Failure is not the End

The “lame take the prey” and the “bird whose pinion was once broken” will often fly higher than ever before, by the grace of God.

Failure is not the end; it is usually the beginning of a whole new ministry in which you will fly higher than ever before. “A just man falleth seven times and rises up again.”

We should never fear failure as it is often the means by which God has chosen to make us into more useful, wiser, humbler and stronger vessels for His Glory.

If you are passing through the valleys of failure and defeat don’t let the waters of discouragement overflow thee. There is only one way to go and that is up! Up to the victory of the cross in Christ Jesus!

Let those dead works fall behind while you emerge a new man in Christ Jesus where old things are passed away and all things are become new.

Jesus specializes in resurrecting the New Man. I press towards the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before. New beginnings are one of Gods compliments.

Dr. Ken Kovach

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please leave the credits intact.

The Praise of God

I was sitting in the car today listing to some word and reading along and in St. John it said something like “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” And I just kind of broke out laughing even though I’ve heard that verse 100’s of times and I just thought “How Sick” “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God”.

Thank God we’ve been set free to “Love the Praise of God more than the praise of man”, man pleasing is a real bondage trip and a downward spiral. There are lots of good verses on man pleasing and I’m trying to compile some now. Man pleasing is in the negative thinking bag for sure.

And then I though, well, I like a nod of approval sometimes even though I know what I was doing was in the right spirit and the Lord is/was blessing it. And I starting seeing that as another flavor of man pleasing and asked the Lord for deliverance on that one. Then this verse came along, For not he (or whoever) that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

There’s real freedom in knowing we only need Gods pat on the back, wanting any more is looking to man. (We all need and appreciate encouragement but we shouldn’t seek it. And if we get it we should thank the Lord and pass any praise on to Him.) I mean, I already new this but it’s just nice to keep sweeping those little props out of the way (that try to creep in) and keep the upward connection strong. Strong is Praise and Glory to God!

A couple convicting verses on the subject:

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?……..For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God [is] witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor [yet] of others….Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Thank God for True freedom in Jesus!

Dr. Ken Kovach

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please leave the credits intact.

Letting Go and Starting Over

Starting over is never easy to do, but it is often something the Lord requires of each of us from time to time. We could title this “His re-training process.”

There may be many different reasons why these dramatic changes come into our lives, such as health problems, the sins of pride in getting lifted up, other sins, financial difficulties, getting off track spiritually or just needing a change in ministry.

Any of these types of scenarios can seem daunting and overwhelmingly lead to discouragement and thoughts of giving up. But these types of breakings and changes are all a part of our training and the Lord would never have allowed them to happen if it wasn’t for the purpose of working out His bigger plan for our lives.

We should never allow changes to make us bitter but better. No sin is too great for God to forgive and no failure is beyond His mending. He knows when to bring us down and draw us closer to himself. Like with the wandering sheep the shepherd has to sometimes break its leg so that it will never wander from the shepherd’s side again.

We are often like that wandering sheep and the Lord has to bring us down to keep us humble. It was said of Saul, “When thou was little in thine own eyes I did highly exalt thee,” we know from the word that Saul fell due to the sins of pride and disobedience.

Sometimes God has to bring us to the end of ourselves to where we have nothing left but Him and then He can truly start to rebuild and work in our lives and use us for His Glory.

In fact every true man or woman of God from Bible times until today have had to go through such breakings so God would have a chance to move in their lives and use them for His Glory.

God changes lives for His Glory so don’t be fearful of His breaking and remaking process which is a compliment of His love. He not only breaks and remakes us but He keeps us through the breakings and brings us out to victory when He has accomplished His purpose.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled; (Better not Bitter)

Please read the whole passage from Heb. 12 for encouragement.

If you are presently going through a time of change, hold on to His word and melt in the arms of Jesus and let Him perfect that which concerneth you. He never fails.

Dr. Ken Kovach

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please leave the credits intact.

Failure is not the End

The “lame take the prey” and the “bird whose pinion was once broken” will often fly higher than ever before, by the grace of God.

Failure is not the end; it is usually the beginning of a whole new ministry in which you will fly higher than ever before. “A just man falleth seven times and rises up again.”

We should never fear failure as it is often the means by which God has chosen to make us into more useful, wiser, humbler and stronger vessels for His Glory.

If you are passing through the valleys of failure and defeat don’t let the waters of discouragement overflow thee. There is only one way to go and that is up! Up to the victory of the cross in Christ Jesus!

Let those dead works fall behind while you emerge and new man in Christ Jesus where old things are passed away and all things are become new.

Jesus specializes in resurrecting the New Man. I press towards the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before. New beginnings are one of Gods compliments.

Dr. Ken Kovach

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please leave the credits intact.

Positive Attitude and Faith makes All the Difference!

          In life there are many things that you can’t control, no matter what! Nevertheless, you should never let those things, regardless of how bad they are, defeat you. “There are many things about tomorrow I may not understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.” Remember that, no matter how bad the situation gets, you have to see the Lords hand in it and you’re the one who decides how to react to it and how much it can or will affect you.

          It is essential to always look to the Lord and pray to always see the positive aspects of any occurrence. In other words, try identifying the good parts in everything. Even though it might sound extremely hard at the beginning, seeking the Lord for the Mind of God about the situation and looking for the good aspects in the worst situations of all will help you exercise your way of thinking and, in time, you’ll find yourself viewing situations in an incredibly constructive and positive manner.

The Lord will help you to start seeing everything in a good light, when things can’t get worse than they already are. The answer is to detach yourself from the facts and ask the Lord to help you see things through His eyes. Remember that most things in this life are temporary and you have to move on, no matter what. Also, if you train yourself to smile a lot and be polite to the people around you, you might discover that, in fact, this actually represents an efficient “habit cultivating medicine” against bad thoughts and a healthy attitude towards life can play a crucial role in becoming a more positive person.

   But always remember to seek out the lesson you should learning from the situation. Have an open attitude towards whatever happened and try to be in a “learning mode” which will only make you wiser, stronger and more positive and full of faith for the future.

When there is an extremely difficult problem to solve and no solution seems to fit in, remember to change the perspective from which you’re looking at things. Getting awfully scared and not being able to think clearly, will definitely not lead you to resolving the issue. On the other hand, if you pray and really seek the Lord for his answers for the situation you may form another perspective as to how the Lord sees things, and develop a more positive attitude identifying difficult situations in a more positive manner and become a true problem solver.

You have to have a winner’s attitude in order to defeat problems. Consequently, if you’re nervous, afraid you might fail, unconvinced with your actions, etc. people around you will perceive you exactly as you perceive yourself. Our spirits are contagious and often are a reflection of our attitudes and thoughts. That is why it is so important to have the Mind of the Lord, peace in our hearts and His views on the matter.

The good thing about attitudes is that we can change or educate ourselves to view things more through the eyes of faith and with a positive outlook. And it has been proven that a good attitude toward everything around us is more efficient and effective than projecting worry and fear. Jesus is in the business of changing hearts and lives and a positive outlook can only produce good results, so have an “open attitude” and look at things through the eyes of faith!

Dr. Ken Kovach

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please leave the credits intact.

He was marked for failure but considered successful?
This is the story of a man who didn’t give up.

It was strange that he was a man marked for failure, a man suffering from melancholia, who endured long periods of depression throughout his life. He could barely see out of one eye. He had frequent nervous attacks, severe headaches, indigestion and nausea spells. He would quickly lie down when one of his spells came over him.

When he was 10 years old he was kicked in the head by a horse and experts now believe that the skull was severely fractured, leaving him with lifelong problems.

He failed in business in 1831,1832—He lost his job (not failed in business) due to the store closing . 1833—Went into business with a partner and failed miserably leaving him deeply in debt.  Later, in 1835, that partner dies and Lincoln is left with an ADDITIONAL $1000 in debt & his girlfriend at the time dies. The next year he suffered another business defeat and in 1836 had a nervous breakdown. He failed to be elected speaker in 1838, was defeated for elector in 1840, and for Congress in 1843, as well as in 1848. He failed to be elected to the Senate in 1855, and was defeated for the Vice Presidency in 1856 and for the Senate in 1858.

Did he stop fighting and give up? No! However after being elected President in 1860, he could afford all those failures. Abraham Lincoln was truly a successful failure.

Some people are slow starters and may discover God’s purpose late in life. Moses was 80 years old when he began his life’s work. God was preparing him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. He may at this very moment be re-tooling you for His specific design.

So “hold on” to His Promises because the Best is yet to come. He which hath begun a good work in you shall perform it unto the end.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

This is revised from historical facts. And whether he was a Christian or not we’ll have to leave that with the Lord. The point in question is that he fought on in spite of incredible odds and reached his goals.

-Ken

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please the credits intact.

Moving Forward to Accept New Challenges

God expects His children to move forward and accept new challenges. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Once we settle down and feel we have come as far as we can go then that is as far as we WILL go. In fact something unexpected will start to happen, we will start drifting backwards. Because in Gods service there is no standing still, we are either moving forward or drifting slowly backwards until we have become just like the rest of the world around us.

Moving Forward means we have to be willing to Accept New Challenges, avoid stagnation and fight to keep moving ahead in the Spirit. New challenges don’t always come in the form of “Great new assignments” they often come in the form of simple tasks that He may be leading you to perform which are parts of His plan which He may be working on behind the scenes to perform His greater design.

Think globally, but act locally in evangelizing your community or your part of the World. Put landing gear on your ideas and dreams and make forward steps of progress, be they little steps as they may as you continue to fulfill the Masters Great Commission and delight the heart of the Father.

He shall greet with the words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Dr. Ken

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please the credits intact.

The Importance of Making a Difference in the World

We need to accept the challenge of making a difference in our world and become deep rooted Christians in the Word who are able to stand against the “Winds of Adversity.”

As Christians we cannot let the adversity and negativity of the world silence our voice of truth. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Don’t let this be said of you which will be the fate of all those who compromise the truth and deny their loving, personal connection with the Lord.

No matter what the spiritual climate of the world is and no matter how severe they are persecuting Christians we must not be influenced by their voices because we have a greater and higher calling to fulfill. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. The Lord has chosen each of us and has given us the privilege to shine His love to the dying world in these last dark days and to stand up for Him in the face of all adversity.

Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life.

Dr. Ken

PS: If you didn’t the Lord was Cool the verse says He’s “in the house.”

Articles can be found at http://PastorsRant.com A Free Bible Course at: http://JapanBibleInstitute.com Ministry Tools & Christian/Self-Help: http://AllChristianServices.com Articles may be given away freely but please the credits intact.