Failures

Failures in the Christian life are inevitable but should not lead to despair. When we sin, immediate confession and trust in God’s forgiveness restore our fellowship with Him. Hidden sin can cause spiritual defeat, and we must deal with it honestly. Failures should drive us closer to God, not away, and through His grace, we continue walking in holiness.

The very title of this chapter may startle some. “Failures,” they will say; “we thought t here were no failures in this life of faith!” To this I would answer that there ought not to be, and need not be; but, as a fact, there sometimes are. And we have got to deal with facts, and not with theories. No teacher of this inner life says we can't sin. They only insist that we don't have to. A chance for constant victory is now possible. Few deny that, at times, they have given in to temptation.

Of course, in speaking of sin here, I mean conscious, known sin. I do not touch on the sins of ignorance.

Nor do I discuss the so-called inevitable sin of our nature. Both are covered by the atonement and do not disturb our fellowship with God. I have no desire or ability to discuss the doctrines of sin. I will leave that to the theologians. I will speak only of the believer's experience. I want it to be clear that I will refer only to what is within our consciousness. Misunderstanding, then, on this point of known sin, is dangerous to the higher Christian life. A believer, who trusts he is on the highway of holiness, may be surprised into sin. He is then tempted to either give up, or to hide his sin. To preserve doctrine, he may call it an "infirmity" and refuse to be honest.

Either of these courses is equally fatal to any real growth and progress in the life of holiness. We must face the sad truth. We must name it and find, if we can, its cause and cure. This life of union with God requires the utmost honesty with Him and with ourselves. The sin would only momentarily disturb the communion. But, any dishonesty with it would surely destroy it. A sudden failure is no reason for being discouraged and giving up all as lost. Neither is the integrity of our doctrine touched by it. We are not preaching a state, but a walk. The highway of holiness is not a place, but a way. Sanctification is not a thing to be gained at a certain stage of our experience and forever possessed. It is a life to be lived day by day and hour by hour.

We may briefly stray from a path. But our wandering does not erase it. We can quickly return. In this life of faith, we may fail at times. These failures are sad and to be deplored. But, if met rightly, they need not disturb our complete trust in God. They should not interrupt our happy communion with Him for long.

The great point is an instant return to God. Our sin is no reason for ceasing to trust, but only an unanswerable argument why we must trust more fully than ever. No matter the cause of our failure, discouragement won't help. A child learning to walk might despair after a fall. He might refuse to try again. A believer, learning to live by faith, must not give up for having sinned. The only way in both cases is to get right up and try again. After a disastrous defeat.

“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?"(Joshua 7:6-9) What a wail of despair this was! And how it is repeated by many a child of God today. Their hearts melt, like water, because of a defeat. They cry, “And Joshua said, 'Alas, Lord G OD , why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all — to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?

Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan !" They predict further failures and even defeat by their enemies. No doubt, Joshua thought, as we now do. After such a failure, discouragement and despair seemed the only safe response. But God thought otherwise. " So the L ORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? " They should not surrender to despair, however humble it might seem. They must face the evil and get rid of it. They must "sanctify themselves" at once.”

“Up, sanctify the people,” is always God’s command. “Lie down and be discouraged” is always the enemy’s temptation. We feel it is presumptuous, even impertinent, to go at once to the Lord after having sinned against Him. We should suffer our sins' consequences for a while and endure our guilty consciences. We can hardly believe the Lord would want to welcome us back into His loving fellowship. A little girl once expressed the feeling to me, with a child's honest straightforwardness. She asked if the Lord Jesus always forgave our sins if we asked Him. I said, "Yes, of course He does."”

“Just as soon” she repeated, doubtingly. “Yes,” I replied, “the very minute we ask, He forgives us.”

“Well,” she said deliberately, “I cannot believe that. I should think He would make us feel sorry for two or three days first. And then I should think He would make us ask Him a great many times, and in a very pretty way too, not just in common talk. I believe that is how He does. You need not try to make me think He forgives me at once, no matter what the Bible says.”

She only said what most Christians think. Worse, most act on it. Their remorse now separates them from God more than their sin would.

It is so contrary to how we want our children to act, that I wonder how we could have conceived such an idea of God. A mother grieves when her naughty child goes off alone in despair. She doubts her willingness to forgive. But, her heart welcomes the darling who runs to her and begs forgiveness!

Surely, our God knew this love when He said, “ Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.

Behold, we come to you, for you are the Lord our Go d.”(Jeremiah3:22) The same moment that reveals sin, should reveal forgiveness. This is vital for a steadfast walk on the holy path. Here, we cannot tolerate an instant of separation from God. We can only walk this path by looking to Jesus, moment by moment. If we take our eyes off Him to see our sin and weakness, we will leave the path at once. The believer, who trusts he is on this path, must flee to the Lord if sin overcomes him. He must act on ( 1 John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and j ust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He must not hide his sin and seek to salve it over with excuses, or to push it out of his memory by the lapse of time. But he must do as the children of Israel did. He must rise up "early in the morning," and "run" to where the evil thing is hidden. Then, he must take it from its hiding place and lay it "out before the Lord.”

He must confess his sin. Then he must stone it, burn it, and put it away. Then, he must raise a great heap of stones to hide it forever. He must, then and there, believe that God is. He must believe, according to His word, that God is faithful and just to forgive him his sin, and that He does do it. He must also believe that God cleanses him from all unrighteousness. He must, by faith, claim an immediate forgiveness and cleansing. Then, he must trust more than ever.

Once Israel's sin was uncovered and removed, God's word came. It was a message of great encouragement: " And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. ”(Joshua 8:1) Our courage must rise higher than ever. We must trust the Lord more. Then, His mighty power can work in us to fulfill His will. Moreover, we must forget our sin as soon as it is thus confessed and forgiven. We must not dwell on it, and examine it, and indulge in a luxury of distress and remorse. We must not idolize it, then walk around and view it. That would make it a mountain that hides our God from us. We must follow Paul's example. We must "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." Then, we must "press toward the ma rk for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."”

I would like to bring up two contrastive illustrations of these things. One was an earnest Christian. He was an active church worker. For several months, he had enjoyed full salvation. He was suddenly overcome by a temptation to treat a brother unkindly. He thought it impossible to sin again. So, he was deeply discouraged. He concluded he was wrong. He had never truly trusted. His discouragement grew into despair. He concluded he had never been born again, and gave himself up for lost. He spent three years in misery. He drifted further from God and fell into one sin after another. His life became a curse to himself and to those around him.

His health failed under the terrible burden. Fears arose for his reason. At the end of three years, he met a Christian lady, who understood the truth about sin that I had been trying to explain. After a brief chat, she learned his trouble. She said, "You sinned in that act, no doubt. Don't try to excuse it."

But have you never confessed it to the Lord and asked Him to forgive you?” “Confessed it!” He exclaimed, "I have done nothing but confess it. I have begged God to forgive me for these three dreadful years." “And you have never believed He did forgive you?” asked the lady. “No,” said the poor man, “how could I, for I never felt as if He did?” “But suppose He had said He forgave you, would not that have done as well as for you to feel it?”

“Oh, yes,” replied the man, “if God said it, of course I would believe it.” “Very well, He does say so,” was the lady’s answer, and she turned to the verse we have taken above. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . ”(1 John 1:9) and read it aloud. "Now," she continued, "for three years you've confessed your sin. All the while, God's record has declared He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you. Yet, you have never once believed it."

You have been ‘making God a liar’ all this while by refusing to believe His record.”

The poor man saw the whole thing. He was dumbfounded and alarmed. When the lady suggested they kneel, he obeyed like one in a maze. She wanted him to confess his past sins and claim, then and there, forgiveness and cleansing. But the result was glorious. In a few moments, the light broke in, and he burst out into praise at the wonderful deliverance. In three minutes, his soul, by faith, traversed the long, weary journey of three years. He found himself resting in Jesus, rejoicing in His full salvation.

The other illustration was of a Christian lady. She had been in salvation for about two weeks. She had a bright, victorious experience. Suddenly, at the end of that time, she was overcome by a violent burst of anger. For a moment, a flood of discouragement swept over her soul. The enemy said, “There, now, that shows it was all a mistake. Of course, you have been deceived about the whole thing, and have never entered into the life of full trust at all.

You might as well give up. You can't consecrate or trust yourself more than you did this time. So, it is plain this life of holiness is not for you!” These thoughts flashed through her mind in a moment. But she was well-taught in God's ways. So, she said, "Yes, I have sinned, and it is very sad." But the Bible says that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. He is faithful and just. He will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I believe He will do it.” She did not delay. Still boiling with anger, she ran, not walked, into a room to be alone. Kneeling by the bed, she said, "Lord, I confess my sin." I have sinned, I am even at this very moment sinning.

I hate it, but I cannot get rid of it. I confess it with shame and confusion of face to God. And now I believe that, according to your word, you do forgive and you do cleanse.” She said it out loud, for the inward turmoil was too great for it to be said inside. As the words “You do forgive and you do cleanse” passed her lips, the deliverance came. The Lord said, “ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea , ' Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm ,” ( Mark 4:39) and there was a great calm. A flood of light and joy burst on her soul, the enemy fled, and she was more than a conqueror through Him that loved her. It had taken only five minutes, the sin and its cure. Now, her feet trod more firmly than ever on the blessed highway of holiness. So, the valley of anchor became a door of hope. She sang her song of deliverance, with deeper m eaning: “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, 'I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1 ) In every crisis, the only remedy is to trust in the Lord. If this is all we can do, is it not better to do it at once? I have often been brought up short by the question, “Well, what can I do but trust?” I realized at once the folly of seeking deliverance any other way. I thought, "I will have to trus t in the end. “Then, why not do it now?" We have entered a life of faith. If we fail, our only recovery must be an increase in faith, not a decrease.

Let every failure, if any occur, drive you to the Lord. Abandon yourself to Him and trust Him completely. Though sad, these failures won't end your rest or your sweet communion with Him. I have shown the way to escape failure. Now, I want to discuss the causes of failure in this life of full salvation.

The causes do not lie in the strength of the temptation, our own weakness, or, above all, any lack in our Saviour's power or will to save us. The promise to Israel was positive, “ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. ” (Joshua1:5). And the promise to us is equally positive, " No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13) So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai It was not the strength of their enemy, neither had God failed them. Their defeat had another cause, which the Lord declares: "Israel hath sinned. They have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them.

They have taken of the accursed thing. They have also stolen and dissembled, and put it among their own stuff."

"So, the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They turned their backs upon their enemies."” It was a hidden evil that conquered them. Deep beneath the earth, in a tent in that vast army, was something against which God had a controversy.

This hid den thing made the whole army helpless before their enemies. “Israel, there is something wrong among you . You cannot stand before your enemies until you remove it."”

The teaching is this: Any hidden evil in our hearts, no matter how small, will cause us to fall before our enemies. Any cherished bitterness, harsh judgments, or slackness in obeying the Lord will cripple our spiritual life. So will any doubtful habits or surroundings. We may have hidden the evil in our hearts.

We may have covered it up, refusing to see it. But, we are secretly aware of it.

We may ignore it and declare our full trust. We may be more earnest in our religious duties. We may see more truth and beauty in the life of faith. We may seem to have won, both to ourselves and others.

Yet, we may suffer bitter defeats. We may wonder, question, despair, and pray. But, nothing will help until the accursed thing is dug up, brought to light, and laid before God. If a believer living an inner life is defeated, he must seek the cause. It is not the enemy's strength. It is a hidden lack of dedication at his core.

A headache is not a disease, but a symptom of one. It is in some other part of the body. So, in a Christian, sin is only a symptom. It reveals an evil that likely exists in another part of his being.

Sometimes, one may hide evil even in what, at a cursory glance, looks like good. Hidden behind a strong desire for the truth, there may be a tendency to judge or favor our own opinions . Clear Christian faithfulness may hide an absence of Christian love. Beneath a seemingly rightful care for our affairs, we may hide a great want of trust in God. Our blessed Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is. He secretly discovers these things to us. He does so through little twinges and pangs of conscience. So, we are left without excuse. It is easy to ignore His gentle voice. We convince ourselves that all is well. This will hide a fatal evil among us, causing unexpected defeats.

A capital illustration of this occurred to me once in my housekeeping. I moved into a new house. In checking it for readiness, I found a very clean cider cask in the cellar. It was headed up at both ends. I debated whether to take it from the cellar and open it. It seemed empty and looked nice. So, I decided to leave it, as it would have been a lot of work to get it up the stairs. I didn't feel completely comfortable, but I pushed aside my doubts and left it. Every spring and fall, during house-cleaning time, I would remember that cask. A twinge of my housewifely conscience nagged at me. I could not rest in a perfectly cleaned house while it remained unopened. For how did I know it did not hide some evil beneath its fair exterior?

Still, I eased my doubts. I feared the trouble of investigating it. For two or three years, the harmless- looking barrel sat in my basement. Then, most unaccountably, moths began to fill my house. I used every possible precaution against them and made every effort to eradicate them, but in vain. They increased rapidly and threatened to ruin everything I had.

I suspected my carpets were the cause, and subjected them to a thorough cleaning. I suspected something was wrong with my furniture, so I had it redone. I suspected all sorts of impossible things.

At last, the thought of the cask flashed on me. I had it brought up from the cellar, and the head knocked in.

I think it's safe to say that thousands of moths poured out. The previous occupant must have left something that bred moths. This was the cause of all my trouble.

I now believe that some habit or indulgence, some safe, minor thing, causes us little twinges of conscience. It's not been fairly examined under God's searching eye. I think it lies at the root of most failures in this higher life. All is not given up. Some secret corner is kept locked against the entrance of the Lord. And therefore, we cannot stand before our enemies, but find ourselves smitten down in their presence.

To prevent failure, or to find its cause if we do, we must keep this prayer before us: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any evil way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.""

There may be something very deceptive in our sufferings over our failures. We may think we are focused on God's glory. Yet, our souls may be troubled by self alone. We are not as saintly as we thought. This discovery hurts our self-love. Our frustration can be a bigger mistake than the original wrongdoing. The only safe way to treat our failures is to avoid justifying or condemning ourselves.

We should, instead, lay them quietly before the Lord. We should look at them in peace and with love.

The old mystic writers say that a simple, peaceful turning to God helps us more than regretting our straying from Him. "Only be faithful," they say. "Turn only to Him, the moment you see your sin. His presence will free you from the snares that have trapped you." To look at self-plunges you deeper into the slough, for this very slough is after all nothing but self; while a simple look towards God can calm and comfort your heart.

Finally, let us never forget, no matter our failures. The Lord Jesus is able, as declared, to save us from our enemies. Then, we may "That we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days."(Luke1:74-75). Let us pray, each of us, day and night: " Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me .”(Psalm19:13). “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”(Acts 1:8). We must be so pliable in His hands, and trust Him. Then He will “ Equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:21)