When I look back at the journey of my prophetic calling, there is one thing that stands out:
The times I have grown the most—the life-defining moments that have taken me to greater levels—have been mistakes and failures!
And interestingly, the failures that were the most painful, the ones I learned the most through, weren’t acts of wilful disobedience. They were decisions and actions that I made with good intentions, but because I lacked wisdom, had a character weakness, or had a gap in my understanding, I failed.
There are some graduations that our Father has for us, that can only be achieved through mistakes and failure.
And He will actually allow us to make mistakes—even engineer circumstances that may lead to our failure—because He has the bigger picture in mind. This is especially true of those who have a prophetic calling.
God can Turn Your Failure into an Upgrade
Peter is an example of someone who meant well, who loved Jesus, but he had a character weakness. His intentions were good, but he was prideful and trusted in his own strength. And Jesus allowed circumstances to expose his weakness. Remember He said to Peter:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV)
Jesus knew there was a demonic assignment against Peter; He knew failure was up ahead! And yet He allowed it to run its course.
Peter’s failure—and the restoration that came afterwards—marked a significant graduation in Peter’s life and ministry. Not only was he humbled and empowered, but God used him to help birth the church and transform nations.
It is our Father’s grace and kindness towards us, leading us towards repentance.
Our Father is seeing something that we don’t; a glorious vision of who He has called and created us to be.
God is molding and shaping us until we are formed into His likeness. As Isaiah wrote: ‘O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.’ (Is 64:8)
Some of the reasons God allows us to fail and make mistakes is because:
- We may have a blind spot or a character weakness—and God’s purpose in exposing it is to turn it to our greatest strength
- We lack wisdom—and failure is the fast-track to gaining that wisdom
- We are depending on our own strength or on something or someone other than God. Our Father is allowing circumstances to reveal the weakness of what we are leaning on in order that our life, work and ministry can be founded upon Jesus
7 Keys to Turning Your Failures into Favor
Today perhaps you can relate to this as you have regret about a mistake or a failure. But there is good news. You can cooperate with God to turn your failure into favor and a future that brings Him glory.
1. Own your mistakes—don’t give in to the temptation to shift the blame onto other people or circumstances outside of your control
2. Take time for restoration, and make whatever restitution is needed
3. Accept God’s forgiveness (and forgive yourself)
4. Learn and gain wisdom from the failure
5. Step into the upgrade your Father has for you
6. Release regret. Refuse to allow it!
7. From now on, see that failure as a marker of God’s graduation in your life
Related Posts:
Release Regret and Embrace Your New Season
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© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries
A part of the David McCracken Ministries family
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
Thank you for the post….I found great insight reading it, currently experiencing almost all the post states.
God bless you, Father God knows what his children needs/ to carry them to a greater purpose.
Thank you Shanniel, and amen, He is a good Father
Amen God’s hands are upon in the abundant way he’s preparing and it’s beautiful, praise and glorify God, sister u be blessed in Jesus name Amen
Thanks Shinua
Wow!! I was in a marriage that ended when my husband died suddenly several years ago; I got with him because I thought he was the man that had been prophesied to me to marry. He wasn’t; he was a counterfeit sent by Satan to derail me from God’s purpose and stain my testimony. I often wonder if my failure by marrying him anyway because of trying to right our “moral failure”, might mean that the prophesy of the man God has for me has been annulled because of my failure, when God was making it clear my late husband wasn’t the one He had for me……
Hi Lily, praying you are free to move on and leave all regrets behind. How wonderful your Father is the God of Divine acceleration and He can make up for lost time!
https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2014/08/20/divine-acceleration-god-will-make-up-for-lost-time/
Awesome Insight! I am going through a situation now that I, like Peter, had good intentions, but things went down hill quickly with people I love and relationships are not the same as before. I am having trouble moving forward because I feel “how could have things blown up this way” Letting go of regret is a lesson that is important and needs to continued to be shared. Thanks for your obedience!
Hi Ann, praying for you right now, may you know His joy, be empowered and free to let go and move forward <3
Dear Helen
I just want to thank you for all the articles, which really have been a blessing to me thus far. I subscribed towards the end of last year and am actually looking forward to the next e-mail/video each time. It is amazing how God’s timing with your choice of topic is always so perfect. If I watch or read something relating to my current situation on TV or the internet, there would be confirmation through an article that you shared, or vice versa, shortly after.
I am most definitely in a season of testing and transition and also recognise the need to “cross-over” this time. I also know that the crossing-over or breakthrough or ascending to the next level depends solely upon my response to the process. I watched your video for this teaching on You Tube on Wednesday morning, and links to sermons from another source were on the page, and I decided to listen to one sermon in particular. It turned out to be about King Jehosaphat’s example when faced with impossible circumstances, and how he sought the LORD’s counsel first, and how they received a fresh word from GOD via the prophet, as they humbled themselves before GOD. In the evening I turned on the TV to watch a particular broadcast and that teaching was about King Jehosaphat, too! A week before, I programmed a broadcast to watch on TV, tuned in late and just happened on the end of the program and caught the last sentence… it was about taking responsibility for our actions. So this article again, has arrived in my mailbox exactly at the right time! Praise GOD! Our Heavenly Father is so absolutely awesome and gracious and faithful and patient with us… providing us with what we need, when we need it, and repeating the message until it has sunken in!
I wish I could have shared my whole testimony up to this point, and all the ways GOD has been using Enliven’s teachings (and a couple of teachings from David McCracken Ministries as well) to be instrumental in preparing the soil and sowing seeds of “a word in time” – all of which have been a tremendous blessing to me, not only in opening up my understanding of what has been/is going on in my life, but also in providing practical steps for progress.
Helen, may the LORD bless you abundantly in the work you do, so that this ministry will continue to expand despite and beyond difficult times, and that these much needed teachings can keep on reaching the multitudes that are hungry for an intimate, personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, so that they may fullfil His call upon their lives and bring glory to His Name.
The risen GOD is an inconvenient truth for Satan… JESUS IS LORD!
Thank you Estelle for your wonderful comment, which is a great encouragement to me! God is so good!
amen, good morning everyone .this is very inspire me because I have been faced a lot challenges , difficulties ,disappointiment and failures in my life amen .thank you so much for this week topic. it helps me
Hi Richard, I’m sorry to hear about the trials, I pray you receive a fresh empowerment of the Spirit this week.