"Failing Forward"

Newsong sings, "On this I stand, on this alone: All my hope, all my strength, and all my confidence is in knowing I've received every victory. Through the cross, through the blood, it is finished, it is done! I am saved. I am free. You are every victory! Oh, You have won! You have won! And the enemy is forevermore underneath Your feet!" ("Every Victory") No matter what we may go through, "With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies." (Psalm 60:12, NIV)

Matthew 26:74-75 says, "Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, 'I don't know the man!' Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: 'Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly." (NIV) Disowning Christ was one of Peter's big failures.

Maxwell says that, "Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success."

As leaders, we should not be afraid to fail. It's bound to happen; we are human. However, there is a good way to deal with our failures. Maxwell calls it, "failing forward."

When we make mistakes, we should step back and analyze the situation. We need to ask questions and seek honest answers. Then we need to make positive change so that we learn from our failures and know how to avoid them in the future. It all boils down to learning from our mistakes. After that, we can move forward in a positive direction.

Maxwell asks, "How does this new definition of failure alter your mindset about making mistakes?"

It can help us to view our mistakes in a positive light, to learn from them rather than fear them.

How does your viewpoint change from the way Maxwell describes failure?

Pray this prayer: Father, please help me to learn from my mistakes and make positive changes so that I don't repeat the same mistakes. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen!

God bless you!