11 Verses to Circle When You Feel Like a Failure

[Affiliate links may be used in this post.]

Do you ever feel like a failure?

I’ve been down lately—I feel like a failure as a wife and mom. Have you ever gone through times like that? It seems like every single February it happens to me.

You see, I started a new medication, and it took a while for my body to get used to. I was having crippling headaches that shortened my fuse with my kids—causing me to snap at them and lose patience way too quick.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the only cure for these headaches was sleep, so as soon as my husband would get home from work—I’d basically go to bed.
Leaving him with dinner, homework and bedtime tasks.

You guys—I felt like such a failure.

And the enemy…that jerk doesn’t leave us alone when we’re down. He sees that as the perfect time to attack. He knows the exact buttons to push and the quickest ways to bring me down—through my very own thoughts and self-talk.

We also missed church multiple times in February due to the flu, so I didn’t even have that time to recharge consistently.

February was a long month (even though it is the shortest…weird!) but thanks to a never-leaving God, my loving husband and dear friends who spoke truth into the darkness, I made it.

The headaches come and go, but my spirit is lifted.

Praise!

During this time, I kept coming back to this verse—circling, highlighting, and underlining. The NLT is my favorite version.

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” -Psalm 73:26 (NLT)

Although I did not truly fail in this case, there have been plenty of times where I have actually failed (umm…every single diet I have ever started!). I have had moral failures where bad decisions left me with bad consequences—but these 10 scriptures about failure still apply.

Just remember–God is grace.

11 Scriptures to Circle in Your Bible When You Feel like a Failure

(Read about why I circle scriptures in my Bible here)

1| John 1:16

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

2| Philippians 3:13-14

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

3|  Psalm 37: 23-24

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

4| Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

5| Proverbs 24:16

for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

6| 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

7| Philippians 3:12-14

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

8| 2 Corinthians 3:5

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

9| John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

10| Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

11| Deuteronomy 1:29-31

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

The next time you feel like a failure–lean into that feeling. 

I know that feels like a lot to ask because it’s our instinct to run away from failure or to fix it with a band-aid. But I would encourage you to give those failures to the Lord through prayer and allow him to fully heal the aches and pains of failure.