Week 6 – Failure
February 10, 2024

Change The Channel Of “Failure”

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
Luke 18:1 NKJV

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
Luke 18:1 NLT

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

Why People Give Up
Can Be A Learned Behavior

The Root Of A Failure Mentality Is
“Fear” And “Shame”

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

The Behavior Of Failure
You Only Give Things One Chance
You Tend To Make Excuses For Your Failures
You Base Your Self-Worth On Your Failures
You Believe People Were Born/Destined To “Succeed” Or “Fail”
You Only Like To Participate In Things Where You Excel
You Worry About Being Perceived As A Failure

Theodor Geisel
Rejected By 20 Publishers

The Mindsets And Strongholds Of Failure
I Believe:
Failure Is Unacceptable
I’m Either A Complete Success, Or A Complete Failure
Failure Is Always My Fault
I Have Failed Because I’m “Bad” Or “Broken”
People Won’t Like Me If I Have Failed
I’m Not Good Enough To Succeed
I Don’t Have The Natural Talent To Succeed

We Should Never!
Hide From Failures
Make Excuses For Failures
Underestimate The Lesson Of The Failure

How To Effectively Deal With Failing
1. You Must Develop “Sober Self-Assessment”
Find The Balance
Being Too Hard On Yourself – I’m Not Good Enough
Being Too Easy On Yourself – Leads To Excuses And Laziness

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Romans 12:3

2. Focus On The Effort And Not On The Outcome

Ask Yourself…. “Did I Give My All?”

Study
Children Who Were Praised For Their Intellect
Wanted To Look At The Kids’ Scores That Were Lower Than Theirs

Children Who Were Praised For Their Effort
Wanted To See Scores That Were Better Than Theirs So They May Improve

3. Failure Is Not The Opposite Of Success, It’s A Part Of Success

“I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
-Micheal Jordan

Thomas Edison
1,093 Patents
Electric Light Bulbs, Motion Picture, Phonograph
Failures Include: Electric Pen or Ghost Machine

Thomas Edison in 1915 while working with his Assistant

The assistant stated that it was a shame that they have been working for weeks with no results, while Edison replied by saying, “Results! No results? Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that don’t work.”

He Considered Failure An Important Learning Opportunity

4. Grit Is A Better Predictor Of Success Than IQ

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8

Deliberate Practice, Giving Your All, Is More Important Than Natural Talent;
It’s Not God-Given Ability**

Elias “Walt” Disney
First Business – Laugh-O-Gram
Kansas City Theater
Seven Minute Fairytale
Combined Live Action And Animation
Declared Bankruptcy

Walt and His Brothers
Moved To Hollywood
Disney Brother Studio
“Oswald The Lucky Rabbit” And Other Characters
Within A Few Years The Rights Were Stolen

Disney Brothers
Introduced A New Character
A Mouse With Big Ears
It Failed
Until Sound Was Introduced Into The Film

If God Is For You, You Cannot Give Up On You

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31