DO NOT BE STOPPED BY PAST FAILURES

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi 

Josh 7:3-5 TLB “ Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; there's no point in all of us going there."

 So approximately three thousand soldiers were sent-and they were soundly defeated.

Josh 8:1-2 “Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or discouraged; take the entire army and go to Ai, for it is now yours to conquer. I have given the king of Ai and all of his people to you. You shall do to them as you did to Jericho and her king; but this time you may keep the loot and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

         God gave Israel a second chance in their battle against the adversary after a humiliating defeat. They failed earlier because of insincerity. Integrity is the foundation upon which sustainable success and development is built . Many times we encounter defeat not because of bad policies but the fact that we are not being truthful to ourselves. This is the bane of many under developed countries were budgets are made without proper data gathering and analysis based on consultations with the electorate especially at the grass root level . Most of these countries are driven by a culture of what is popularly known as ‘try your luck’. 

       When we deviate from purpose and principles, life becomes a big lottery game. A pastor friend  shared his testimony of how a politician paid him a visit seeking for prayers and he gladly obliged in excitement saying that it was a case of ‘try your luck’ with the hope that if his candidate won , it will bring about financial rewards . I then quickly asked if he was aware of the fact that the insecurity and economic crisis in our nation have been traced to bad governance and that more people die as a result of bad governance than any other reason in the world ,it results in the spread of diseases, starvation and senseless wars.  One man’s selfish interest could lead to the death of thousands like in the case of the Israelites (Joshua7) Hitler had pastors , bishops who prayed for him and enjoyed financial gains from his misrule that resulted in the death of millions just like the Israelites under Joshua. Poverty is the result of a corrupt clergy ( Ezek22:27-29) 

      Despite their failure Joshua did not quit because he knew momentary failure was not an indication  that God’s promises concerning His people are not true. Sometimes we have disagreements resulting in failures in our relationships with spouses, business partners, parents, siblings, children, church members and other relatives.  Whenever such arises we should like Joshua turn to the lord in prayer and be ready to make painful adjustments and start again. We should never be ashamed to start again; only the brave start again after a major failure and it attracts a lot of respect.  

     God promised they would win and the battle would lead to prosperity and so shall yours be in Jesus name. He showed Joshua what led to their previous defeat and how to solve the problem and prepared him for a victorious battle again. The process of recovery requires patience and so is the healing process of our relationships. Relationships take time to fail likewise they will take longer time to heal ,it takes time to regain trust when confidence is betrayed ; never quit working on your relationships , your future depends on it . A greater victory awaits you despite your temporary setbacks.      

   Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive grace for the recovery of all that  was lost in Jesus name.  

Free counseling /prayer +2340898536911.+2348035536911 email:michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com   

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