One thing which is common to all mankind is that we all fail. There isn’t one out there who hasn’t failed – some perhaps more than others. 

The Bible recognizes that humans do fail: 

But the most important thing is how we handle failure. The Canadian actress Mary Pickford reportedly said “To fall is not to fail, unless you fail to get up again”. The Bible also has something to say about this – these are the words of the wise man Solomon: 

The people who rarely fail are usually the ones who never do anything. A young girl practicing figure skating to compete in the Olympics was told by her teacher, “If you don’t fail while practicing then you are not learning enough to be a true champion”. People who do things will fall but if they are true champions then they will get up again, for to fall is not to fail, unless you fail to get up again.

The Bible says: 

God will help us when we fall. 

Does failure mean no contact with God? 

In the Old Testament we are told that the nation of Israel turned from God many times. In God’s eyes this was an unmitigated failure. Yet despite this God was not prepared to give up on them: 

For he knew that many Jews would through tribulation rise to be faithful people before him. This was evident in individual Jews such as Paul and the other disciples, who were prepared to acknowledge Jesus Christ.  

If we follow the ways of God but fail in some part of our life God will be there to assist us back on our feet: 

When does failure happen? 

Failure is not limited to just a few, all men and women fail in their lives, and God is aware of their inherent weaknesses. Men of strong faith are just as liable to fail as their weaker companions, and often they fail in a most appalling way. We shouldn’t get over-confident that we won’t fail, as this is probably the time when we will! 

So often failure arises from selfishness, from a losing of the vision of their goals, from men distancing themselves from God and relying on their own strength. When men and women stray from the God’s way they must return to the place where they were at the beginning, and say: 

The assurance is that if you go to God you will find all the fullness of love awaiting you there. Even the hindrance of failure can be turned into stepping stones of glory. The great man of faith Abraham failed in parts of his life (Genesis Ch.12-13) and yet this is what the Bible says in the New Testament: 

How to avoid failure - training 

The athlete without a trainer has a hopeless disadvantage, and if someone ignores the instruction, advice, and encouragement of the trainer then he is foolish. The same can be said for the man or woman without God – they are without hope for they have no trainer or teacher in the things of life. Those who ignore God’s wise advice in the Bible are doomed to failure.  

Are we wise or foolish in this respect? Is our training in the things of God well balanced? Are there aspects we ignore because they involve too much effort?

Training must be engaged in regularly for maximum benefit. For the athlete, particular attention must be paid to it in a well devised plan as a contest draws near. For the believer, sporadic training is very ineffectual. It must be constantly and continuously attended to. 

Always remember that even our mistakes and their consequences will be shaped by God to our benefit. 

Forgetting past failures 

The worst thing we can do is worry about past failures for this will just compound into yet more failures in the future. The apostle Paul in the New Testament of the Bible gave this advice: 

This was Paul’s secret of success. It can be ours as well - forget about past mistakes and think about how we can do better in the future. 

To concentrate always on present problems and to always think about the possibility of failure is self-destructive and is not what is taught in the Bible. The victory gained by Christ himself of overcoming sin —the greatest victory ever achieved—would never have been gained if he had thought only of the struggle and the possibility of failure. Christ set his mind firmly on the future and what would be achieved and this helped him to overcome failure. 

Never give up! 

Jesus and his disciples were not always successful in getting people to follow him as they traveled across the countryside. There was one particular time as they headed towards the next village where he sent out his disciples two by two and he said: 

Jesus seems to be saying, "Don’t be sidetracked by your detractors, your failures. Don’t allow defeat to stop you. Don’t let failure be the final word."

Never give up! Despite any failures you may experience, keep on striving for your personal goals!

And that’s why you should never give up on your self (or anybody else). Whatever your failure - in marriage, business, school, church, personal life – you can believe that God is still at work, moving you out of the hardship to a new place. All you need to do is pray to Him and ask for help. 

Freedom and restoration is God’s way. You can believe that failure is never the final word. 

I’m not sure that all of us can learn to say, "I love to make mistakes." But what we hope we are saying is that we are all human beings. Sometimes I have my shining moments, and sometimes I goof. I may not listen. I may say hurtful words. I may make a bad decision. I may blunder. I may mess up. But our mistakes, our failures, don’t have the final word. 

Don’t let failure discourage you: 

You may have failed this time but next time you can succeed! 

The lessons we learn from failures should make us better able to handle the situation the second time around. Because God is eager to give us forgiveness and strength, the only way to lose is to give up. We can tell what kind of people we are by what we do on the second and third attempts. 

When others fail - look at how you can help 

How conscious are we of the needs of others? Do we offer them help and encouragement when they fail? Don’t forget the needs of others when they experience failure. The wise man Solomon offered this advice: 

Conclusion 

At the start of this article we read this verse: 

The lesson we need to remember is that we all fail but only failures stay down. Keep on trying and also keep on looking to help others when they fall down.