Are you living in a cycle of defeat?
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired that your walk with Christ never seems to be consistent or fruitful, I urge you to consider this study on defeat, and let God’s word transform you by the renewing of your mind; but let me clear and honest with you, if you are unwilling to read and consider the scriptures contained in this study, it will be of no profit to you. I pray that you will give God and His word the benefit of the doubt that you can have biblical victory.
Because our God is loving, gracious, and merciful, He does not cast us away when we fail; but because of that great love He wants us to succeed; and He knows we can, since He has already equipped us to be victorious in this fallen world (John 14:27; Ephesians 1:3). God’s love does not free us of consequences; in fact, those consequences serve as a painful reminder of how much we need to operate in the center of God’s will. Please ask God for wisdom as you go through this study. You do not have to live in defeat any longer, because you are more than a conqueror through Christ!
Defeat plays out every day. It is seen as you keep falling into the same traps, going back to the same addictions, battling bitterness and unforgiveness, battling ungodly thoughts, battling your desire to do good verses your actions that are not, and you end up in a depressed laziness that just says “I do not feel like it today”.
The opposite of defeat is being free to live fruitful lives for a holy God. Being fruitful does not mean you are free from battles; but rather it means you are free to face battles with a biblical faith and confidence.
For many Christians, they think being set free means only to be free from that which binds them; yet true Christian freedom means to be set free unto God’s good purpose. The believer who stands free from some source of defeat, but fails to abide in Christ for His good purpose, will soon find themselves being defeated again by that thing they thought they had overcome. Right now stop, and take a moment to see this truth lived out in Matthew 12:43-45.
A large majority of Christians are living a cycle of defeat; and when we get past the symptoms, we soon find the source of that defeat; and it becomes easy to see that our churches are filled with people who are filled with regrets because they keep getting involved in worldly living; and those regrets create a discouragement that defeats them.
What is the problem? Why can’t we be free? We pray for God to deliver us; and when He does, we do not stay long in the promise land before we want to run back to Egypt. Why?
If you are still reading, and have not let defeat distract you already, we now are going to reveal the root of the problem. It’s You.
Now stay with me for a moment longer; because there is hope! As a believer, we should know that by grace we are saved through faith; and though our salvation is not based on our works, our salvation does preordain us unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10); yet many believers, either through ignorance or wrongful teaching, have not understood one simple truth – You do not belong to You any longer.
Stop and read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Colossians 3:1-4. These scriptures illustrate that as believers, Christ has taken ownership of us. If you fail to grasp this truth, it will be impossible to live in victory. Christ did not die so you could be redeemed into an earthly life of ease, selfish desire, or religion; He redeemed you so that you could enter into a loving relationship with Himself.
This relationship produces Spirit filled fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; but that fruit comes as a result of the branch surrendering itself unto the vine (John 15:1-5; Romans 6:1-23; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 2:20); and God tells us in Isaiah 58:1-12 that “our yoke” is broken when we live for Him.
Defeat comes when there is a lack of hope; a lack of hope comes when there is a lack of faith; and a lack of faith comes when there is a lack of God’s word being heard in our lives (Romans 10:17).
We maintain a cycle of defeat because we are unwilling to submit; whether it is sinful desires or a sense of religious duty, we fail to allow God to be the Head of our life (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
The abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10 comes as a result of us trusting in God’s plan for our us. When we look at passages such as Matthew 25:1-46, Luke 8:4-15, John 10:27, John 14:15, and Romans 12:1-2, it should be easy to understand that victory comes from doing it God’s way, and not our way; but unfortunately, many Christians are either too selfish or too fearful to allow God to lead; and this only ends in defeat (James 4:1-10; 1 Peter 5:5-11).
True Christian victory comes as result of saying “Not my will Lord, but Yours!”. Jesus demonstrated this for us; and because of it, He won the victory over death, sin, and the grave (Matthew 26:36-46; Romans 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58).
The abundant life is not a life absent of problems; but it is a life where God’s word has become the guiding force in everything we do; and for people caught in a cycle of defeat, you will find God’s word comes and goes in cycles as well. It is so plain, but we have trouble seeing it. When we read and apply the Word, our approach to life is different. The Apostle Peter said that if we were to be consistent in living out biblical truths, that we would “never” fail (2 Peter 1:2-11).
Peter said “never”! No more cycle of defeat! He goes on to tell us in 2 Peter 1:12-21 that we must be constantly reminded of this truth and of the power of our living God. Missing church, Bible study, and personal devotion will only keep the cycle of defeat going. Somewhere you MUST decide if you are going to trust in you, or in God (Proverbs 3:1-13).
Operating in defeat is painful; and it is very destructive to our faith and those around us who we claim to love. I want to encourage you to read Deuteronomy 28-30, but I want you see the following verses in chapter 30 as our need to surrender: 11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word [Bible truth]is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil [victory and defeat]. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your Godthat I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear [the word], but are drawn away to worship other gods [sinful desires] and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess [live in defeat]. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Living a life of victory does not simply mean that you are free from some sin, it means you have been set free to fulfill God’s will in your life; and if we are living in that freedom, then defeat is no longer present!
I pray that you will consider these truths and seek God’s face for strength.
May God bless you greatly,
Pastor Mike