Solomon wrote: "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity." (Proverbs 24:16 NASB).

The righteous may fall, but they always recover. They get back up, for it is vital to get your life back on track after making a mistake. Failure is just an event, not a person. You will find that walking with God is a bit like traveling with a GPS. You might miss an exit or take a wrong turn, but the GPS will recalculate your route to guide you back to your destination, no matter where you are at that moment.

The Holy Spirit works in much the same way. We can create a complete mess of our lives, but if we sincerely turn to God and ask for His help, He will forgive us for whatever we have done and gently guide us back onto His path from wherever we find ourselves.

There is always hope because, with His help, we can change and break free from the past. We can make a clean break and start rebuilding our lives. When we give our lives to Him, He will help us. The right doors will begin to open, and things will start to fall into place. Divine opportunities will appear once again.

We might be down for the seventh time, but we are not out of the game. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is always there to help us rise again when we sincerely pray and ask for help.

David said it this way: "The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:17-19 NASB).

If we ask, the Lord will help us. He stands at the door and knocks, but He doesn't barge in uninvited. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them and delivers them. No matter what we have done in the past, the slate can be wiped clean, and we can have a fresh start. Paul wrote this in Romans 8:38:

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NASB).

There is no power strong enough and no sin dark enough to separate us from the love of God or His help—not even death. When we make a mistake and stumble, the enemy is quick to jump on our backs like a packhorse, using shame to drive us away from God, who is the only One who can truly help us. We may feel like God is angry because we've failed again, but the Lord already knew it was coming, and He chose us anyway.

Consider the Apostle Peter: And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.' "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" (Mark 14:27-31 NASB).

When Jesus told His disciples that He would be killed and they would be scattered, Peter insisted that even if they all fell away, he would not. Jesus responded by telling Peter that he would deny knowing Him three times that very night. Peter declared, "Even if I die, I will not deny You!" So, which of them was right? About forty verses later, we read this:

(Mark 14:66-68 NKJV) Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth." But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.

(Mark 14:69-72 NKJV) And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them." But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it." Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!" A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.

Jesus knew that Peter would deny knowing Him three times that night, even though Peter swore that he would never, ever do such a thing. It was a mistake that grieved Peter deeply, leading him to decide to return to his old way of life. He told the others, "I'm going fishing," for before Jesus called them, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen. (Mark 1:16-20).

Jesus did not become angry with Peter or write him off as a failure even after he denied knowing Him three times and returned to his old way of life. Later, Jesus met Peter on the beach, restored him, and instructed him to "feed My sheep." Jesus knew what was coming before it ever happened, so don't think that your frailties catch Him off guard. He knows us better than we know ourselves. The Lord simply corrected Peter's path, guiding him back on course and back into his ministry, and He will do the same for us.

My message today is that nothing you have done has put you so far off course that it can't be corrected. No matter where you are in life, Jesus will help you get back on track. Don't let the enemy tell you otherwise.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You forgive me for anything that I have done wrong. Please cleanse me, deliver me, and set me free of anything that holds me back. Break the chains off me, correct my course, and help me get in tune with You. I want to live my life for You from this day forward. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!