last sat during Young Adult's service, a person by the name of Bro. Alton preached. i called him that bcos i dunno who he is. dont rem seeing him before, and dunno if he's a member of our church.
but as he began to share his message.. i found myself sitting up and listening attentively. He talked about the life of Peter as described in the bible. The title of his message was; From Failure to Fortitude: insights from the life of Peter.
He shared with us the background of Peter; what kind of man he is; where he lived and what he did for a living. He showed us the map of the places mentioned where Peter stayed, lived and travelled. in short, he used the life of Peter to illustrate the many ways Peter had failed, and his failures documented! and later how God transformed Peter from his many failures, to the Peter who founded the New Testament church.
just wanna share some really great insights and points Bro Alton mentioned..
3 failures of Peter:
fear: a walk he (Peter) could not complete.
worldliness: a kingdom perspective he could not see. (spiritually dull)
denial: a faith he could not hold.
and though Peter failed at these times, and in these incidents..... God extended his mercy and love and reinistated Peter's ministry and restored him. God brought him out of the vicious cycle of failure. Failure is very much a consequence, process as it is a perception and view of self. that thought of being a failure, and being labelled one is defeating enough.
later on in the bible we see that Peter had moved from;
fear--> faith
worldliness-->godliness
denial-->declaration
on breaking the cycle of failure, Bro Alton offered these key facts ; (very precious insights!)
1) Failure reminds us of our frailty. -our flaws, our weaknesses and our limitations can only be revealed when we fail.
2) Failure offers us the opportunity to experience God. -accentuates the grace and power of God -helps us see the purpose of God
3) Failure enables us to extend God's hand to those who fail. -we can better minister with God's love.
from failure to fortitude. fortitude is strength.
in this world and society, failure has become unacceptable, and a standard of measure of a person's competence and worth. to have failed is to be lesser. failure is viewed and taken so negatively and harshly by many.
what Bro Alton said at the very end during the altar call was i felt the most empathetic and reaches to the core of the human heart which has been through failure and felt like a failure. he said something like this;
"i stand here today because i have been a failure and i know what it feels like."
but God's grace, and love extend to you. God doesnt see failures the way the world sees them. God's measure is not how well you've done, or the fact that you've never failed before. His measure is love. and can u measure that?
there is always grace, love, hope, acceptance in God. there is a place and space God allows for those who have failed. He knows failure. but He doesnt see failure the way the world sees it.
as i stood in the audience, listening to his message.... i just feel so deeply about what he has shared. and i sensed so much of God's grace, love and mercy for those who have failed. and i too can attest to that! for i too, have failed and made many mistakes... labelled as a failure, failed so many history tests, maths tests, and failed to score well in my studies... yet each time, as i come to God broken and saddened, and defeated by these failures, God always let me sense his comforting presence and love for me. In my most unlovable state and many failures, God lets me know He loves me, loves me still, loves me in spite and despite of those failures.
and i know for all those who walked down to the front of the stage that day, those who admitted their failures and want to experience God in their failures, they DID! and i just know deeply in my heart, soul and spirit, God provided comfort, grace, forgiveness and acceptance for each of them as they needed it. Our God is a God of grace. He accepts and loves the person just unconditionally. :)
as i prayed for one sister, i just teared bcos i sensed her pain... and i sensed it quite strongly. she was crying and i wanted to cry with her! the pain was so real.. and in that moment i knew, God was comforting her. God knew her pain. and as a sister in christ, i finally experienced what it means to mourn with those who mourn cos that was really how i felt while praying for her. actually it felt more like i was praying with her. i felt like i was with her in her pain. and i felt God was with her in her pain too.
from failure to fortitude. fortitude is strength.
Dear Lord, thank you for helping us learn this precious lesson through Bro Alton! :)
Serene, 25, Christian
a sinner saved by God's grace.
a beloved child of God.
a social worker (youth).
a daughter.
a sister to 2 younger siblings.
Your Love
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." -1 John 4:10
Loves n Adores
*God; the Father, Son Jesus and Holy Spirit
*Family; Tan
*Church; Grace Assembly of God
*My close friends
*My cell group; AHH (After His Heart)
*Youths
*Missions
*Children
*Good food, Chocolates and Ice-cream!
