Failure Is Not Final

By Kaeren McGrowder

Failure is not a failure when you fail; it can only become a failure when you have failed and refused to rise up and move on. In Failure Is Not Final, Kaeren McGrowder shares her experience about becoming pregnant in the church while still serving in the ministry. She honestly relates her inspiring story regarding her journey from falling from grace to gracious recovery.
The authors story portrays the essential keys needed to overcome shame and guilt and to be transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. The crucial key is true repentance, like the story of the prodigal son in the Bible: I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father I have sinned (Luke 15: 1718). This true repentance involves humility (I will arise), acknowledgement of sin (I have sinned against heaven and before thee), and faith in action (And he arose and came to his father) (Luke 15: 20).
No matter how serious the case may be, in spite of failure, shame, guilt, and rejection in life, we can overcome, recover, and be transformed by the love of Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jul 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504946049

Kaeren McGrowder

Kaeren McGrowder was born on the beautiful island of Jamaica. She is a serving member of the Christ Mission Church (Christ Mission Outreach Inc.) in the United Kingdom and is actively involved in the leadership, women’s ministry, and missions departments. Having more than six years’ experience as youth president and in the women’s ministry, she is an established preacher with a prophetic mantle and apostolic ministry. She is highly gifted in the dancing ministry, a founder of the First Fruits Dance Ministry, and she trains leaders to enhance their ministries in the kingdom of God.

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© 2015 Kaeren McGrowder. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/15/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4602-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4603-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4604-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Chapter 1 Where It All Began: A Test Failed

Chapter 2 Preparation: David’s Story

Chapter 3 Riding through the Storm

Chapter 4 Don’t Let the Wounded Soldier Die: Back Benching

Chapter 5 Fighting to Stay in the Race: The Fight with Myself

Chapter 6 My Salvation: The Power of the Cross

Chapter 7 After the Birth

Chapter 8 Embracing God’s Grace and Mercy

Chapter 9 My Apologies

Chapter 10 Forgiveness

Chapter 11 It Will Work Out for Your Good

Chapter 12 Failure Is Not Final: The Evidence

FOREWORD

In this book, the author brilliantly portrays a commendable, honest, and non-judgmental attitude; she courageously conveys the significances of hope and God’s love in spite of any catastrophe.

The book carefully expresses godly admonition and warning against the consequences of sin but also consciously demonstrates the attribute of a winning spirit, declaring that ‘Failure is never a failure when you fail, but it becomes a failure when you fail and refuse to rise and move on’.

To the glory of God, I believe the author, Kaeren McGrowder, is a confident and passionate writer.

With a delightful confidence and profound humility, I passionately endorse this book. I believe it will unfailingly enhance the awareness, knowledge, and strong faith in God’s transforming grace and power. And it will bring more hope to the despondent in churches, homes, and communities.

Rev. Festus O Akinfemiwa

Director and Principal Consultant

Christ Mission Outreach Inc., United Kingdom

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to give honour, praise, and glory to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, without whom I would have been nothing. I thank Him for His never-ending love and greatness. Lord, You are amazing! Words are not enough to articulate my love for You.

To

Rev. G E folks for supporting and encouraging me throughout the rough paths of my journey.

To

my daughter Naomi for being my inspiration to write this book and for being my joy and my strength. Mommy loves you dearly.

To

Rev. (Apostle) Festus O. Akinfemiwa for being the driving force behind me and for believing in me and the future of this book. Thank you.

To

everyone who supported and encouraged me throughout and after my pregnancy at Calvary Church of God in Christ.

To

All my extended friends and family for believing in me and for seeing me in my mess and stretching forth your hands to help me walk in the fullness of God. Thank you all for your positive words of encouragement and for speaking life into me.

INTRODUCTION

Oftentimes we quote scriptures, parables, and other old wives’ tales because we either grew up hearing our parents, grandparents, or even friends saying them. I often hear the quote ‘trials come to make us strong,’ and we repeat it because it sounds good. We also share it with others to bring them comfort.

In whatever way or form it is used, this statement cannot prove true unless you have being through trials and come out strong.

Trials are the acts of trying or testing in any manner. This may be the act of testing by experience, proof, and test (the authenticity of someone’s faith in God in the midst of problems). It is also the state of being tried or tempted; exposure to suffering that tests strength, patience, faith or the like; and affliction or temptation that exercises and proves the graces and virtues of men. Trials are temptations or adversity, the enduring of which proves the merit of an individual’s faith. For the Christian, it is to undergo a trial in which one’s faith is proved either true or false before God, the highest judge. Since many positive things have come about through such trials, Christians are urged to rejoice at their occurrences (James 1: 2; 1 Peter 4: 13).

We all have tests and trials; they come in different ways and forms. No trial is the same; everyone’s experiences are different. We are like students taking a test in a classroom. Some may fail, some may pass, and some may give up for different reasons, maybe because they are unprepared or just don’t know what to do. So it is in our walk with Christ. Our trials are to prove the graces of the virtues of humanity. Some may undergo sickness, some may lose loved ones, marriages maybe torn apart, and our values and morals maybe tested. We may even lose our integrity with Christ Jesus. These trials do not come to destroy us but to prepare us. The exams that we take are only there to prepare us for the future careers we may pursue. However, when these exams are failed, the only solution is to take the test again. So it is with our walk with Christ. We are never satisfied with an F on our report cards; we always strive to get a better grade, especially if it is something we really need. We will not stop until we pass it. Falling is not failure, and failure is not final. It is not the end; take the test again!

James 1: 2–4 speaks of patience and endurance in trials. It says, ‘my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ James regards trials as inevitable. He says when, not if you fall into various trials. At the same time, trials are occasions for joy, not discouraged resignation. We can count it all joy in the midst of trials because they are used to produce patience. Patience is the ancient Greek word hupomone. This word does not describe a passive waiting but an active endurance. It isn’t so much the quality that helps you sit quietly in the doctor’s waiting room as it is that quality that helps you finish a marathon. The ancient Greek word hupomone comes from hupo (under) and meno (to stay, abide, and remain). So at its root, it means to remain under. It evokes the picture of someone under a heavy load, resolutely staying there instead of trying to escape. Faith is tested through trials, not produced by trials. The purpose of trials is to reveal what faith we do have, not because God doesn’t know how much faith we have but to make our faith evident to ourselves and those around us. If trials do not produce faith, what does? Romans 10: 17 tells us ‘so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God’. Faith is built in us as we hear and understand and trust in God’s word. Trials don’t produce faith, but when trials are received with faith, that produces patience. But patience is not inevitably produced in times of trial. If difficulties are received with unbelief and grumbling, trials can produce bitterness and discouragement. This is why James exhorts us to count it all joy. Counting it all joy is faith’s response to a time of trial. The work of patient endurance comes slowly and must be allowed to fully bloom. Patient endurance is a mark of the person who is perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There is no way around the trials that we fail when it comes to our faith in Christ or living the Christian life. When we fall short of the glory of God and give into fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, or whatever other area of failure, there is no way around these things. The only solution is to take the test again!

If a student driver sets a target for himself or herself to pass a driving test by a particular time and that student fails the driving exam, this does not mean it’s over for that particular student; it only means he or she has come to a moment of setback.

Matthew 7:13–14 speaks of a narrow way. Many of us may have chosen the narrow way but few find it. The narrow way is not smooth sailing. (Oh, life is so sweet, amen.) There are some trials on the way. There are diversions such as sickness, heartache, and pain. There are some demons trying to get us to fornicate, tell lies, steal, backbite, and kill each other with our words along the narrow way. Whilst there are these things, we don’t always overcome all these obstacles. We may have given into some, but the ones we give into should not stop us from pursuing eternal life.

The reason why the gate that leads to eternal life is so narrow is not that it is paved with blessings but that we have to fight the good fight of faith. There are some setbacks and some mind-attacks that await us on the way. This is why Paul, in Philippians 3: 14, encourages us to ‘press towards the mark towards the price of the higher calling in Christ Jesus’. We may have dropped the baton in the race, but we need to stop, pick it up, and keep going. The race is not over until we win. It is not for the swift but for those who endure to the end.

When we encounter setbacks, we should try our best not to see them as full stops but rather as