Day 18 — Getting Back Up

“For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up.”

— Proverbs 24:16 (BSB)

“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”

— Lamentations 3:22–23 (BSB)

Have you ever watched a baby learning to walk? They pull themselves up, wobble, take one step, and plop! Down they go. Then they get back up. Wobble, step, plop! Up again. They fall hundreds of times. But nobody says, “Well, that baby’s a failure. Guess they’ll never walk.” Everyone knows falling is part of learning.

This week, we’ve talked a lot about temptation and saying no. But what happens when you don’t say no? What about when you mess up, again? Maybe even the same thing you’ve messed up a hundred times?

Look at Proverbs 24:16: “A righteous man may fall seven times.” Did you notice? The righteous person falls. Even people who love God and try to do right still fall sometimes. What makes them different isn’t that they never fall. It’s that “he still gets up.”

When you fall, the devil wants you to stay down. He whispers, You’re hopeless. God is sick of you. You might as well give up. But those are lies!

Here’s the truth from Lamentations: God’s “mercies never fail. They are new every morning.” Every single day, God has a fresh supply of mercy for you. Yesterday’s mistakes don’t use up today’s mercy. It’s like waking up to a brand-new, clean page.

So how do you get back up?

• Tell God the truth. Confess what you did. Don’t hide it.
• Receive His forgiveness. If you belong to Jesus, He forgives you completely. You don’t have to earn it back.
• Make it right. If you hurt someone, say sorry to them too.
• Keep going. Ask God for help, and take the next step.

Remember Peter? He denied Jesus three times. But Jesus forgave him and helped him get back up, and Peter became a great leader in the church.

Falling doesn’t make you a failure. Staying down does. And with God’s mercy, you never have to stay down.

Think about it: Is there something you keep messing up that makes you feel like giving up? What does Lamentations 3:22–23 say to you?

Try this: Tomorrow morning, as soon as you wake up, say: “Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness!”

Dear God, sometimes I fall, even when I really want to do right. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and that You never give up on me. When I fall, help me get back up, receive Your forgiveness and keep going. In Jesus’ name, Amen.