Do You Set Yourself Up To Fail?

By Aleta Kay

          You’re an addict: alcohol, drugs, sex, food, etc. You’ve done your time; paid your dues, been through detox, perhaps have been Baker-acted. Yet, when you get back to “life” you find yourself beating your head against the wall as you fight the same demons. You want to change. You want to do what’s right, but you keep falling into the same pit. You feel like giving up. What’s the use?

          That is the problem: giving in to “what’s the use.” The only difference between successful people and losers is this: what does it take to make you quit? Winners never give up. I heard this song when I was in elementary school and it has stuck with me: “High Hopes”

                    Once there was a silly old ram

                    Thought he’d punch a hole in the dam

                    Everyone knows a ram can’t

                    Punch a hole in a dam

                    But he had high hopes

                    He had high hopes

                    He had high apple pie-in-the-sky hopes

                    So any time you’re feelin’ low

                    ‘Stead of lettin’ go just remember that ram

                    And you’ll have high hopes

                    You’ll have high hopes

                    You’ll have high apple pie-in-the-sky hopes

          There’s more to the song but you get the idea. Don’t give yourself excuses to give up. When you fall (as we ALL do), pick yourself up, clean yourself up, ask God to forgive you, then ask Him to help you do better. Feast on the Word of God. Think of the Bible (King James Version) as food for your soul. It’s SOUL FOOD! The reason I say KJV is because it is the only one in the English language that hasn’t been tampered with and altered to please human ego. Read the Psalms, Proverbs, the gospel of John, and the book of Romans.

 Romans chapter 8 is my personal victory chapter. I was addicted to putting myself down. I was addicted to my temper. I was addicted to self-pity and self-loathing. After years of struggle, I am free. Do I still sometimes fall and put myself down? Do I sometimes indulge in self-pity? Yes. I am still human. But now I catch myself (actually the Holy Spirit catches me) and I go back to that chapter and remind myself that I don’t have to be like that anymore. I’m a child of the King! I am a princess (according to Scripture). If God is for me, who can be against me? I’m moving on. How about you?

Hang in there. Keep trying. You can do it! Yes, you can! Don't let the devil win. You are worth every effort you make. Every time you try again you have won a skirmish. That makes you a winner! Every time the devil tells you you're a loser, remind him he's a stupid rebel who got kicked out of heaven. That makes him a loser and pretty stupid for thinking he could beat God. The Bible says he's a liar and the father of all lies. Don't let him win. You're better than that! You will make it, no matter how many tries it takes.