“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” Proverbs 24:16
We will fail. It’s not we might if we have a weak moment, we might if someone tempts us, we might if we just are not righteous enough, we might because God is not happy with me. It’s a forgone conclusion, we will fail. God knows that. When He says in Leviticus 19: “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy”, He understands we are not going to be pure and sinless. He knows it is impossible. He is calling us to be set apart, to make a decision to as the book of Hebrews puts it “pursue sanctification”. When He tells the people of Israel to make the firstborn of the calves and goats holy I don’t think He is referring to them becoming “sinless”. I would rather be an inch from the gates of hell heading the other way than be a million miles away heading towards them.
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” Exodus 14:13a
“The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous” Psalm 146:8b
“When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God” Proverbs 14:32
I have been repeating to my three year old son, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” We won’t succeed the first try. But we are a step closer each time we try. God is teaching us and training us to lean on Him, to trust in His love, forgiveness and patience. Look at the great men and women of the Bible, you aren’t going to find a perfect one among them. Yet God did great and mighty things in and through them. Because they set themselves apart to follow God, even when they failed. Don’t forget that God was going to kill Moses on the way to Egypt to deliver Israel because God was angry with Him. I don’t believe God was going to , because He knew what Moses would do. But despite Moses failure, look at what God did through him. God loves us more than we are able to understand. Is God going to kill you because you stumbled and masturbated while looking at porn, no. Is He pleased with your choices, no. Does He want you to learn and lean on Him for the strength to get up, dust yourself off and try all over again, yes. Getting help from a friend and accountability will help you to do this to. It takes an act of our will to change. But God is always there to lift us up and love us through the growth we can accomplish. Failure is NOT final, it is a temporary setback.