When the Darkness Comes, Look at the Sky. You Will See the Stars.
(Hebrews 12:1-3)

During the economic recession in the United States, people who were not well-off could not afford to go to hospital no matter how sick they were because they could not pay the hospital bills. In these circumstances, a doctor was forced to close his clinic. He almost gave up in the middle of despair and hopelessness. One night, however, his two children threw themselves into his arms and said, “Papa, we cannot see the stars unless the streets turn black, right?” This echoed in his heart out loud. He thought, “Yes! I am in dark streets now. But I can see the stars in the sky because of that.” Since then, he chose not to be discouraged looking at his circumstances as dark as nights. And he was able to rise up again in the light of the Word fixing his eyes on Jesus. Look up when discouraged. If we fix our eyes on the Lord and look at blessings and comforts, it will be done according to our faith.

1. Failure is the mother of success
1) Human beings begin with failures.
- Adam was casted out by God after he ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and tried to exert his own sovereignty over himself.
2) God did not abandon humans as failed as they are but sent Jesus to overcome Adam’s failure and bring about great successes.
3) We go through failures at all times but the will of God wants us to overcome the failures and gain successes.
* (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

2. An eye for failure
1) Failure is about particular affairs or events (school admission, landing a job, business), not that a man’s life is failed due to those things.
2) Failure is a school from which we learn lessons for the coming successes.
3) Even great figures suffered failures ? Moses’ failure in Egypt at the age of 40.

3. When you fail
1) Do not regard yourself as a loser.
- Though Peter cast a net all night, he did not catch a single fish. However, he was far from being a failed fisherman. On the other hand, he met Jesus because his boat was empty, which brought him great successes.
2) Take time to repent and look back.
① Throw up all the pains and do not keep them in your heart.
② As the failure of Adam was overcome in Jesus, we can overcome failures in Jesus.
③ The Holy Spirit gives us new dreams and visions.
3) Do not look down at the ground but look up the sky and count stars.
- Abram would have been so discouraged if he focused on his and his wife’s age and physical status. But he had his faith restored by fixing his eyes on the stars in the sky and the promise of God. Fix your eyes on the cross regardless of your current situations.
4) Fear is the enemy No.1.
- Fix your eyes on Jesus who is with you even in a cave. Then the cave will be turned into a tunnel of hope.
5) Give thanks in hardships ? the hardship and thanksgiving of Job

Through Jesus, God gives us the second life (the woman who got caught while committing adultery, a Samaritan woman in the town of Sychar). We are also given the second chance.