Failures will either sideline us from future usefulness or motivate us for current development. We will make mistakes, but we don’t have to let them define us.

The Question: Why do you think past mistakes keep us from future opportunities?

THE PROBLEM

• Regret is a dangerous feeling that keeps us fixated on our failures and fearful of the future.
• Our culture cancels people after making certain mistakes while celebrating defiant disobedience in other areas.
• If we don’t discover how to learn from our failures, we are destined to surrender to another one – immobility.

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” –Francis Chan

THE EXAMPLE (1 KINGS 18:17-19:19)

• The king characterized Elijah as a cultural troublemaker for being committed to biblical truth (18:17).
• In isolation, Elijah was willing to take a stand for God and against idolaters due to his immense faith (18:22).
• God showed up in a powerful way (18:38), and Jezebel promised to retaliate against Elijah (19:2).
• Hours after an incredible show of God’s power, Elijah is fearful and suicidal (19:3-4).
• God knows discouraged people well enough to know we need both our physical and spiritual needs addressed (19:5-9).
• After Elijah’s failure, God still expected him to finish well (19:15-19).

THE ADJUSTMENT

• Listen to God – God speaks even after the spectacles cease.
• Finish the Task – Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you can’t get back up to complete God’s assignments.
• Invest in Another – An effective leader who does not prepare someone to lead in his absence is selfishly short-sighted.
• Surround with Support – Isolated leaders may experience incredible moments but will not know the power of longevity.

Great leaders are not those immune from failures but those inoculated from repeating them.