Failure Is Not Proof God Left You

Speaker A00:00:00

Have you ever obeyed God and then watched everything go wrong? Have you ever stepped out in faith?I mean, truly prayed, deeply trusted and moved when you believed God said move, but still ended up standing in the rubble wondering where he is? Sometimes the hardest seasons are not the ones where you know you messed up.Sometimes the hardest seasons are the ones where you really were trying to obey God and it still hurt. So today I want to talk about something hard. And that's why failure is not proof that God has left you.In fact, it might be when he's coming even closer to you. Hey, friend. Welcome to Truth Unveiled with Ralph. I'm Ralph Estep Jr. And this is a place where we go deep into God's word.We speak honestly about real life, and always keep our eyes on Jesus in the middle of whatever we're walking through. And today I really want to talk to the person who feels like everything is falling apart. That may very well be you right at this moment.So if I'm speaking to you, you might be that person I'm talking about who's been praying, who's been trusting, the person who's tried to do everything right. And now you're left asking, God, what is this? And maybe your business has failed. That relationship that you put so much effort into is ending.The ministry that you thought would take off just hasn't taken off. And that opportunity has closed. That prayer that you prayed so incessantly didn't get answered the way you thought it would.And now you're asking the question, what happened, God, where are you? That kind of pain hits different, doesn't it? Because it's one thing to deal with disappointment. We all have disappointment in our lives.It's another thing to deal with disappointment that shakes your faith to the core. Because we know how to celebrate miracles, don't we? We know how to talk about those breakthroughs.We know how to post a testimony after everything works out the way we thought it would. But what do you do when you're in the middle? What do you do when you're in the center of the storm?What do you do when heaven feels quiet and your faith feels tired and your life looks like nothing like you thought God had promised? That's a tough question, isn't it? But here's the truth I want to put in your spirit today. Failure is not automatically proof that God left you.It's just not. In fact, sometimes it means he's doing a deeper work than you can even see. Yet sometimes what feels like collapse is actually construction.And sometimes the Very season you're trying to escape is the season God is using to expose, to prune, to strengthen and prepare you. So let's talk about it, because maybe this is not the end of the story. Maybe this is the place where God starts rebuilding. Think about it yourself.Most of us pray this God, get me out of this. And that's a real prayer. That's an honest prayer. I don't know about you, but I prayed that prayers like that so many times.And you probably have as well. But sometimes God's doing something deeper than pulling you out fast. We might want to get pulled out fast.Sometimes he lets the pressure stay long enough. I'm getting ready to preach right now.Sometimes he lets that preach, that pressure stay long enough to build something in you that comfort never could build. So maybe the real question we should be asking is not God, why is this happening?Maybe the real question is God, what are you producing in me through this? Because that storm is not always proof that you missed God. Truth is, sometimes a storm is where God does his deepest work.So we got to start off with this basic premise. We got to stop assuming the storm means you failed.One of the hardest things in the Christian life is when you do what you believe God asked you to do. And it still hurts. You've stepped out in faith. You took the risk, you obeyed what you thought God was telling you to obey.And now you're standing in the middle of something painful, embarrassing, and hard to explain. And that's where the enemy starts talking to you. See, you missed God, or you know you were wrong, or this one. See, God let you down.And if you stay in that place long enough, that disappointment starts turning into shame. And when it turns into shame, you're not just carrying pain, you're carrying confusion. You're carrying self doubt.You're carrying questions about whether you really heard God at all. But hear me clearly on this. That storm you're going through isn't always a sign that you're outside the will of God. Let me show you what I mean.Let's get right into the Word. I want to look @mark, chapter four. Now, this is Jesus. Been teaching crowds all day long.And if you have a Bible, it says, the title says, jesus calms the storm. So again, this is Mark, chapter 4, verses 35 and 41. That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side.Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. There were also other boats with them. A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped.And Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. Disciples woke him and said, teacher, don't you care if we drowned? Well, he got up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, quiet, be still.And the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other, who is this?Even the wind and the waves obey him. They didn't make up that trip. This was Jesus idea. And they were in that boat because they were obeying Jesus. And what happened next?Just picture this. You're in a boat with Jesus. A violent storm hit. This wasn't some big, you know, cruising ship. These were small boats.And the waves are crashing into the boat. The wind's coming against them. And those same disciples who were following Jesus ended up terrified. Don't miss that.They were in the storm because they had obeyed him. The storm was not proof that they had missed God. The storm happened on the way where Jesus told them to go.And that matters because some people have been taught a version of faith that sounds like this. If you really trust God, life should get smoother. I've heard that so many times.If you trust God, oh, life is going to be simple, it's going to be smooth. If you really obey God, everything should line up. I don't know about you, but I don't live like that. And listen to this. This is a real whopper here.If you really have faith, the road should get easier. But that's not how the Bible reads. That storm wasn't easy. Let's look at David. David was anointed king in 1st Samuel, chapter 16.I want to read from that right now. And this is 1st Samuel 16. So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.Then the Lord said, rise and anoint him. This is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers.And from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. Samuel poured oil on his head, and David had a real calling from God.But after the anointing came years of pressure caves hiding and being hunted by Saul. The anointing came first, the cave came after. What if you're in a cave season right now, don't assume the oil was fake. Let's look at Joseph now.Joseph had a dream from God as a young man. That dream was real. But after the dream came betrayal, slavery, false accusation, prison. Yeah, the dream was real, but the pit was real, too.Let's look at Peter. Peter was the disciple who said, even if everybody else falls away, Lord, I won't. Hey. Peter loved Jesus. He was sincere.But in the pressure of that night, after Jesus had been arrested, Peter. Peter stood near a fire and denied even knowing him. That failure was devastating. But Peter's collapse did not cancel Peter's calling.Let's look at Mary and Martha. This is from John 11. I'm going to read, starting at verse 39. Take away the stone, he said.But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. Then Jesus said, did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? So they took away the stone.Then Jesus looked up and said, father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.And when he said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, lazarus, come out. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face.Jesus then said to them, take off the grave clothes and let him go. Let's think about this right now. Because from their point of view, that delayed looked heartbreaking. They didn't understand. It was confusing.To them, it looked like Jesus had not even shown up. And by the time he arrived, think about this. Lazarus had been dead for four days.Martha basically said, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. That wasn't about theology. That was real grief. That was her brother. But Jesus wasn't late. He was working a deeper miracle.Yeah, they were praying for healing, but Jesus was preparing for resurrection. And some of you right now need to hear that. What looks like a delay is not always denial.You might think, oh, this delay, the Lord's not going to do what I want. And what looks like silence is not always absence. And what looks like failure is not always final. Of course failure hurts. It humbles you.It exposes you. It makes you want to hide. It makes you wonder whether you will ever recover. And you just think about it.You just keep replaying everything in your head. But, friend, God's not asking you to pretend that doesn't hurt. But he is asking you not to misread it.Because what feels like rejection can actually be preparation. And what feels like collapse can actually be construction. You're not being punished, you're being prepared.So I want to go a little deeper here because I truly believe that God works in what broke, not just after it. One of the most quoted verses in the Bible I love the book of Romans is Romans, chapter 8, verse 28.And I bet you're going to know this when I say it, but again, Romans 8, 28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.But if you really want to understand that verse, you got to look at the context here. It's one thing I hear this quoted all the time, but think about this. Romans 8 was not written to people living easy lives.These folks were not living the easy life. It's written in the middle of suffering. Paul talks about creation groaning. He talks about believers groaning. He talks about weakness.He talks about not even knowing what to pray. And he talks about the Holy Spirit in interceding for us. Just think about that for a second.So when Paul says God works all things together for good, he's not speaking from some shallow, pain free place. He is saying that from the middle of groaning, from the middle of weakness, in the middle of suffering. And even in that, God is still working.But notice what the verse does not say. It doesn't say all things are good, Betrayal, not good. If you've ever been betrayed, that's not a good feeling. A loss, not a good feeling.That closed door that you prayed so much to hoping it would open up. It's not good. And a season of heartbreak hurts. But friend, God works in all of those things. And that means that failure is not outside his reach.That delay that you're feeling is not outside his reach, that embarrassment is not outside his reach. And even the mistake is not outside his reach. God knows how to step in and fix what looked ruined and still bring purpose out of it.Let's look at James 1. It says this. Count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.What a beautiful verse. But let's slow down there because that verse can almost sound offensive when you're hurting. Think about it.You're in the middle of hurting right now and somebody says to you, oh, Ralph, count it all joy. Are you serious? Like this is joy. I'm hurting right now. James isn't saying that pain feels good. He's not saying loss is easy.He's not Saying to fake some smile when your heart is breaking. But remember who James is writing to. He's writing to believers who were scattered all around, were pressured and walking through real hardship.So when he says, count it, joy, he's not minimizing the pain. He's reframing its purpose. He's not saying all the trials is not random. The testing has an assignment. God is producing something in you.That's the shift. And when you feel that shift, you stop seeing failure as this final verdict, and you start seeing it as a process God may be using to refine you.Now, listen, not every setback is spiritual warfare. Not every closed door is a divine setup. I'm not trying to tell you that sometimes we make bad decisions. Guilty. I've made bad decisions.I bet you've made bad decisions. But even then, God is still sovereign enough to work in what broke. That's how good he is. Let me say it this way.Sometimes God lets the old structure shake because the foundation underneath of it was too weak for your future. That job, that image, that relationship, that plan, that version of success, that need to always look strong, that dependence on being in control.Friends, sometimes what falls apart was never meant to hold the weight of what God wants to build. And that's painful because so many of us want restoration to mean God put it back the way it was. Think about the things that.The trials you've had in your life. How many times have you prayed, God, just. Just fix this, Put it back to the way it was.But sometimes God's not trying to put it back to the way it was. Sometimes he's making sure it never has to be that fragile again. Look again at Joseph. This always amazes me when I understand this story.Joseph's brothers sold him when he was 17. Then came slavery in Potiphar's house. Then came false accusation. Then came prison. And from the dream to the palace was roughly 13 years of process.Do you hear what I'm saying? 13 Years. 13 Years of wondering what's going to happen next. 13 Years of hiddenness. 13 Years where the promise did not look like it was working.You got to have some endurance there, my friends. But God was working the whole time. And by the time Joseph stood in power, he had been shaped by the pit. Think about it. He was shaped by the pit.He was shaped by the prison. And he was shaped by the pressure. So later he could say this to his brothers. You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.That statement didn't come from theory. It came from Survival. It came from hindsight and it came from a man who watched God bring purpose out of pain.And that may be where you are right at this moment, friend. You're not abandoned, you're not forgotten and you're not finished.You're just in a season where God is doing deeper work than you can even measure yet. But that sounds good, doesn't it? But what do you look for while you're in this season, in this tough time?What do you do when your life feels like a construction zone? What do you do when you're in the middle of the storm and you don't have answers yet? Here's where I would focus.This is where we're going to get real practical. First thing, ask this. What is this exposing? Because we have to start there. Failure has a way of revealing what success can hide.That failure exposes our pride. It exposes our fear. It exposes, dare I say, our self reliance. And it exposes where our identity got tied to something other than God.Yes, that's painful, but it's also useful. Go back to Peter. Before Peter denied Jesus publicly, he overestimated himself privately. Just picture this.At the Last Supper when Jesus warned the disciples that they would fall away. That's what Jesus said. And what did Peter say? He said, maybe they will, but I won't. And that confidence sounded bold.But think about where that was rooted. That was rooted in Peter's confidence in Peter. But then the pressure came. And that pressure revealed what pride had hidden.But even in all that, Peter's failure did not disqualify him. It humbled him. It broke his self confidence. It emptied him of the illusion that he was strong enough on his own. Fast forward to the resurrection.Jesus restored Peter in John 21 by the sea. This is what it says. This is John 21, verse 15.When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes Lord, he said, you know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my lambs. And again Jesus said, simon, son of John, do you love me?And again he answered, yes Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus again said, take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, simon son of John, do you love me?And Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? And he said, lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Just think about this.This is the man who denied Jesus three times, was now asked three times, do you love me? And what did Jesus say? Feed my sheep. Do you see that? That failure exposed Peter, but Grace rebuilt him. So don't waste the exposure.When you feel like you're in this situation and you're in this season, ask this God, what is this showing me about me? Turn that camera on yourself. Where was I leaning on myself? Just think, that's what Peter was doing.Peter was leaning on his own self, his own strength. Where did I make something too important? Where was I trusting the outcome more than I was trusting you?And when you can do that, that kind of honesty can save you years of struggle. But here's the second thing. Ask yourself this. What is God removing?In John 15, Jesus says, the Father prunes fruitful branches so they can bear more fruit. And that's important. I think about. My grandfather used to be a gardener, and he used to grow tomato plants.And I remember I was out there with him one time in the garden, and he was going through and he was pulling things off the tomato plants. And I said, grandpop. I called him Pop Pop. I said, what are you doing? He says, I'm pulling off the suckers. That's what he called them, the suckers.And I said, wait a second. I said, these seem like fine vines. He goes, no, but I'm pruning them.Because he knew if he pruned the branches, if he pruned the vines, it would bring forth stronger fruit. And think about how this relates today. This is important, because pruning is not something God does only to dead things.What's the point in pruning something that's dead? He prunes living things, just like my grandfather. He was pruning fruitful things. He was pruning promising things.And think about the timing of that teaching. Jesus said to his disciples, in the hours before the cross, Jesus knew what was going to happen. There's no doubt in my mind. Jesus saw the end.In other words, he was preparing for them to understand loss. Put yourself in that position here. Jesus was walking and talking and spending time with these people.And Jesus was telling them, I'm going to go away here. And his disciples were going to feel this loss. They were going to feel that confusion.And they were going to feel that pressure well before they walked into the hardest moments of their lives. But I can already hear you saying it, Ralph. Pruning is never pleasant. It's not. It feels like loss. It feels like confusion.It feels unnecessary when you're in the middle of it. But pruning is not punishment. Pruning is preparation. Because sometimes God removes distractions.He removes those things that are taking you away from Him.Sometimes he removes false security, and sometimes he removes those relationships and those habits and those patterns or those ambitions that looked good on the surface, but we're draining your spiritual life underneath this service. So when something falls away, it's so easy to ask, why did I lose this, Lord? But think about this.Maybe ask this instead, Lord, what are you clearing out of my life right now? Because some things have to go if greater fruit is coming. But then you've got to ask yourself the next question. What is God building in me now?And this is the biggest one, because God truly cares about where you're going, but he also cares deeply about who you're becoming. And some things, friends, only get built in hard seasons.I think about hard seasons in my own life, but those were times when the Lord brought humility to me. He taught me endurance. He taught me patience, taught me compassion. He helped me connect to a deeper prayer life and a real dependence on him.And see, those are the parts of your character that success will never form. Yeah, success can make you look strong. Oh, look, this person's accomplished so much stuff. They're strong.But truth is, failure can make you actually become strong. Sure, success can make you look impressive, but failure makes you look honest and absolutely success can make you louder.But failure makes you deeper. And compassion matters.Because one reason God doesn't waste your pain is that somebody else is going to need the version of you that came through this. Just think about that for a second. Somebody else needs what God is pruning, what God is changing in your life. Let's look at Peter again.His failure, his restoration. Peter was no longer the same man. He still had the fire, he still had the boldness. But now there was humility in him.He said, oh, I'm never going to deny Jesus. But he did. Now there was tenderness in him. And now there's a deeper dependence on grace. See, that's what failure, surrender to God can do.It can make you the kind of person who can look at somebody else in their worst moment and say, I know what it feels like to fall. I know what it feels like to be ashamed. And I know what the mercy of God can do. That kind of authority there can never be faked.This isn't some polished authority. It's not some platform authority. It's broken, raw, rebuilt authority. And that kind of ministry is real.So let me make this and say this as plainly as I can. Don't let one painful season Convince you that God has walked away from you. Don't ever let failure name you.Don't let disappointment preach louder than truth and listen to me. Don't let the thing that broke become the thing that defined you. What broke may have been real. What you lost may have mattered.What you're grieving may be heavy at this moment, but in all of those things, God is still able to work in this, not just after it in it. So instead, I said this at the beginning. Instead of praying, God, get me out, how about you pray this?God, don't let me miss what you're doing in me while I'm here. Because, friend, that prayer will change the way you walk through pain. And I want to turn this into a moment of faith and community.Because maybe as you're listening right now, you're like, dude, I'm right in that kind of season right now. I want to encourage you to do something for me. Can you just type in the comments? God is still building. God is still building.And if you can see what he's doing, go a little deeper and tell me this. What is God exposing in your life? What is he showing you that you didn't realize? What's he removing? But more importantly, what's he building?And let's fill the comments with faith. Let's fill the comments with honesty. And let's remind each other that the storm is not the end of the story.And if this message is speaking to you, I would love it if you'd subscribe to the channel like this video and do me a favor and share it with somebody who needs it.There are so many people right now quietly carrying disappointment, and they need to hear from you, from me, and from others that failure is not final. Now, I do want to pray for everybody, but I want to speak to one more person. Because maybe this message today has been hitting you so deeply.Not just because your life feels broken, but because God is calling you to himself. Some of you saw the title in this, and you came here wanting God to fix a storm. You wanted to fix a failure, fix a situation.But the greatest thing God wants to do in your life is not just rebuild what broke around you. He wants to save your soul. He wants to make you new. And here's the truth. The deepest problem in your life is not just the storm around you.It's that sin that separates you from a holy God. And sure, you may know about Jesus. You may have been around church your entire life. You may have heard great sermons.You may have prayed emotional prayers before but deep down in that dark place, you know you've never truly surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. Hear me clearly on this. Jesus isn't waiting for you to clean yourself up before you come to him. That's one of the beautiful things about the gospel.The gospel tells us we can't save ourselves. We can't fix ourselves, and we can't make ourselves righteous. So what did God do? God sent his Son.And Jesus lived this sinful life we could never live on our own. And he died the death we deserved on the cross. And he shed his blood for our sins. And this is the most beautiful part.On the third day, he rose again in victory. In victory over sin and death and the grave. So salvation is not about religion. It's not about trying harder. It's not about turning over a new leaf.It's not about becoming a slightly better version of yourself. It's so much deeper than that. It's about repentance. It's about surrender. It's about faith in Jesus Christ. It's about saying, jesus, I need you.I can't save myself. And I give my life to you. And right now, if you know the Holy Spirit is drawing you in right now, don't ignore this moment.This is your moment right now. You may never get another chance to come home to God. And these words are not magic. And some prayer by itself is not what saves you. Jesus saves.But if this prayer expresses what's truly in your heart, I want you to pray this with me right now. It's what they call the salvation prayer. Just in the quietness of wherever you are, just think about this and pray this out loud with me.Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. And I know I need your mercy. I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe you rose again.So right now, today, I turn from my sin and I surrender my life to you. Forgive me, Lord. Wash me clean, make me new. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Teach me to follow you. Be the Lord of my life.And right now, I put my trust in you alone as my Savior and my King. Thank you so much for loving me. Thank you so much for forgiving me. And thank you so much for saving me. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.If you just prayed that from your heart, I want you to put this in the comments. I would love to see our comments filled with this. I gave my life to Jesus. Just put that in the comments. If you just gave your heart To Jesus, man.I want to celebrate with you. I want to pray for you, I want to stand with you. I want to welcome you into the family of God.And please, whatever you do, don't keep this moment to yourself. Tell somebody right now, today, that you gave your life to Jesus. There are so many of us who would love to hear from that. And start talking to God.Start reading his Word. Grab that Bible. If you don't have one, get one and get planted in a Bible believing church that teaches truth.And now let me pray for every person watching right now, those who are walking through a storm and those who just surrendered their lives to Jesus. Father, right now we come before you with grateful hearts. Lord, I just want to thank you for every person who just said yes to Jesus.There's celebrations all over heaven. I know it. Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your saving power. Thank you for your unfailing love.And Father, for every person still walking through failure, every person still walking through disappointment and confusion and pain, Lord, I just pray that you would meet them right there in the middle of their storm. Some are tired, some are grieving. Some obeyed you and still watch things fall apart.And some are carrying questions they don't even know how to put into words. Meet them right there. Help us stop reading every storm as a rejection. Help us stop calling ourselves finished when you're still working.And help us trust you in the parts of the story that do make sense yet. Where there is pride in our hearts, Lord, break it gently. Where there is fear in our hearts, Lord, steady us. And when we feel grief, comfort us.And when we live in confusion, give us your light for that next step. Teach us what this season is trying to produce for us. Show us those things that need to go. Show us what you're building.And Lord, when we feel weak, because we are going to feel weak, remind us that our weakness doesn't scare you. Because you made us there. You strengthen us there and you shape us there.And right now, Lord, we just give you the parts of our lives that feel broken. We give you those plans that fell through. And we give you those dreams that we don't understand anymore.And we choose to believe that you're still working in our lives. Yeah, you're still healing, you're still shaping and you're still building. And Lord, we thank you that failure is not proof that you left us.And we thank you that in Christ, no broken place is beyond your power to restore. And I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. I just want to thank you for joining me today. And I want to leave you with this verse.It's from Second Corinthians, chapter 12, verse number. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. May God bless you.