From Setback To Comeback

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked fall by calamity” – (Proverbs 24:16).

The Bible is full of comeback stories. Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times, swore and cursed that he didn’t know Jesus when he was accosted and told that he was one of His followers! Peter recovered from that fall and became one of the greatest apostles of all times. Ruth came back from a serious setback of losing her husband at a young age and her cursed Moabite ancestry to become the great grandmother of King David and part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Her mother-in-law (i.e. Rahab) also overcame her sordid past of prostitution to become the great great grandmother of King David and a part of Jesus lineage. The Bible is full of stories of people who failed big but recovered to win big! Below are some things to consider in order to move from setback to comeback:

Divine Realization: This is simply to become aware of oneself from Heaven’s perspective. The prodigal son in Luke 15 was said to have “come to his senses” before embarking on the journey back home to his loving father. Not until he was feeding pigs and longed to be fed from the pods the pigs ate did he actually realize himself. An heir to unlimited fortune now feeding pigs because he was estranged from his father! The first step to comeback is to realize how much one has fallen and to make amends decisively.

Divine Encounter: Everyone who has come to Christ had a divine encounter. We need many of such encounters to stage a comeback from a fall. A divine encounter usually awakens our passion towards God, leading to a desire of making a positive difference in the world. A case in point is Moses who encountered God in the burning bush which didn’t consume the grass. Another is Smith Wigglesworth, a 20th century apostle. He was a great stammerer and illiterate plumber who after getting baptized in the Holy Spirit, with evidence of praying in tongues, became very eloquent in speech and became the great apostle of faith.

Divine Illumination: This leads to self-discovery, a necessary occurrence for a comeback. Gideon overcame a setback of low self-esteem, fear and timidity when he was opportune by God to know how the enemies perceived him (Judges 7:9-15). No one can recover from a fall without first realizing his or her potentials, capabilities, strengths, opportunities, etc. In the light of God, we see light (Psalm 36:9). Moses got to know by illumination that the rod in his hand was the rod of deliverance for Israel.

Destiny Decisions: Crucial decisions ofttimes have to be made when we are at the crossroads of life. Ruth had to make a decision whether to follow her mother-in-law (i.e. Naomi) back to Bethlehem-Judah or to remain in Moab. While her sister-in-law Orphah opted to remain in Moab, she clung to Naomi and followed her to Bethlehem. This crucial decision was a destiny decision that made her story change and brought greatness to her. Right decisions will always lead to a comeback.

Divine Exaltation: The Bible says in Psalm 75:6 that God is the Judge who puts down one and exalts another. When God lifts up, it inevitably results in a comeback.  Humility and total surrender to Him are preconditions to be exalted by Him (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter recovered from a fruitless fishing expedition when he surrendered his fishing boat to Jesus for preaching. As a result, he caught so many fishes that his net got broken and his boat almost sank.

CONCLUSION: The greatest comeback of all times is Jesus coming out from the grave. Satan and his cohorts had a field day on Good Friday thinking that was the end, but they experienced the shock of their lives when He rose again. Jesus’ comeback is a testament that we can rise from every setbacks and fall.

 

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

www.rccgpittsburgh.net

http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

Comment (1)

  1. Ute
    Ute

    Blessed by all your posts.
    Please post more , God bless you richly for the good work .The Lord will increase your wisdom.

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