You know, when I was young Christian, I used to love going to Christian conventions.

And in Christian conventions, you always get testimonies.

They all talked about their triumphs and their victories.

I began to think, you know, well, this is wonderful.

I think this is great.

We all need to hear about the power

of God working in the lives of others. We all need to be encouraged to hear the power of faith

working in the lives of others. I think we all need to be motivated and lifted up and encouraged

to know that God wants us to be victorious, that God wants us to be more than conquerors

through Christ. God wants us to be daily marching in his victory parade, as Paul puts it.

But my personal problem was, hearing all these victory and only victory, I began to wonder, you know, what's wrong with me when I'm experiencing failure?

What's wrong with me when I'm experiencing defeat? What's wrong with me when I'm experiencing downtime?

What's wrong with me? I'm discouraged. Obviously, I will never be like these great giants, and I would get so

discouraged. And that is why, when I entered the ministry, I made a promise to the Lord and a promise to

myself that I will not only give God the glory for all the victories that he gives me,

but I will not hide my failures and fake successes.

That I'll be real.

But the problem, even modern day, is if you read modern day biographies of modern day

Christian leaders, they all puffs.

I mean, they gloss over their problems and their weaknesses and they're going to tell you

about all the great things that these people accomplished.

And I just don't like reading modern biographies.

...