Failing at the Point of Strength

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”
Proverbs 4:23

If you study the great men of God in the Bible, you will discover that they failed at their point of strength, not weakness. What was Simon Peter’s greatest strength? His courage. He said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death” (Luke 22:33). And yet, what did he do in the Garden of Gethsemane? He pulled out a sword and went after that guard. What else did he do? He denied the Lord three times (see Matthew 26).

Peter was not someone you would even want to get into a fistfight. He was a big tough fisherman. And yet, where did he fail? At the point of his courage. A little girl caused him to curse and deny the Lord Jesus Christ. He failed because of his carelessness. That’s the reason the Bible says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Maybe you have been a mighty warrior for the Lord, but now you have lost that passion. Perhaps you are getting careless and not spending time like you used to with Him each day reading and meditating on His Word and in prayer. Maybe you are even at a place where you think you cannot fall. Come up close. I want to tell you something: an unguarded strength is a double weakness.

-Adrian Rogers