MAKING THE MOST OF MY MISTAKES
Fresh Start #8
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, May 26, 2024
God-given dreams bless
(Acts 2:17, NLT) “In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”
(Psalm 103:13–14, NLT) “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”
(Proverbs 14:4, NLT) “Without oxen, a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
“Orderliness can reach the point of sterility. This proverb is not a plea for slovenliness, physical or moral, but for the readiness to accept upheaval, and a mess to clear up as the price of growth.” – Derek Kidner, Proverbs
“The better a man is, the more mistakes he will make, for the more new things he will try. I would never promote into a top-level job a man who was not making mistakes—otherwise he is sure to be mediocre.” – Peter Drucker
(Isaiah 43:1, ESV) “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Joseph’s Mistake
(Genesis 37:6–7, NLT)“Listen to this dream,” he said. “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”
(Genesis 37:23–24, NLT) “When Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.”
God doesn’t need my help; I need His help
(Genesis 37:28, NLT) “The Ishmaelites, who were … traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers … sold him to them [they] took him to Egypt.”
My mistake doesn’t change God from being Who He Is!
(Malachi 3:6, LB) “For I am the Lord—I do not change. That is why you are not already utterly destroyed, for my mercy endures forever.”
(Genesis 39:23, NLT) “The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”
(Psalm 105:19, NLT) “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”
1. OWN IT.
(Galatians 6:5, NLT) “For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”
2. PAY THE PRICE.
(Proverbs 28:13, ESV) “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
3. CORRECT IT.
(Luke 14:28, NLT) “Count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”
4. EMBRACE IT.
(Job 23:10–11, NLT) “[God] knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.”
5. DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER IT.
(Galatians 6:9, NLT) “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
6. GET UP AND DO BETTER NEXT TIME.
(Habakkuk 2:2, GW) “Write the vision. Make it clear ….”