Episode 033 – 10 Million Dollars Educating You
We all mistakes. We all have blunders. But how we view these failures has a significant impact on how quickly we recover and how much we learn in the process. This episode addresses the redemptive nature of failure and how I believe God views our mistakes, which for many of us, is very different than what we often believe – and it’s dramatically hindering us!
Discussion Questions
- What’s your biggest takeaway from the teaching?
- What may be holding you back from believing that God sees our faults and failures this way?
- Where have you “resigned” in your life because you don’t feel God wants to use you because of poor decisions you have made?
- Have you ever had a significant failure that a parent, coach, teacher, or friend helped reframe for you that got you back on track faster? What did they say? Have you been able to do that same for someone else?
- Where do you need to embrace God’s grace so you can get back on track or become even more focused on this out His desires for your life?
- Where did you need to hear the encouragement of this teaching today?
- How will you live out the truth of this teaching in the coming days?
For Further Study
- Make Your Mark by Brad Gray – this idea of how we address our failures has been so instrumental in my life, I wrote an entire chapter on it in my book (Chapter 8).
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Good morning, Brad! Great lesson full of reminders to carry forward of God’s grace and desire to restore us for better use!
I’ve been in Exodus 2 where Moses has killed the Egyptian. Lots there: Acts 7:25 says he thought he was to be the deliverer of his people, but they didn’t understand. And Moses went back the next day to the “scene of his crime!”
Moses’ walk so different… 40 years of work on his character in Midian tending sheep! The burning bush moment is a long way off…. Wonder where Moses head was all those years? Suppose there were lots of (unrecorded) talks in the wilderness life?
Dealing with grave sin and having regrets is a huge topic. Thinking that’s why suicide is increasing. The need for restoration is huge. Glad we can talk and realize a need to share what God has done!
Thank you for pondering Moses a moment with me.
Hi Suzanne. Appreciate your thoughts here. Yes, it would’ve been an interesting 40 years for Moses in the desert following his first 40 years in Egypt, and unbeknownst to him, another 40 years leading people in the desert. I actually did a sermon on these there 40-year blocks if you’re ever interested in watching it. It’s called “Calling to a New Path.” It’s in the sermon library here: https://walkingthetext.com/calling-to-a-new-path//#watch
Great teaching – Brad – as you talked about God recycling our failure. It reminded me of your words when you taught through the Bible in one teaching. After sin entered the world and chaos with it, God said, “I’m going to put it all back together”. It is amazing to look at my life from this vantage point and see how God has done this very thing. So grateful for God’s grace and enduring love.
Oh that’s so fantastic. Thank you for sharing that, Susan.
Thank you very much for your teaching. On the second discussion question “What may be holding you back from believing that God sees our faults and failures this way?” I think for me it’s what I read in the Old Testament. God had some severe punishments for failures. I sometimes feel afraid because I’ve failed and sinned so much.
I can totally see where you’re coming from, Renee. Just remember Jesus’ words …
– John 14:9 “…Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…”
– John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
– Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being …”
What you see in Jesus is who God is (even in the Old Testament). I often believe we don’t understand what’s happening in the OT, so we describe God as angry, short-tempered, etc. We forget that what we see in Jesus is who God is in the OT and his actions are trying to get the story back on track. One of the best stories that help us understand the God of the OT, is in Genesis 15. If you didn’t see that one in The Teaching Series, it’s called, “God Walks Between The Pieces” and can be found here: https://walkingthetext.com/ts-episode-002-god-walks-between-the-pieces/
Always enjoy Brad:
Soul winners too often offer salvation via Jesus, as a one time experience and one is eternally secure thus the subliminal implication is one is not required to -work out ones salvation-using the Hebraic understanding of salvation instead of fundamental Christianity.
Thus the average believer has no impetus to aggressively pursue a Godly life-just hang in there under the churches direction til the ? rapture or the 2nd coming.
At 80 I am still puzzled we do not take new believers to TORAH as Paul did in Acts 15 thus giving them the will of God, Jesus’ Lords Prayer prayed for, and thus displaying what the will of God is in reality.
It still amazes me the church has many believers doing the law’ tithing, missions, giving to the poor, widows, orphans, community service, but will not tell them that? When we look at what God calls true fasting in Isaiah 58: are we not seeing TORAHS direction?
Is not this the fast that I have chosen?
to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yoke?
7
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?
when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;
and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Jes sayen!
As you know, Bill, my passion is helping people see that salvation is never the end game in the Bible – it’s the beginning! And then it launches us on this adventure to join God in the work He’s doing here on earth. So hopefully we can keep encouraging people to embrace this life of adventure in following Jesus and maximizing our human experience!
Brad, thanks for visiting my church Discovery Church in Orlando, FL. It was a pleasure as always. This teaching was great and a deeper insight into how God views our mistakes. Thanks.
I always enjoy the opportunity to visit Discovery. Such amazing people!