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How does God feel about you when you fail?

Angry? Disappointed? Wants nothing to do with you anymore?

If you’re like a lot of people, maybe these are some of the words that come to mind.

I used to believe those things. For years, actually.

Even after becoming a Christian, I used to think that if made a mistake, sinned or it took me a while to grow in obedience to His Word in a certain area that God was mad at me. I used to think that He was frustrated that I hadn’t gotten it right yet.  That He was going to give up on me at any moment. I even felt like I had to put myself on some kind of spiritual probation and not to talk to Him or read my Bible for a week or two because I wasn’t good enough to approach Him yet. Surely, He couldn’t stand being around me in my shortcoming and would need some time to cool down, right?

Then one day I came across this verse in my Bible and it changed everything.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

There’s nothing like the truth of God’s Word to silence a lie from the devil-our accuser-and set us free.

God who began the good work within you will continue His work until is finished.  Not until you mess up. Not until you have struggled with the same sin for too long and finally blow it. Not until He gets frustrated and quits on you. Until it is finished.

A SINCERE PURSUIT

God does not save us and then give up on us if we make mistakes, sin, or take time to develop sustained obedience to certain instructions for righteous living He gives us in the Bible. He saves us and then sticks with us through the process of growth and maturity. He is committed to us. He is in the trenches with us helping us grow in our faith, grow in obedience to His commands and become more like Him.

God is not surprised or put off by our weaknesses and shortcomings.

Psalm 103 describes Him as compassionate, merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. It also says that “He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.”

He knows that His work of transformation in us is meant to continue from the moment we believe in Him and are saved throughout our whole lives until we are united with Jesus. We are works in progress.

Should we pursue spiritual maturity and obedience to the Scripture? Absolutely. In fact, we are commanded by God to do so with His help. But God does not expect us to get everything right immediately or be perfect in this life.

What is He looking for?

Not that we attain perfection but that we are consistently pursuing and growing in the maturity that Jesus calls us to in Him. (Philippians 3:12-14)

He is looking for the sincerity of our hearts in living for Him and our genuine repentance (confession of wrong with desire to change) when we fall short. (Psalm 51:17)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14)

We don’t have license to willfully sin or disobey the Bible. (Galatians 5:13) We can’t call ourselves Christians and intentionally live however we want to even if it is the opposite of God’s teaching in His Word. However, living paranoid that if we are not perfect all the time God is just waiting to abandon us is equally as unbiblical as the idea that He has no guidelines for our lives.

We can be patient and gracious with ourselves as God is patient and gracious with us in the process of our growth.

CONFIDENCE IN WEAKNESS

So how do we relate to God in areas of sin, struggle or shortcoming?

This High Priest of ours [Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

When was the last time you did something boldly when you felt weak? The last time you approached someone confidently when you didn’t feel qualified?

Remember how I used to put myself on probation because I thought I had to get things right first and give God time not to be frustrated with me anymore?

This passage in Hebrews exposes that mentality for what it is: a lie from the devil to distance us from God.

Here’s what the Bible teaches us:

Because Jesus became human and faced all the same testing and temptations we do in this life without sinning, He understands our weakness and the things we struggle to overcome. He gets it. (Hebrews 2:18) That is why He is merciful, not condemning, with us in our weaknesses and why He is able to help us overcome them.

God invites us to come to Him with confidence in the moments when we least feel like we should approach Him.  And what do we find when we approach Him? Shame? Condemnation? Anger? No!

Mercy: kindness toward us in our shortcoming (Psalm 103:8-11)

Grace: divine empowerment to us help do what we are unable to in our own strength (2 Corinthians 12:9)

We don’t have to be perfect or get everything right before we can draw close to God. He wants us to run to Him confidently in our weaknesses, shortcomings and failures because He actually wants to help us grow. He’s not frustrated and waiting to yell at us. He’s rooting for us and wants to extend His love, power and wisdom to help us live the way He desires for us to live and become the people He wants us to become.

As we approach God in moments and areas of weakness we are received with love and kindness when we are most broken. This restores our confidence and hope when our humanity shoots them a blow.

What are the areas where you feel weak and frustrated with yourself in your obedience to God? What areas do you feel shame and disappointment that you’re not measuring up to God’s standard or not growing fast enough?

Come boldly and honestly before God’s throne with those things. Receive His mercy, kindness and His help. Never again buy into the lie that you have to be hesitant in approaching Him because you don’t have it all together. God wants us to run to Him in our weakness just as confidently as we do in the times when we feel strength.

Let’s Talk: Talk to God about one of the areas where you are feeling weakness in your obedience to Him this week. Ask for His wisdom and help.  Discuss this post in the comments below.

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