness for the rest of my life.

I still pulled myself up, Though the one year journey of writing different exams (almost 30) and having failed in all the exams, choked my confidence and positive energy level, God in his sovereignty used this phase to teach me many valuable lessons that I would like to share here.

1. Be sure God prepares an individual through tough times
God uses the failures in our life to mould us and shape us to be the best. God allows the failure in our life to break down the pride and change our belief system from “I can do all things” to “Without God, how can I?”

2. Failure increases the faith of an individual
The more failure you face, the stronger your faith will become. Failure in one phase will help you to go through the trials and tough situations in the next phase. If you look at the circumstances, sometimes you may doubt God whether He is listening to our prayers and why He is allowing failures in a believer’s life. But Romans 8:28 says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” This is true, I thank God for letting me understand this verse first hand.

3. Failure story is unique for every individual
We as humans will always want God to act immediately in any situation, to give us the solution or to do a miracle. But the reality is that God has his own timing and plans. Sometimes we will look at the life of other graduates / fellow students failure phase and we will expect God to work in the same way in our lives. But the failure story of every individual is unique. Don’t compare your failure with that of others.

4. Be grateful for all that you have in spite of current failure
While writing exams at the different parts of the city, I got a chance to meet many aspirants, most of them were unemployed. I then realized that I never thanked God for my job. So many aspirants travelled from different parts of the state to attend the exam, but I got the exam centre in the same city. I did not have to travel much to write any exam. Instead of grumbling about the situation, I started thanking God for what was there in the life. The life which we are living is a dream for many people. Instead of worrying about what we donot have in life, thank God for what we have in life.

5. Graduates role in helping the students to face failure
As, graduates we have a huge responsibility to help the students or young graduates during this time, because mostly they stay away from their families and they need spiritual support to go through the phase. They need teaching to face the failures and disappointments by referring to the word of God and sharing from their own experiences. I remember how my graduates and mentors helped me to prepare for exams by opening their homes and providing all the moral support and prayer support whenever I needed. Once on the way to attend an interview, I was in a very panic mode, but an encouraging word “If God has reserved that job for you, no one can prevent you from getting it” from a graduate helped me to look to God in that situation.

Conclusion

Dictionary says failure is the opposite of success, but according to God, failure is a part of success and He allows it in a believer’s life to mould an individual. Instead of asking God, why this failure in life; we can ask God what does He want us to learn in this phase. Instead of complaining, we can be grateful and thankful to God. God will fulfill His purpose in our life. Focus on God always, instead of looking at the situation. God gives sufficient strength to face any situation.
Now when I look back, I thank God from the bottom of my heart for allowing all the failures in my life.

Jesintha Chandrasekar
The author is a young graduate from Bangalore failed in more than 26 exams before joining a Research Lab of a PSU given by God.

GOD ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS

answer my prayers?

Does God really mean it when He says that He will give us what we ask for? Bible texts come to our minds, such as Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given to you"...  Will He really answer when we call?   Isaiah 65:24: "Before you call I will answer, while you are still speaking, I will hear."

Does God answer prayers?

Have you ever asked the question, why doesn't prayer work? Why at times does it appear that God ignores us when we pray to Him. Many have prayed for God to intervene and solve a problem that they are struggling with, but sometimes going depression in my way lot of i have question about is jesus is reall but why he,sn,t listening my pryers som much confusion in my mind my self i was struggled a lot but in my every struggle i shared with god

God knows what’s best
Even when we feel that God is not answering our prayers, you can always know God is a God of love. The Bible tells us He loves us:

John 3:16. '"For God so LOVED the world".......
Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love."....

God created us and knows infinitely more than we know. He knows what is best for us, and what would not be good for us. If you have children, when they were very small, sometimes they asked for things that would not be good for them, or would harm them. For good reasons sometimes parents do not always give their children what they ask for, when they ask for it. Parents give them what is best for them.

It is the same way in our prayers to God. God gives us what is best for us. We are God’s children and He gives us what is best for us, and at a time when it is best for us. Our lives must be right with God before He can answer our prayers.

Right way
God has certain conditions that must be met before our prayers can be answered. One of the first, is we feel our need of help from Him. Isaiah 44:3 says, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received. One cannot pour water into a cup that is already full.

Right heart
If we have cherished sins in our lives, and refuse to give them up, or if we are doing things we should not be doing, and are disobeying Him, we cannot expect Him to answer our prayers. He cannot answer our prayers if we have sins in our lives that are unconfessed or if we are hanging on to cherished sins. Also, if we refuse to forgive others who have wronged us, God cannot hear us. (See Matthew 6:12 and Ephesians 4:32).

This is not saying you can earn God’s favor to answer your prayers, it will always be Jesus’s blood that makes us worthy; but we do need to do our part if God is going to work in our lives.

Pray without ceasing
One of the reasons we feel our prayers are not being answered, is because we stop praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says it best, "pray without ceasing." Paul is more direct in Philippians 4:6, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

In reality, we should not be worried so much about if God hears our prayers – He does and He does care. What we should be worried about is if because of temptations, hard times, and trials we get discouraged, and give up praying. In Luke 18:1, Jesus, “spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."

His time, His will
God is a God of love, and He is interested in every detail of our lives. He hears our prayers, and answers every sincere prayer if we meet His conditions. We must not expect that every answer will be "yes", since we are sinners and do not always ask what is best for us. Sometimes His answer is "No’ and sometimes it is "wait." (Hebrew 10:36) We need to end each prayer with, "Not my will but Your will." Even if we are sincerely doing God’s will, and to the best of our ability, following His will for us, He may see that it is best for us not for Him to say "yes" at this time. We must continue trusting Him, regardless of His answer at the moment.

God's timetable is not the same as ours. He knows better than we do when is the best time for our prayers to be answered. (See Hebrews 6 :13-15). God is eternal and does not measure time as we do. 2 Peter 3:8: "Beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

In the story of Abraham, God promised a son to Abraham. But Abraham became impatient when Sarah didn‘t bear him a son, so he took his wife’s servant as his wife. Abraham tried to solve the problem in his own way and the result was disastrous. We are still seeing the results of his mistake today. God eventually answered his prayer at the time when He saw it was best for Abraham.

For God to give us what we ask for, we must ask "according to His will." Faith cannot take the place of "asking according to God's will." 1 John 5:14, "…if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." If you do not ask according to God's will, it is not real faith in God. If God's answer is "No" we still must be willing to wait patiently, and trust God to answer in his own way and in His timing.

Trust God, even though it may seem like prayer doesn't work. Even though it may seem like at the moment He is not near and has abandoned you.

Isaiah 41:9,10:
"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, You are my servant, I have chosen you, and have not cast you away. Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

If we have faith and sincerely trust God, we will not be concerned as to whether the answer is "wait" or the answer is "no" or "yes." We must just trust, and wait and see if God in His timing will see fit to answer as we have requested, or perhaps He has something better in mind for us. Remember your prayer should end with "Not my will, Lord, but Your will." (Luke 22:42). "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6.

Contentment – A Way of Living

Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. When one is thankful about something marvelous happened, or when one has everything needed, then there is a feeling of contentment. So the feeling of contentment is more like a peaceful state of mind. The word contentment in Hebrew means simply “to be pleased”. But the Greek bring out the full force of the word in 1 Tim 6:8; Heb 13:5 and in 1 Tim 6:6. Here we see contentment as more inward than just mere satisfaction. The difference is that the former is a habit or a permanent state of mind while the latter has to do with a particular occurrence/object that makes us satisfied with whatever status we are in or whatever possessions we own. Paul says this in Phil 4:11 that he learned to be satisfied or happy or contented with whatever situation he was in.

The general tendency in the present day world is to keep going higher or to have more in terms of finance, status, designation, possessing materials, latest gadgets and technology, fashion, comforts etc. It is because we are never satisfied. Not everyone is truly content with his or her life. Other times we are dissatisfied and seek more for what we don’t have and who we are. Unlike Paul, some of us are never satisfied with what we have or what we possess or the status we are placed in or even degrees we hold. The problem here lies in never stopping once in a while to sit and think of all the things God has given us or to understand what God desires for us in our lives.

We need to be content with what we have or where we are, because we aren’t going to carry our achievements or possessions with us when we die (I Tim 6:7). We came into this world empty handed and we will depart from this world empty handed as well. The status of our finance, degrees or the designations that we own or achieve do not make one shred of difference to our standing when we go to heaven. So, if we are not going to carry anything with us into eternity then why strive? What use will all our accomplishments bring us except the pride that we try to showcase in society? Paul instructs us to “flee from these things and take hold of the eternal life to which we are called” (I Tim 6:11b).

Paul also tells us in I Tim 6:9b, striving or desiring to go higher up the ladder, makes us fall into various temptations and traps us into many foolish and harmful lusts. These temptations ultimately lead us to fall into sinful ways and sinful living and in the end we stray away from our relationship with God. As a child of God can we afford to stray away from our Heavenly Father?

The most important thing we need to remember is “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim6:10). The greed and desire for money can stray a believer from their faith. “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (1 Tim 6:10b). Losing faith is very scary because losing faith is losing salvation. In addition to losing our faith, we become self-dependent rather than depending on God. The danger in this is one can even push oneself into sorrow and painful situations and even bad habits (1 Tim 6:10).

So Paul Commands:
1.  To flee from the love of money and the greed of going higher.
(1 Tim 6:11a) And instead,
2.  To aim to achieve righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. (1 Tim 6:11b).
3.  To fight a good fight of faith in the midst of the conflicts with evil that we face in the world (1 Tim 6:12).
This is what is required in the present day.

In the end, contentment is usually discussed in connection with desiring more than what is required. Desire comes out of comparing with what others possess and getting depressed for what we don’t have and fail to acquire. We end up putting pressure on ourselves and our families for all the things we think we need to have but don’t. Let us remember that our lives on this earth are a passing phase. This thinking leads us to live a contended life. Jesus said that a happy life doesn’t depend on the things we have. The true treasures that make us happy come from loving God and loving one another (Mt 6:19-21).

John the Baptist, while baptizing people said to the crowd, “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. . . any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Several people then asked John what was to be done and John answered the tax collectors and said, “Don’t collect more than that is appointed”. In other words, do not be greedy. And to the soldiers he said, “Do not extort money from any one by threats or by false accusation”. In other words, do not illegally collect what you desire through bribes and fines but be content with your wages (Luke 3:14-15). In both scenarios we are taught to be content and live as commanded rather than through suggestion or exhortation. Commands require obedience and by desiring more than what is required, we live outside of God’s will and are disobeying God’s command, thereby inviting sorrow upon ourselves. Also in striving to earn more we will be slogging in our lives and have no time for God and for the family.

Beloved brothers and sisters let us not be conformed to the image of this world or its worldly practices/believes but rather let us rise above all these and live transformed lives. By doing so we will prove that which is good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom 12:2).

Mrs. Aruna Fullonton

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Failures – Hurdles or Stepping Stones?

Failures – Hurdles or Stepping Stones?

The Olympic Champions do not achieve their goal always at their first attempt. Thomas Edison’s teacher said that he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb.”

1. Failure in Exams: Most of us experience failure for the first time only in the context of our school exams. Immediately most of them go depressed. Failure in examinations has led 2403 people to commit suicide in 2014. In the Big Picture of our lives, this failure is not a big issue. We have to ask God to give us His Wisdom – James 1:5.
The next step is to chart out a workable study plan and follow it scrupulously. “God helps those who help themselves” !
Attitude matters !

2. Love Failure: Many young people face “Love Failure”. Movies, media, modern gadgets are the tempters for the immature youth to get into love relationships. But most of these end up in separation after campus life term gets over leaving a big scar in the heart. 4168 people have committed suicide in 2014 due to love affairs. Attraction between the opposite genders is a natural action. But that infatuation needs to be controlled till one finds one’s God-given partner and gets united in marriage. A student has to concentrate on his/her studies and nothing else. except asking God to bring the right person of His choice in His time.
It is the challenge of his love by his partners that destroyed Samson – .
“You hate me! You don’t really love me.”Jud. 14:16
“How can you say, ‘I love you,’  – Jud. 16:15
Alertness is needed to avoid unwanted affairs!

3. Failure in Family Life: Unrealistic expectations can lead to a failure on the family front. Matters like rearing the children, taking care of the aged parents, managing the finances within the income limit and the like are to be discussed and sorted out. One cannot have these as pre-conditions before marriage. In that case where is “God’s Will”? ‘Don’t count the chickens before they are hatched’, goes an old adage. The beauty and success of a marriage are found in talking with the spouse on important issues and arriving at solutions. Absence of such solutions took spouses to extreme cases like divorce. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord, Malachi 2:16. According to statistics 28,602 people in 2014 ended their lives due to family problems. Accepting one another as Christ received us is the bottom-line solving family problems. We have to surrender our ego to God, dare to apologize to our spouse and be willing to go the extra mile to safeguard the relationship.
The family that Prays together Stays together.
“If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” – 1 Tim. 3:5

4. Moral Failure: One man, one wife is the biblical dictum. We live in a society where men and women work together. Healthy distance must be maintained in relationships between men and women at the work place. If no caution is observed, ordinary friendship becomes an intimate one This applies to both man and women. Man and Woman are like cotton and fire. Even in the religious context is not exempted from this.
Moral failure is not the end of life. Jesus restored people who were living in sin – John 4:17,18; Luke 7:37-39, 47,48; 15:1,2,20; John 8:11. A real repentance from the past life is needed for change. After confessing our sins and being assured of the forgiveness of the Lord, we have to set right our lives in the right track by the grace of God – Pro. 28:13. Otherwise we will face a worse situation – Mat. 12:43-45. We need to fill our mind with the Word of God for a new life – Ps. 119:9,11. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

5. Failure in Vocation: Right choice should be made in choosing our vocation. Job satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment in our vocation are the signs of right choice. If not ,we have to take a bold decision to change jobs. The decision has to be taken in consultation with our spouse and children. The society and friends may not appreciate. But we have to be clear about our convictions. A high salaried friend of mine realized that he was not able to give quality time to his family. He took the bold decision, of changing his job and now gives time for family and for ministry. Are we willing to take the risk and save our family? At the same time one must exercise caution here. It doesn’t mean that we have to change our vocation when a promotion is denied, an increment is postponed or one is served with a transfer order. Joseph was doing his work as a slave, house keeper, in charge of prisoners without any murmur or compliant. God made Joseph the ruler of the nation.Gen. 39:2-5, 21-23; Ps. 105:17-22. Accept the sovereign hand of God in all situations and you will get over the feelings of failure.
Achieving our goals depend on avoiding the distractions!
“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank”. Prov. 22:29

6. Failure in Personal Spiritual life: No Christian can claim that he will never backslide from faith. A musician told once, “If I don’t have my practice one day, in the next performance I can note the mistakes I make. If I don’t practice for 2 days, my fellow musicians can notice my mistakes. If I don’t practice for 3 days, my audience can note the mistakes I make”. Similarly if we neglect our personal relationship with God, it will show up in all our activities. If one feels the prayer a waste of time and Bible is an ordinary book, can’t hear God speaking anymore.

The basic things needed for spiritual growth are:
G – Go to God in Prayer – Mark 1:35
R–Read God’s Word – Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim. 2:15
O – Obey in Fellowship – Heb. 10:25 W – Witness for God’s love
– Rom. 1:8
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” Ezra 7:10.

7. Failure in Ministry: God’s Great Commission is always ringing at the back of your mind of every child of God. At the beginning one is enthusiastically do a lot for His cause, investing time, resources, & expertise. As time goes by perhaps due to other commitments and pressures, focus from the ministry has shifted. This shift may have either stopped from involving or diminished the effect of involvement.
No more you are able to enjoy the time with God and the ministry.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Gal. 1:10

May be you need a break to set right your priorities. Elijah needed it and God gave him good food and sleep – 1 Kings 19:5-8. Take a break; spend time with God and His Word. Take the counsel of some senior friend. God will refresh you for your future ministry. Our God always gives us a second chance. Let us submit ourselves in His hands so that He can shape us even through our failures.
“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”Jer. 18:4

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క్రైస్తవులుగా యోగాను మనం ఆచరించవచ్చునా?

By

 Sathish Gnananandam

 -

April 16, 2016

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ఈ ప్రశ్నకు సమాధానం సూటిగా చెప్పాలి అంటే ఆచరించకూడదు అని చెప్పాలి. మన ప్రధాని మోడీ తన హిందూ మతాన్ని అందరూ ఆచరించాలి అని చేయని విశ్వప్రయత్నం లేదు. ఒకప్పుడు R.S.S లీడర్ గా ఒక వెలుగు వెలుగు వెలిగిన ప్రధాని మోడీకి వున్న ఈ ఆసక్తి ఆశ్చర్యం కలిగించేది ఏమి కాదు. ఇటీవల ఈయన గారు జూన్ 21 ను ప్రపంచ యోగా ధినోత్సవముగా ప్రకటించారు అయితే ఒక్క మన భారతదేశం తప్ప ఇతర దేశాలు ఈ అంశం పై కన్నెత్తి కూడా చూడలేదు. ప్రపంచం మొత్తం హిందూ మతం వైపు తిరగాలని ఈయన ఆకాంక్ష కాబోలు. అయితే దేవుని జ్ఞానం లేని కొంతమంది క్రైస్తవులు కూడా ఈ యోగా ధినోత్సవమును ఆనందముగా జరుపుకున్నారు. ఇంకా బాధించదగిన విషయం ఏదనగా “ప్రభువుదినమైన” ఆదివారమును కొంతమంది సంఘకాపరులు వారి వారి సంఘాల్లో జరుపుకున్నారు (Church Service that Included Yoga).

సరే ఇప్పుడు అసలు విషయానికి వద్దాం. యోగా అంటే ఏమిటి? “యోగా అనే పదం సంస్కృత భాష నుండి వచ్చింది దీని అర్ధం “ఏకమవుట” లేక “కలిసిపోవుట”. యోగా యొక్క ముఖ్య వుద్దేశ్యం “ముక్తిని లేక రక్షణను పొందుట”. యోగాలో అనేకమైన పద్ధతులు వున్నాయి. “ధ్యానం” అన్నీ యోగా పద్ధతులకు మూలమై వున్నది. మరి ఈ ధ్యానం అనగా ఏంటో ప్రతి క్రైస్తవుడు తెలుసుకోవాలి. “ధ్యానం అనగా మనసును, శరీరమును, ఆత్మను యేకము చేసి దానిని బ్రహ్మ అనే దేవునితో జతపరచటం”. ఇలా మనుష్యుని ఆత్మను, బ్రహ్మ అనే దేవుని ఆత్మతో సంధి చేయటాన్ని మోక్షం (Moksha) అంటారు. ఎంత అవివేకం క్రీస్తు యేసునందు దేవుడిచ్చే ఉచిత రక్షణను (ఎఫిసీయులకు 2: 8 – 9) మనుష్యులు వారి సాధనతో కొనుక్కోవాలి అనుకోవటమా?. క్రైస్తవుడిగా అది ఎన్నటికీ మనం చేయకూడదు. ఇప్పుడు అర్ధమైంది అనుకుంటున్నాను యోగా యొక్క ముఖ్య వుద్దేశ్యం ఏమిటో.

ఆరోగ్యకరమైన ఉపయోగాలు వుంటే యోగాను క్రైస్తవులు ఎందుకు చేయకూడదు: ఈ సందేహం చాలా మంది క్రైస్తవులలో కలుగుతుంది. మనం ప్రతి రోజూ చేసే వ్యాయామాల వలన మనకు ఎన్నో ఉపయోగాలు కలుగుతాయి. ఆరోగ్యముగా ఉండుటకు ఇటువంటి వ్యాయామాలు చేయటంలో క్రైస్తవులకు ఎటువంటి తప్పు లేదు. అయితే యోగా అభ్యాసము చాలా భిన్నమైనది. యోగాలో వ్యాయామము మాత్రమే లేదు, యోగా వ్యాయామముతో కూడిన ధ్యానము. యోగా యొక్క ముఖ్య ఉద్దేశ్యం ఏదనగా “మనసును, శరీరమును, ఆత్మను యేకము చేసి దానిని బ్రహ్మ అనే దేవునితో జతపరచటం” ఇధి వ్యర్ధమైన ప్రయత్నం.