Making mistakes is inevitable since we live in an imperfect world, but we could make something beautiful from our mistakes when we learned from them.
God is not looking for Believers who never make mistakes. He appreciates and seeks those willing to learn from their wrongdoings and decisions.
It is something that we can do to please Him and obey His commands wholeheartedly.
How to learn from our mistakes
If we valued God’s forgiveness, then we are willing to apply what we have learned from the wrong things we did.
Although learning from our mistakes is not an overnight success, it requires effort. We should also be intentional and focused on becoming better than we did in the past.
Yet, it is still struggling to start bouncing back, so here are some ways we could learn from our mistakes.
Understand that you are not your mistake
A man looking at his reflection in the mirror. (Photo by Min An from Pexels)
First, we must understand that mistakes do not define our identity in Christ. However, our mistakes refine us. God uses our messes to filter the characters that are yet to improve.
If we allowed Satan to use our mistakes to steal us from who we are in Jesus, we will end up distracted.
Remember that our enemy desires to steal, kill, and destroy us from God’s plan. He would input lies and guilt so we would think we are our mistakes.
Own up to your mistake
A woman praying. (Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels)We must be accountable for our actions and stop blaming others. Learning from our mistakes starts by admitting our weaknesses and shortcomings.
For example, if you lost your temper and say something against your spouse, children, or others, then accept it.
Besides, we should not be like Adam, who blamed his wife for eating the fruit of knowledge. The moment we admit our mistakes is the beginning of a change in our lives.
Once we accept our wrongdoings, it will be easier to confess our sins to God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Know what triggers you
A woman writing on a notebook. (Photo by RF Studio from Pexels)What triggers you from losing your self-control? We should know the things that push us to make mistakes.
It could be bad decisions that you keep doing even though you already said to yourself that “this has to stop.”
If we wanted to break the cycle, we must determine why we keep going that route. It could be some bad habits that you keep on doing that make you make the same mistake again.
You can also list things, people, or situations that trigger and distract you. Then, we could minimize the impact or make some boundaries.
Remember that we can only control ourselves, not how people treat us or what happens around us. Even Satan knows what triggers you, and he would use them every chance. Our courage to say no and resist those things is vital.
However, we also need the wisdom to know and avoid our triggers whenever possible.
Matthew 18:8-9 says, “ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. You should enter life maimed or crippled rather than having two hands or two feet and being thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. You should enter life with one eye, than have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
Learn from others’ mistakes
A group of women having a conversation. (Photo by Dani Hart from Pexels)
The Bible is full of mistakes and lessons from the people who came before us. David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Peter had a temper, and Jacob was a cheater.
Yet, these people did not allow their mistakes to define them; but they bounced back and learned from their wrongdoings.
If we read our Bible, we would know how they disappointed God and the consequences of their actions. We could use these stories as our guide to avoid these wrong decisions.
Despite all the changes and developments happening in the world, we still have our human nature, and the Bible says there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again, which means others have made the mistakes we are making in the past. We could use these stories to know what to do to avoid the modern-day pitfalls.
Ask the Holy Spirit for help
A dove. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels)We cannot learn from our mistakes alone but only with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us to help us produce the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
When Jesus Christ returned to God’s throne, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us amidst our trials and temptations. We should acknowledge the power of the Spirit so He can work freely in our lives.
Whenever you struggle to do the right thing in God’s eyes, ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Be open to corrections
An open Bible on a podium. (Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels)In this corrupted world where bad things seem to be accepted in society, it is more challenging for God’s servants to do their job.
Particularly for pastors, it is more challenging for them to give corrections because what seems wrong in God’s sight seems right towards the majority.
However, when we value God’s forgiveness, we should be willing to accept corrections from those people whom God has authorized to correct and rebuke us for our wrongdoings.
Our pride could hinder us from learning from our mistakes and the transformation we desire. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and listen to His corrections through His servants or words.
Furthermore, the church is the best place for corrections and equipping us to be the person God wants us to be. Those we are willing to be corrected are the ones who experience God’s breakthroughs in their lives.
Devote yourself to God’s word
A man holding a Bible. (Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels)One way to refocus ourselves from our selfish desires is to soak ourselves in God’s word. When filled with His thoughts and promises, we strongly desire to change and learn from our wrongdoings.
The more we discover how great God is, the more we are willing to present ourselves to Him as one approved worker.
2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth.”
We can only present our best selves to God by devoting ourselves to His words and meditating it day and night.
Joshua 1:8 says, “Do not let this Book of Law depart on your lips; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then, you will be prosperous and successful.”
We may fall, but we could still rise again
Proverbs 24:16 says, “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” It is okay to make mistakes because that is the beauty of God’s grace. He knows very well our imperfections and weaknesses.
However, with His help through the Holy Spirit, we are the Christians who learn from our mistakes and never stop growing to be mature.
Bounce back and never allow satan to use your past mistakes to destroy the fantastic future God prepares for you.
Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about How to learn from our mistakes.
