The Book of Heroic Failures contains a story about the 1978 strike of British firefighters, when the army filled the gap for the missing firemen. One afternoon the replacement firefighters got a call to rescue a cat caught high in a tree. The soldiers rushed to the scene, put up a ladder, brought down the cat, and gave it back to the owner. The woman was grateful and invited them in for tea. After a wonderful time, they said goodbye, got in the truck, and backed away—over the cat. (George Sanchez, “How to Succeed God's Way,” Discipleship Journal, Sept/Oct 1983; www. PreachingToday.com)
Oh my! How do you recover from that?
The story reminds me of Joshua. He had a tremendous victory at Jericho. Then immediately afterward, he failed miserably. It’s like he ran over the cat, so-to-speak, only worse, because dozens of lives were lost.
Perhaps, you’ve failed this last year, and you’re hoping to recover in the coming year. So how do you do that? How do you recover from failure? How do you come back from defeat? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Joshua 7, Joshua 7, where we see how Joshua recovered from his failure.
Joshua 7:1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. (ESV)
God had made it very clear that everything in Jericho belonged to Him. No one was to take anything out of the city, but Achan did. One man deliberately disobeyed the Lord, and the whole nation suffered.
Joshua 7:2-5 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (ESV)
What should have been an easy victory turned into a horrible defeat, which demoralized everyone. I think they were a little cocky going into it. God had given them a tremendous victory over the much larger city of Jericho. So they thought they could take the little city of Ai without much effort. Well, their pride led to a fall!
In 1974, Philippe Petit, a high-wire artist, fulfilled his dream of walking between the World Trade Center towers. In 2015, TriStar Pictures produced a motion picture about Philippe’s story in honor of the 9-11 victims. The film is called The Walk; and in an early scene, Philippe is in a Big Top circus in France tying a rope to a beam. He has not yet performed on the high wire, but whenever the big top was empty, he would practice on the wire.
In the next scene, Philippe is high up just under the tent's ceiling and balancing himself on a wire with a pole. Papa Rudy, his mentor, enters the tent and looks up at Philippe, who was walking carefully but confidently across the thin wire. He hesitates as he is about to reach the platform and then takes a more assertive forward step. But suddenly Philippe and his wire start shaking precariously. He falls to the side, grabbing on to the wire with both hands, barely avoiding falling to his death as the pole plummets to the ground.
As he hangs onto the wire with both hands, the ground a great distance below, he slowly works his way to the platform. Breathing heavily and making his way down the ladder he faces Papa Rudy who tells him, “Most wire walkers, they die when they arrive. They think they have arrived, but they're still on the wire. If you have three steps to do, and you take those steps arrogantly, if you think you are invincible, you're going to die.” (The Walk. DVD, Chapter 5, 25:29 to 27:02, Directed by Robert Zemeckis. 2015; Tristar Productions; www.PreachingToday.com)
In Joshua’s case, 36 people died! The self-confidence of all and the secret sin of one led to defeat and failure. So what does Joshua do?
Joshua 7:6 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. (ESV)
That’s a sign of deep distress and sorrow. Their cockiness has become deep contrition.
Joshua 7:7-9 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands 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?” (ESV)
It’s a pitiful prayer. Joshua questions their mission, doubts their future, and worries that God Himself will be dishonored. Joshua is truly broken before God. He cries before the Lord, and that’s what you must do to begin your road to recovery.
CRY BEFORE THE LORD.
Be broken before Him. Mourn and weep not only for your own loss, but for the potential loss of God’s reputation.
Sad to say, many people don’t really express true sorrow over their failures anymore. Our culture of self-esteem keeps people from any real contrition. It’s more like this satirical “overhaul” of one of the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer.
Benevolent and easy-going Parent: We have occasionally had some minor errors of judgment, but they're not really our fault. Due to forces beyond our control, we have sometimes failed to act in accordance with our own best interests. Under the circumstances, we did the best we could. We are glad to say that we're doing okay, perhaps even slightly above average. Be your own sweet Self with those who know they are not perfect. Grant us that we may continue to live a harmless and happy life and keep our self-respect. And we ask all these things according to the unlimited tolerances which we have a right to expect from you. Amen. (David Head, He Sent Leanness, Macmillan, 1959, p. 19; www.PreachingToday.com)
If that’s your attitude towards your failure, then there will be no restoration. But if you come before God truly broken over your failure, He will most definitely restore you. When King David came before God after His failure, He said, “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Philip Yancey put it this way: “The same tears that break our hearts may also nourish us in ways that matter most to God.” (Philip Yancey, Leadership, Vol. 14, no. 4; www.PreacingToday.com)
So when you fail, don’t be afraid to shed some tears. Cry before the Lord if you want to begin your road to recovery. Then…
CONSECRATE YOURSELF TO THE LORD.
Give yourself completely to Him. Commit yourself to obeying Him completely. That’s what God tells Joshua and the Israelites to do.
Joshua 7:10-12 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. (ESV)
The time for crying is over. It’s time to do something, so get up and destroy the devoted things. I.e., Destroy those things that were taken from Jericho, which belong to Me.
Joshua 7:13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” (ESV)
God says it again! Get up and take away the devoted things. Only this time God adds, Consecrate yourselves.” I.e., Give yourselves completely to the Lord. You see, it’s not enough just to give some stuff to the Lord (in this case whatever was stolen from Jericho). God wants people to give themselves to Him!
That’s what God tells Joshua and the Israelites to do, and that’s what God asks of you. “Get up and give yourself completely to Me!” He says. Romans 12:1 puts it this way: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.”
God wants more than some of your money. God wants more than some of your time, and God wants more than some of your abilities. God wants every part of you! So hold nothing back. Give yourself completely to Him if you want to get well down the road to recovery.
When Michigan played Wisconsin in basketball early in the season in 1989, Michigan's Rumeal Robinson stepped to the foul line for two shots late in the fourth quarter. His team trailed by one point, so Rumeal could regain the lead for Michigan. He missed both shots, allowing Wisconsin to upset favored Michigan.
Rumeal felt awful about costing his team the game, but his sorrow didn't stop at the emotional level. After each practice for the rest of the season, Rumeal shot one hundred extra foul shots. Thus, Rumeal was ready when he stepped to the foul line to shoot two shots with three seconds left in overtime in the national-championship game.
Swish went the first shot, and swish went the second. Those shots won Michigan the national championship. Rumeal's repentance had been genuine, and sorrow motivated him to work so that he would never make that mistake again (Charles Edward White, Spring Arbor, Michigan, Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 1; www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, it’s not enough just to be sorry for your failures. Your sorrow must motivate you to action. 2 Corinthians 7 says, “Godly sorrow leads to repentance” (vs.10). I.e., it leads to a change of attitude, which brings about a change in action. If you want to recover from failure, you can’t expect to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
So give yourself completely to God. Then in His strength, change your behavior and obey Him completely. The road to recovery starts when you cry before the Lord. But it continues only when you consecrate yourself to the Lord. Then to get further down the road, you must…
CONFESS YOUR OWN SIN.
Admit to your own transgression. Own up to your own wrongdoing.
After telling Israel to consecrate themselves, God wants them to identify the specific sinner so they can deal with him.
Joshua 7:14-15 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man. And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel. (ESV)
Wow! That’s drastic, but you have to realize that man’s sin caused the death of 36 people in Israel.
Joshua 7:16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. (ESV)
That is, they cast lots and the tribe of Judah was chosen. They drew the short straw, so to speak.
Joshua 7:17-21 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver (that’s five pounds), and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels (about a pound and a quarter), then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (ESV)
Achan finally admits his sin, but only because he’s caught. He says, “I saw… I coveted… and I took.”
Now, isn’t that the way sin usually works: I see, I want, and I take? Eve saw the forbidden fruit; she wanted it, and she took it. King David saw Bathsheba taking a bath; he wanted her, and he took her. Here, Achan saw the silver and gold; he wanted it, and he took it.
James 1 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (verses 13-15, ESV).
Achan finally admits his desire led to sin. And that was absolutely necessary if the nation of Israel was going to deal with the root cause of their failure. In verse 7, they blamed God for their failure. Now, they can praise God (vs.19) and deal with the real cause of their failure.
That’s what God wanted Israel to do, and that’s what God wants you to do on your road to recovery. Stop blaming God. Stop blaming others and admit your own sin.
During the 2002 Soccer World Cup, Adidas introduced their Fevernova soccer ball. It featured a new design that was supposed to make the ball follow a more predicable flight pattern than the previous generation of soccer balls. However, while the Fevernova accomplished this goal, many players complained that it was too light, making it fly unpredictably.
So for the 2006 World Cup, Adidas attempted to fix those problems with their new +Teamgeist ball. This ball had 14 (rather than 32) curved panels that were bonded together rather than stitched. This goal was to make the ball uniformly round and completely waterproof. Yet for all of Adidas' efforts in solving the water problem, some players felt that the ball flew too fast. It was too easy to score goals they said, and it made goalies look slow and ineffective.
Adidas again made further improvements for the 2010 World Cup ball called the Jabulani. They further reduced the number of panels from 14 down to eight, but they also added textured grooves to the panels intended to make the ball have the same kind of aerodynamics as a traditional stitched ball. But once again, some players complained that the new grooves made the ball fly unpredictably. (John Dyer, From the Garden to the City, Kregel, 2011, pages 132-133; www.PreachingToday.com)
It seemed that no matter what Adidas did, they couldn’t make the players happy. Perhaps, the problem was not with the balls, but with the players themselves. You see, when you stop blaming others and take responsibility for your own problems, then you’re well on the road to recovery.
The road to recovery starts when you cry before the Lord. But it continues only when you consecrate yourself to the Lord. Then to get further down the road, you must confess your own sin. But you can’t stop there, after you confess your own sin, you must…
CLEAN THE SIN OUT!
Get rid of it. Put it out of your life. That’s what Israel does.
Joshua 7:22-24 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. (ESV)
His sons and daughters were included, because they participated in the sin with him; they helped him hide it in their tent.
Joshua 7:25-26 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor. (ESV)
There’s a play on words here. Achan means troubler, and Achor means trouble. Achan had caused a lot of trouble for Israel, because of his unconfessed and unrepentant sin.
Now, if he had admitted his sin and turned from it right away, there would have been very little trouble for him or the nation. It’s only when he tried to hide it and keep it that his sin lead to death not only for himself and his family, but to dozens of others in the nation.
That’s the problem with sin when you don’t deal with it right away. It’s bad enough that it brings you trouble, but it also troubles your family and those around you.
I’m reminded of the old story about a passenger below deck on a ship sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. After they gotten under way, he began cutting a hole in the side of the ship. When the other sailors discovered it, they rushed in and demanded to know what the man was doing. “What difference does it make?” he asked. “The hole is under my own bunk.” (Bible Illustrator #2672, 4/1987.17)
Sad to say, that’s the attitude many people have when it comes to their own sin. When confronted, they often say, “Why should you care? I’m only hurting myself.”
If only that were true. No! Your sin hurts your family, your friends, and your community. And the longer you let it fester, the more trouble you’re going to cause not only for yourself, but also for them.
Please, do what Israel did. With God’s help, get rid of the sin before you cause any more damage. Bring it out into the open and put it out of your life. Throw it out and bury it under a heap of stones, so you can’t go back to it ever again.
Stuart Moffatt awoke on the Saturday before Easter several years ago, loaded up his wife and three kids in the family car, and headed to the annual Easter Egg Hunt in the British town of Holford, Somerset. About 25 children participated in the egg hunt in the field beside the busy road. As the hunt was drawing to an end, the parents began counting the gathered eggs to see if all had been found.
Stuart looked out and noticed a three-year-old boy had wandered out toward the road and had apparently found another egg. Not recalling placing an egg that close to the road, Stuart walked out to the child, who was now standing on top of the egg. Impressed that the egg did not crack, Stuart walked up and noticed the egg was oddly shaped and textured. It wasn't until he knelt beside the little boy, still standing on top of the egg, that Stuart realized it was not an egg at all. It was a hand grenade.
In fact, it was a live, fully-functional World War 2 grenade. Stuart picked the boy up off the grenade and backed away. A bomb disposal unit was called in and destroyed the grenade in a controlled explosion. (Suzan Clarke, “British Boy Finds Live Hand Grenade on Easter Egg Hunt,” ABC News, 4-9-12; www. PreachingToday.com)
That’s how you have to deal with sin! Back away as soon as you can. Get some help, and destroy it before it explodes and harms innocent people.
By the way, we have a “bomb disposal unit” meeting right here at Faith Bible Church every Sunday night. It’s called “Celebrate Recovery”, and they will help you get rid of the problem in your own life. Whether its an addiction of some kind, an uncontrolled anxiety, or even some bitterness that you can’t shake, they will help you deal with it before it does any more damage to you or anyone else.
Check them out tonight (or any Sunday night). They start with supper at 5. Have a time of worship at 6 and then go into small groups at 7. They will listen to you and support you without judgment on your road to recovery. Celebrate Recovery has helped thousands of people over the last 25 years. Perhaps, they can help you.
Please, whatever you do, don’t put it off any longer. If you want to recover from failure, if you want this coming year to be better than the last, then Start your road to recovery when you cry before the Lord. But don’t just cry, consecrate yourself to the Lord. Then continue your journey when you confess your own sin. But don’t just confess it, clean the sin out!
My dear friends, recovery from failure is possible even for you! Don’t lose hope. God can do some amazing things when your turn your life over to Him, and we’re here to help.
In the 1970’s, Chuck Colson failed miserably as Nixon’s “hatchet man.” He ended up in jail for his part in the Watergate coverup, but there he gave his life to Christ, and God later used Him to help thousands of other prisoners turn their lives around. He is now with the Lord, but this is what he said before He passed away:
“The great paradox [of my life] is that every time I walk into a prison and see the faces of men or women who have been transformed by the power of the living God, I realize that the thing God has chosen to use in my life… is none of the successes, achievements, degrees, awards, honors, or cases I won before the Supreme Court. That's not what God's using in my life. What God is using in my life to touch the lives of literally thousands of other people is the fact that I was a convict and went to prison. That was my great defeat, the only thing in my life I didn't succeed in.” (Chuck Colson, Sermon The Gravy Train Gospel, www. PreachingToday.com)
Here’s the wonderful news about Jesus Christ. He can not only help you recover from failure; He can use even your greatest failure to transform the lives of others. Please, let Him do it for you. Give your life to Him and start that road to recovery today!
