Your Biggest Failure May Come When Everything Is Going Right

If I asked you when you’re most likely to fail, what would you say?

Most of us would answer, “When life gets hard.” We imagine failure comes when we’re under pressure, our finances are tight, our marriage is struggling, our health is failing, or we’re simply exhausted.

But that’s not the pattern I see in the Bible.

Some of the greatest spiritual failures didn’t happen during hardship. They happened during seasons of incredible success - me included. The danger wasn’t having too little. It was having so much that people slowly stopped depending on God. I mean, everything is funny when you are making money - right?

King David is a perfect example. By the time he saw Bathsheba and lusted after her, he had already defeated Goliath, escaped Saul, united Israel, conquered his enemies, and established one of the greatest kingdoms in history. He wasn’t running for his life anymore. He was comfortable - and successful.

One afternoon, while his army was away fighting, David stayed home. From the roof of his palace he saw Bathsheba, and one sinful decision led to another. Lust became adultery. Adultery became deception. Deception became murder. The consequences affected his family for generations. Wow, this resonates with me.

Solomon followed a similar path. God gave him extraordinary wisdom, unimaginable wealth, peace on every side, and the privilege of building the Temple. Leaders from around the world came just to hear him speak.

Yet the Bible tells us, “King Solomon loved many foreign women… His wives caused him to turn away from God.” (1 Kings 11:1,4 NCV)

The wisest man who ever lived slowly convinced himself that God’s commands no longer applied to him. His success gave him the means to indulge every desire, and little by little, his heart drifted away from the One who had blessed him.

Then there’s Uzziah which I ponder today as I read. He became king at only sixteen years old and ruled Judah for fifty-two years. He defeated enemies, strengthened Jerusalem’s walls, built towers and fortresses, dug wells, expanded agriculture, organized a powerful army, and even commissioned engineers to invent military machines. He was one of Judah’s greatest builders and leaders.

Then comes one of the saddest verses in the Old Testament: “But when Uzziah became powerful, his pride caused him to be destroyed.” (2 Chronicles 26:16 NCV) Not his enemies or economic hardship, or even poor leadership. His own pride.

Man, I see myself in these stories. I need to fight the comfort demon.

The greatest failures in my own life didn’t happen when I had nothing. They happened when I had enough, enough money, enough comfort, enough freedom, enough success, and frankly, enough boredom to begin chasing things that never satisfy. Success breeds pride - it just does. And you and I have to fight it regularly.

It’s a fact that when you have resources, temptation becomes easier. You can afford the vacation, the affair, the alcohol, the toys, the entertainment, or whatever promises excitement. Success gives us opportunities that hardship never could. It also gives us the illusion that we’ve earned the right to indulge ourselves. You drop your guard, or at least I did. It was the time of my biggest failures.

Maybe I’m different, but I wasn’t looking for God more. I was looking for more of everything else. More success, more possessions, more experiences, more excitement, and the list goes on. The problem wasn’t that I wanted more, the problem was that I wanted more of the wrong things. In many ways, I was bored with my success.

Now, unless you have experienced this level of success, you might not understand. An I’m not bragging about my success, I’m warning you about it.

What’s fascinating is that modern psychology describes something remarkably similar. Researchers call it the overconfidence bias. Our tendency to overestimate our judgment, underestimate temptation, and believe we’re less likely than others to make serious mistakes.

The Bible has called it something much simpler for thousands of years. Pride.

Long before psychologists studied it, God warned Israel about it. As they prepared to enter the Promised Land, He didn’t warn them primarily about poverty or persecution. He warned them about prosperity. Listen to this profound verse:

“When you have eaten all you want and have built nice houses and live in them… then you will become proud. When that happens, do not forget the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:12,14 NCV)

Think about that. God wasn’t worried about empty stomachs. He was worried about full ones. He wasn’t concerned about people without homes. He was concerned about people living in beautiful homes who slowly forgot where every blessing had come from.

I wonder if that’s one of the greatest dangers facing many of us today. We live in comfortable homes, drive reliable cars, travel to beautiful places, eat more than enough, and have access to almost anything we want. None of those things are sinful. In fact, they’re gifts from God.

The danger comes when the gifts quietly replace the Giver. When all is good - who needs God?

Jesus reminded us, “Life is not made up of how much a person owns.” (Luke 12:15 NCV)

The world measures success by wealth, influence, freedom, and possessions. God measures success by humility, obedience, and a heart that continues to seek Him after the blessings arrive. Serving others, helping them, and loving God with all.

Maybe the greatest test of your faith isn’t what you’ll do when life falls apart. Maybe it’s what you’ll do when everything is finally going your way. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.

My greatest failures didn’t come because I had too little. They came because I had enough to believe I no longer needed God as desperately as I once did. It’s the reason I go to His word first thing, every day. I don’t trust myself.

If David, Solomon, and Uzziah could drift after experiencing extraordinary success, then so can I.

And that’s why, perhaps more than ever, success requires humility and gratitude. Every blessing, every accomplishment, every opportunity, every dollar, every relationship, and every breath is a gift from God.

The safest place to live isn’t at the bottom, and it isn’t at the top. I believe it’s on our knees, remembering who gave us everything in the first place. God is life. God is love. God is my future.

LORD, help me be grateful, count my blessing, give away the blessing and money, and time to those who need it. Help me use my blessing that “You” gave me, to bless others. Don’t let me become prideful. Search my heart and make me aware please. IJNIP amen ♥️

(a bad photo, but a fun time at a friends wedding)