The Bible Speaks - Why It Didn't Work

[00:00:37] Welcome to The Bible Speaks with your host Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a daily podcast dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, rightly dividing the word of truth, and learning how to apply it to our daily lives. You may contact Elgin at the address given at the end of the broadcast. And now, here's Elgin.

[00:01:02] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus the Christ, to another edition of The Bible Speaks, where we're studying God's word together. Today's discussion is titled, Why It Didn't Work. Our scriptural inspiration comes from Joshua 1, verse 8.

[00:01:30] And reading from the King James Version, it reads, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

[00:01:56] Have you ever worked hard for something, prayed over it, made sacrifices, and still watched it fall apart? Maybe the business struggled, the relationship ended, the promotion went to someone else, and you found yourself saying, Lord, why didn't it work? But before we decide that something failed, there's another question worth asking.

[00:02:25] By whose standard are we measuring success? Let us pray. Heavenly Father, open our hearts to your definition of success. Help us hear your word clearly and receive understanding through the Holy Spirit. When our plans disappoint us, give us wisdom to see what you're teaching us. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen.

[00:02:54] In Joshua chapter 1, Moses has died, and Joshua is preparing to lead Israel into unfamiliar territory. God doesn't give him a shortcut or promise every day will be easy. Instead, he tells Joshua to keep his word close, meditate on it, and obey it. Then Joshua will know what it means to prosper and to have good success.

[00:03:23] Notice what God puts first. Not money, not applause, not a position, but obedience. God's idea of success begins with the person, who we are becoming, and the choices we make along the way. The world has a different scoreboard. It counts income, followers, promotions, and recognition.

[00:03:50] Those things can be blessings, but they cannot tell the whole story of your life. You can win the contract and lose your integrity. You can build a successful career and neglect your family. You can have everything people admire and still be far from God's purpose. And the opposite is also true.

[00:04:14] You can go through a difficult financial season, face rejection, or start over, and still be walking faithfully with God. A hard season is not automatic proof that God is displeased with you. Think about Joseph. He was betrayed by his brothers and imprisoned for something he didn't do. If we judge his life halfway through, we might call it a failure.

[00:04:43] Yet, Genesis 39 and 2 says the Lord was with Joseph. God was at work even when Joseph's circumstance looked nothing like success. In time, his position allowed him to preserve many lives. So, when something you hope for doesn't work, don't rush to call yourself a failure. Ask what the experience revealed. Did it teach you patience?

[00:05:11] Expose weakness in your plan? Strengthen your faith? Show you a person you were meant to help? Sometimes a closed door is a warning. Sometimes it's three direction. And other times we simply don't know why things happen. This is where the Holy Spirit helps us. We study the word for truth. Ask God for understanding. And then apply what we learn.

[00:05:41] As we discussed in obtaining wisdom, reflection can keep us from repeating the same mistakes. And in Am I Blessed? We learn that comparison can blind us to the good God is doing already in our lives. There is also an important difference between being faithful and getting the exact outcome we wanted. Faithfulness does not guarantee that every business,

[00:06:09] relationship, or personal plan will succeed. Scripture calls us to obey God, use wisdom, act honestly, and trust him with results we can't control. 1 Peter 4 and 10 reminds us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others. That means one measure of success is not just what comes back to us, but what God accomplished through us.

[00:06:39] Did someone learn because you taught? Was someone encouraged because you shared your story? Did your family see you respond to disappointment with integrity? Those are not small things in the kingdom. So here's a simple practice for you the next time you say it didn't work. Ask three questions. Number one, what was I trying to achieve? Number two,

[00:07:07] did my choices honor God or serve people? Number three, what should I learn, change, or continue? Be willing to correct what needs correcting. Be willing to try again when wisdom says try again. And be willing to release what God is not asking you to carry. Your life is bigger than one outcome. A setback is not your identity.

[00:07:36] And the world does not get the final vote on whether your life is matter. Maybe it didn't work the way you expected. But if you grew in wisdom, stayed faithful, and became better equipped to bless someone else, God may still be doing something valuable through the experience. Before you call it a failure, check whose scoreboard you're using. Then return to God's word. Follow his direction.

[00:08:07] And keep living a life that's pleasing to him and serves others. Father God, forgive us for measuring our lives only by visible results. Give us courage to examine our choices without shame and learn from what didn't go as planned. Help us pursue excellence without making success an idol. Teach us to obey your word. Trust your timing. And use every gift and lesson

[00:08:36] to bless others. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen. I thank you for spending time with me on today. And I look forward to our conversation next Sunday. Until then, God bless. The Bible Speaks is sponsored by C Squared Realty and New Gen Construction Group

[00:09:05] to help spread the gospel to the corners of the earth. If anything you've heard poured into your life, please share it with someone. You can find The Bible Speaks on Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and many more. Follow us on YouTube at The Bible Speaks Online. You may contact Elgin at P.O. Box 5582,

[00:09:35] Ocala, Florida, 34478, or by email at thebiblespeaksonline at gmail.com. Thank you. Thank you.