Don’t Waste Time Beating Yourself Up

Michael Jordan was quoted as saying:
“I’ve missed more than nine thousand shots in my career. I’ve lost almost three hundred games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Jordan failed many times throughout his basketball career; and yet, he is considered one of the most successful basketball players ever to play the game. Why? He grew through his failures. Yeah, he lost twenty-six games by missing the last shot. But how many countless games did he win because he took the shot?
Though our goal is perfection (1 Peter 1:15-16), failure is not the end of the world either. We have someone ready to give us a hand up if we fall – Jesus (1 John 2:1-2). So why waste time beating yourself up when you take your drug of choice?
Okay, you fell. You can either learn from your failure by avoiding that same situation next time (Matthew 26:41) or by processing why you fell through your biblically-based truth filter so you’re prepared for victory in the future (James 4:7-8). Or you can wallow in your failure and waste time berating yourself for falling.
It’s your choice. But do remember this simple truth. Jesus already took the beating for your sin, the taking of your drug of choice. Why let Satan get additional pleasure by doing it to you?

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