Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) ~ Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.

Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) ~ Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.

What does it mean to be a winner? What drives you to success? What gives you the determination to get back up and get on with things? We all fall down from time to time. If we say that we don’t, then we deceive ourselves. Many people have been knocked down, and many people have been kicked so hard and have fallen so low, that they have wondered how they can ever get back up from such a blow. For some, it is the pain of separation from a loved one, the loss of a loved one or even a divorce. For some, it is the pain of personal betrayal. For others, perhaps the loss of a job, the heart ache of failure, or having your dreams broken. For some, it is the awful feeling, that gut wrenching guilty feeling of sinning and letting God down.

Some people have found themselves at their lowest ebb; the feelings of hopelessness, and desperation have over-shadowed them and the feeling of being a failure has blinded them. It has them bound up in the chains of defeatism, which has them trapped in a snare where they cannot see beyond what is in front of them. They cannot remember where they have come from, nor can they look ahead, for all they can focus on is what is happening right now. They are trapped in the snare of the circumstances.

Falling down does not make us a failure, but staying down and not trying to get back up, does not turn things around. We have to make a choice to get up and get busy living. When I first learnt to ride my bicycle, I would fall off more often than not. However, I got back up and kept trying until one day, I could ride my bicycle without falling off. I never gave up no matter how sore it was. Whenever I fell off the bicycle, I got back up again and gave it another go. I was determined not to let the fear of falling off the bicycle, or the fear of failing get the better of me. I knew I would overcome it and be a success if I got back on my bicycle and kept on trying.
 

Overcomers may fail…but they try again.

Overcomers may get knocked down…but they get back up.

Overcomers may lose the battle…but they win the war.

Overcomers may suffer some set backs…but they rise up and recover all.

The Bible does not call us survivors, it calls us overcomers.

The Bible does not call us just a conquer…but it calls us more than a conquer.

There is song by Chumbawamba called, “Tubthumping”, which in 1997 became a top ten US hit. The song contains these stirring lyrics: 

I get knocked down but I get up again,

You’re ever gonna keep me down.

There is an old Japanese Proverb that says, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” And in our text for today, there is hope for us all when we do fall down. Oh, march on my soul, be strong! The Bible says in Proverbs 24:16 (NIV), “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again”. He will raise again because his trust and his hope is in the Lord his God. If we do fall from grace and if we do sin, there is forgiveness to be found in Jesus Christ. There is restoration to be found in the tender-loving mercies of the Lord. God can, and will, build you back up once more, for when all you have left is God, you have everything you need to start afresh!

The band Third Day wrote these wonderful lyrics to the song, “Cry Out to Jesus”, sung by Mac Powell:

‘There is hope for helpless, rest for the weary, and love for the broken heart,

There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, that meets you wherever you are.

God is the restorer of broken dreams.’

He is the one who binds up the broken-hearted and frees the prisoner from the snare of the enemy. God will build up in you a stronger resolve and a greater confidence to face each and every challenge in life, with a winning, overcoming and victorious attitude.

Some things do not come over night, some things are a process. For some, it is a trapped mind set of “nothing good ever happens to me”. God can tear down those strongholds of the enemy. God can heal our memories and set us free from the darkness of negativity, and bring us into the blessings of His glorious light. When we spend time feasting upon His word and prayer, we can renew our mind with the positive promises of God. In the Kingdom of God there are no failures, only success stories, for God is an expert in turning lives around and making you a success. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

My friend, there is an old saying, “You cannot keep a good man down.” When we trust in the Lord, He will help us back up, and we will rise up and be stronger in our faith. He will strengthen our resolve because of His grace, mercy and love. He will enable us to have a “never-give-up” attitude, to get up and keep on going. As the Bible says in our text for today, Proverbs 24:16 (NIV), “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again”, because his trust is in the Lord.

God bless you my friend, Matthew.