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You may have failed, but you are not a failure. You may have made a wrong choice, but that choice does not have to become the definition of your life. You may have fallen, but falling does not mean you cannot rise again.
You may have failed, but you are not a failure. You may have made a wrong choice, but that choice does not have to become the definition of your life. You may have fallen, but falling does not mean you cannot rise again.
Joel 2:25-26
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed”.
The book of prophet Joel consists of 59 New Testament prophecies.
We see in Acts 2, the same word of prophecies from Joel repeated.
““I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…”
Moreover, the New Testament believers inherit the blessing of Abraham (Israel) through our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14).
The Bible reminds us that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God in the New Testament.
Hebrews 4:1 and 4:9
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
A human being is directly connected to two realms: the physical and the spiritual—the visible and the invisible.
In the Old Testament, when we read God’s promises, we understand that many of them were given specifically to Israel and concerned their life on this earth. Their blessings were often expressed in earthly and physical terms.
However, when we read these promises as New Testament believers, we can understand that some of them have both physical and spiritual applications, because we are connected to the spiritual realm through the Holy Spirit. God reveals spiritual truths and mysteries through His Word by the Holy Spirit, giving us understanding of things that were previously hidden.
Therefore, an Old Testament promise may have had a specific historical and earthly meaning for Israel while also pointing toward a greater spiritual reality that is revealed and experienced by believers through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
There are seasons when God allows everything that can be shaken to be shaken.
What we trusted begins to collapse.
What we thought was permanent begins to move.
Things we depended upon are stripped away.
And in those moments, we may ask, 'Where is God?'
The shaking is not always destruction. Sometimes the shaking is preparation for restoration.
It means sin being confronted, pride being humbled, corruption being exposed, and false security being removed.
We often want restoration without transformation.
We want God to restore our circumstances while leaving our hearts untouched.
1. GOD WILL SHAKE WHAT WE HAVE BUILT OUR SECURITY UPON
Hebrews 12:27-28
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receive a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
God exposes every false foundation.
Because anything we build our identity upon apart from God will eventually be tested.
Money can disappear, people can change, positions can be lost, opportunities can close,
human approval can vanish.
Even things that God gave us can become idols if we begin trusting the gift more than the Giver.
So sometimes God permits a shaking because He loves us too much to allow us to remain comfortable on a foundation that cannot carry us.
The shaking reveals what we were standing on.
We need to ask ourselves-
‘What was I standing on that God is now asking me to surrender?’
What once appeared stable suddenly becomes uncertain. Plans change, relationships shift, finances fluctuate, opportunities disappear, familiar doors close, and structures we carefully built begin to tremble. In those moments, our first question is often, ‘Why is God allowing this?’ But perhaps a deeper question is, ‘What have I been trusting more than God?’
We often speak about trusting God while quietly placing our security in other things. We trust our income because it gives us comfort. We trust our careers because they give us identity. We trust people because their presence makes us feel safe. We trust our achievements because they reassure us that we are valuable. We trust our plans because they make us feel in control. None of these things is necessarily wrong. The danger begins when a good gift becomes the foundation of our confidence.
Sometimes God shakes the foundation, not because He wants to destroy us, but because He wants to reveal what cannot ultimately sustain us.
Hebrews 12:27 speaks of God shaking created things so that what cannot be shaken may remain. This presents shaking in a completely different light. The shaking is not merely a crisis; it can become a revelation. It exposes the difference between what we have built and what God has established. It reveals whether our peace depends on circumstances remaining predictable or whether our confidence rests in the unchanging character of God.
We may build our security upon money, but money can disappear. We may build it upon people, but people can disappoint us or leave us. We may build it upon health, but our bodies are fragile. We may build it upon possessions, status, influence, or success, but all of these can change in a moment. Even carefully constructed plans can collapse despite our best efforts.
God does not shake these things because He is cruel. He shakes our misplaced confidence because He loves us too much to allow temporary things to occupy the place that belongs to Him.
Sometimes we interpret a shaken season as evidence that God has abandoned us. Yet Scripture repeatedly shows that God can be present in the very process that feels abandoned. The shaking may be uncomfortable, but God's presence within it can transform it into a season of spiritual awakening.
When everything around us is stable, it is easy to say, ‘God is my security.’ But when the salary is uncertain, when the relationship changes, when the expected opportunity does not come, when the future becomes unclear, the statement is tested.
Can I still trust God?
Can I still worship Him?
These questions reveal the depth of our foundation.
The purpose of shaking is not always to take something away. Sometimes it is to move us from dependence on the gift to dependence on the Giver.
We can become so attached to what God has provided that we forget the One who provided it. We can become so grateful for the blessing that the blessing itself becomes our source of confidence. But God sometimes permits the blessing to tremble so that we remember where our help truly comes from.
This is why seasons of uncertainty can become spiritually significant. They force us to confront the illusion of control.
We like to believe that if we plan carefully enough, save enough, work hard enough, maintain the right relationships, and make wise enough decisions, we can guarantee our future. Wisdom and preparation are important, but they cannot give us ultimate security. Life remains beyond our control.
And perhaps that is one of the lessons God wants us to learn: we were never created to carry the burden of being our own security.
God is calling us away from the exhausting responsibility of trying to guarantee everything ourselves.
When God shakes what we have built upon, He may be inviting us to discover a deeper foundation: His character.
If everything changes but God remains faithful, then we are not without hope.
If circumstances change but God remains sovereign, then we are not without direction.
If people change but God remains present, then we are not abandoned.
If resources become limited but God remains our provider, then we are not without provision.
If our plans fail but God remains God, then our future has not fallen apart.
The greatest security is not found in knowing that nothing will ever change. It is found in knowing that when everything changes, God does not.
This also challenges us to examine what we have been building. Perhaps some of our foundations need to be surrendered. Perhaps God is asking us to release our obsession with appearances, approval, comfort, control, or certainty. Perhaps He is exposing areas where our faith has quietly become conditional: “I will trust You as long as You give me what I want.”
2. GOD DOES NOT RESTORE THE OLD THINGS—HE CREATES A RENEWED THING
2 Corinthians 5:17 — The foundation
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
God does not simply repair the old identity. In Christ, He establishes a new creation.
Ephesians 4:22–24 — Put off, be renewed, put on
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man… And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man…”
Renewal involves removing the patterns of the old life and allowing God to form a new way of thinking and living.
Colossians 3:9–10 — The old man and the new man
“Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
The goal of renewal is not merely better behaviour—it is becoming increasingly conformed to the image of Christ.
One of the most powerful truths is that God does not simply repair the old. He creates something new.
That is restoration.
But notice what restoration looks like.
It is not merely bigger houses.
It is not merely greater opportunities.
It is not merely getting back what was lost.
Sometimes we pray,
‘Lord, restore everything.’
And God answers,
‘I will restore you first.’
Because if God restores the thing without restoring the person, we may lose the blessing the same way we lost it before.
God is not merely restoring your situation. He is preparing your character to carry your next season.
Restoration is God taking what has been broken, wasted, buried, delayed, or damaged and bringing it back into alignment with His original purpose.
GOD CAN RESTORE WHAT THE LOCUST HAS CONSUMED.
RESTORATION IS NOT FOR COMFORT—IT IS FOR PURPOSE.
This is where the message becomes challenging.
We cannot preach restoration as though God is simply interested in making us comfortable.
God does not restore you so that you can return to the same patterns that broke you.
He restores you so that you can walk differently.
THERE MUST BE A SECOND YES.
There is a first yes in every calling.
But sometimes there must be a second yes.
The first yes says:
‘Lord, I'll follow You.’
The second yes says:
‘Lord, even after what I've experienced, I'll still follow You.’
The first yes is full of excitement.
The second yes is often born from brokenness.
There is a profound difference between repairing a person and renewing a person.
When something valuable breaks, our natural instinct is to restore it to the way it was before. We repair the cracks, replace what was damaged, polish what has become worn, and try to recover its former appearance. We often approach our spiritual lives in the same way. We want God to take the person we used to be and simply make that person better.
But the gospel goes much deeper than renovation.
God is not interested merely in making the old nature more respectable. He is not taking the old man and giving him a spiritual makeover. He is doing something far more radical: He is creating a renewed person whose life is increasingly shaped by Christ.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” This does not describe a slightly improved version of the old life. It describes a new reality.
The Christian life, therefore, is not fundamentally about becoming a better version of who we were. It is about allowing God to form in us what could never be produced by human effort alone.
God does not merely say, “Try harder to behave differently.”
He begins changing the heart from which behaviour flows.
The old man wants God without surrender.
The old nature often wants the blessings of God without the transformation of God.
But God does not merely want to add Himself to our existing identity. He calls us to surrender the identity that was built independently of Him.
This is why Scripture uses such strong language concerning the “old man.” The old man represents more than our mistakes. It points to the old way of living—the self-centered life that operates independently of God's rule.
Renewal often feels like death before it feels like life.
One of the most difficult truths about transformation is that renewal can feel like loss.
Jesus said that whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it.
Renewal is not pretending the past never happened.
A renewed person does not have to deny their history.
God does not erase the testimony of what we have been through. He transforms its meaning.
Peter still knew that he had denied Jesus.
Paul never forgot that he had persecuted the church.
Jacob carried the consequences and memories of his former life.
David knew what he had done.
The grace of God does not require us to pretend that the old person never existed.
Instead, it gives us a new relationship with our past.
The renewed man carries a different foundation.
You can only surrender to the One who brings life out of death.
So the question is not simply, 'How can I become a better version of myself?'
A deeper question is:
'Lord, what in me must die so that the life of Christ can become more visible through me?'
That is a dangerous prayer.
It is also a liberating one.
Because God does not want to leave you trapped in the identity formed by your wounds, your failures, your fears, your pride, your achievements, or your past.
He is calling you into something deeper.
3. YOUR FAILURE DOES NOT CANCEL YOUR FUTURE
John 21:15–17 — Peter's failure did not cancel his calling
After Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus restored him and entrusted him with responsibility.
“Feed my sheep.”
1 John 1:9 — There is a way back
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
Philippians 1:6 — God isn't finished.
“He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Your present struggle is not proof that God's work has stopped.
Joel 2:25 — God can redeem lost years.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…”
God can take people who have been humbled by failure and make them witnesses of His restoration.
Your history may explain where you have been.
It does not have the authority to determine where God can take you.
Keep speaking the goodness of God. Keep praying for fresh revelations. Keep worshipping the Lord for His glory.
-GOD CAN TURN SHAME INTO TESTIMONY
God takes people who were scattered and gathers them- Nation of Israel.
1948 they were brought back from all over the world.
Israel on May 14, 1948, is viewed by many biblical scholars and believers as the fulfilment of several Old Testament prophecies concerning the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland.
We read in Isaiah 66:7–8, which famously asks, "Shall a nation be born in one day?"
He takes people who were wounded and brings them back.
He takes people who were ashamed and gives them a name.
He takes what looked like the evidence of failure and turns it into evidence of grace.
This means your scars do not have to disappear for your story to become beautiful.
Sometimes restoration means being able to look at the wound and say:
‘God brought me through it.’
The scar becomes a testimony.
The valley becomes a testimony.
The season of silence becomes a testimony.
The thing you thought would destroy you becomes the place where you discovered that God's faithfulness was deeper than your circumstances.
One mistake can become the voice that tells us, “You have ruined everything.” One wrong decision can make us believe that our best days are behind us. One season of weakness can cause us to question whether God can still use us.
But failure is an event; it is not destiny.
You may have failed, but you are not a failure. You may have made a wrong choice, but that choice does not have to become the definition of your life. You may have fallen, but falling does not mean you cannot rise again.
One of the most beautiful truths in Scripture is that God repeatedly works through imperfect people. Their failures did not disqualify them from His purposes.
Peter denied Jesus, yet Jesus restored him and entrusted him with responsibility. David made devastating mistakes, yet his story did not end with his failure. Moses spent years in the wilderness before stepping into his calling. Mark experienced a failure that caused a painful separation in ministry, yet later became useful again.
Their stories remind us that God is not finished simply because we have failed.
Sometimes we believe that God can forgive us but cannot use us anymore. We accept His mercy for our past but struggle to believe in His purpose for our future.
But forgiveness is not merely God saying, ‘I will not punish you.’
Grace also says, ‘I can still work through you.’
God is the author of redemption.
He can open doors you thought were permanently closed. He can create opportunities you could not see. He can restore purpose where you expected only regret.
Do not confuse regret with repentance. Regret looks backward and says, ‘I wish I could change what happened.’ Repentance looks toward God and says, ‘Because of what happened, I will walk differently from now on.’
Your failure is part of your story, but it is not the title of your story.
God still has a future for you.
And if God has not finished writing, then you have no right to call the story finished.
4. DO NOT ASK GOD TO RESTORE WHAT YOU ARE STILL REFUSING TO SURRENDER
You cannot ask God for a new season while insisting on carrying the old season's idols into it.
-THERE IS A REMNANT
When everything else is being shaken, God preserves a people who will seek Him.
Not the proud.
Not the self-sufficient.
But those who humble themselves and trust His name.
This is the challenge for the church today.
Will we be a people who look like the culture, or a people who reveal the character of God?
God is not looking merely for a crowd.
He is looking for a remnant.
-RESTORATION IS COMING—BUT PREPARE YOUR HEART FOR IT
The shaking is not the end.
God has the final word.
It is restoration.
But before He restores, He purifies.
He wants to change what is happening within you.
There are prayers we pray because we genuinely want God to change our circumstances, but sometimes God wants to change us before He changes our circumstances..
We want restoration, but God may be asking for surrender.
‘Surrender’ is not giving up on life. It is giving God the right to lead it.
Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Sometimes the greatest obstacle to God's work in our lives is not what we have lost, but what we are unwilling to release.
God cannot fill hands that refuse to open.
Imagine holding something tightly in your hands while asking God to give you something new. Your hands are full, but not necessarily with what God wants you to carry.
We can hold tightly to resentment, relationships, ambitions, fears, expectations, control, and even our understanding of how God should answer our prayers.
We say, ‘Lord, restore me’ while quietly saying, ‘But do not touch this.’
Yet surrender means allowing God access to every area of our lives.
Romans 12:1 says:
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane:
“O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” — Matthew 26:39.
Jesus expressed His desire honestly, but He placed that desire beneath the Father's will.
That is mature prayer.
What are you still holding?
Abraham understood the cost of surrender.
Abraham had waited for Isaac.
Isaac represented promise, hope, and the fulfilment of something God had spoken.
Yet in Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to place Isaac on the altar.
This was not merely about sacrificing a son. It was about testing whether Abraham would trust the Giver more than the gift.
Abraham had to discover that even the promise could not become more important than the One who made the promise.
Sometimes God asks us to surrender the very thing we prayed for.
Psalm 37:5 says:
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Commitment means placing the outcome into God's hands. Not manipulating it.
The ultimate goal is to become so surrendered to God that you can trust Him with whatever He chooses to give, whatever He chooses to change, and whatever He chooses to take away.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” — Philippians 1:21.
When Christ becomes our treasure, surrender stops being the end of something.
It becomes the beginning of freedom.
By Pastor Renji George
Scriptures: 1 John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Acts 2, Colossians 3:9, Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22, Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 3:14, Genesis 22, Hebrews 12:27, Hebrews 12:27-28, Hebrews 4:1, Hebrews 4:9, Isaiah 66:7, Isaiah 66:7-8, Joel 2:25, Joel 2:25-26, John 21:15, John 21:15-17, Matthew 26:39, Philippians 1:21, Philippians 1:6, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:5, Psalms 37:5, Romans 12:1, Romans 12:1-2
Sermon Topics: Resurrection, Future, Restoration, New Life, Good News, God's Promises, Best Is Yet To Come, Rebuilding, Never Abandoned, Rising Up, God Remakes, New Future, Good Fortune
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