Counsel: Victory Over Failure Worksheet
based on Eph 4 & Col 3
Many people struggle with the tentacles of sin. Sin is deceitful (Heb. 3:13); it puts people into slavery (John 8: 34); it has only passing pleasures (Heb. 11:25); and it entangles people hindering their walk with the Lord (Heb. 12:1). Humanly, the only solution to sin is confession of sin to God and the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit to overcome its power and presence in life (Eph. 5:15-18). That will happen only under the ruling power of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:18-19). Our part is to trust the Lord Jesus Christ by faith in total dependence on His Lordship for every situation of life.
One of the most wonderful principles we teach in the “Discipling the Heart” course is the Victory Over Failure Worsheet (VOFW). The purpose is to help you examine yourself biblically (Ps. 139:23-24; Matt. 7:1,5). This process helps you recognize specific biblical put offs and put ons for transformation of the heart to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:22-32; Col. 3:15-17). It helps you develop and implement specific plans for biblical change (Jam. 1:22-25). As you make changes, you will see the victory over the great enemy of sin and life-dominating sins in your life.
There are several steps to this Worksheet. First, commit yourself to God’s sovereign rule in your life (2 Cor. 5:9). Determine specific ways you have sinned against God (Rev. 2:5) and confess them to Him (1 John 1:9). Ask God for wisdom to know what changes need to be made (Jam. 1:5) and forgive anyone who has sinned against you (Mark 11:25-26). Continue diligent study of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15) and pray in every circumstance with dependency upon Him (Luke 18:1; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Thes. 5:17). Then do what God says to do (Jam. 1:22-25).
Here’s an example of the Worksheet and the four aspects in each of the four columns.
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Victory Over Failures Worksheet
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Specific unbiblical thought, word, or action (Matt. 7:1-5)
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“Put off” and biblical references (Eph. 4:22)
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“Put on” and biblical references
(Eph. 4:23-24)
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My plan not to repeat this sin and to respond biblically instead (Titus 2:11-14)
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This material is explained in more detail in the “Self-Confrontation: A Manual for In-Depth Discipleship” Supplement 7-8, pages 448-459. It was developed by author John C. Broger.
The more effort you put into a thorough Worksheet, the more that you’ll gain in spiritual growth. Two suggestions: 1) when you determine the Put on, from the put off, focus on the put on and the plan to overcome; and 2) make sure your plan includes specific things you can do in the three areas of the thought, spoken word and overt actions.
Shepherding Truth 