Battle Against Defeat

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."- Romans 8:37

Because we are living in a world which is not our home. (Philippians 3:20) we will have battles in our walk with the Lord and as citizens of heaven, It is only normal not to live comfortably. However, as Children of the living God, though we are expected not to live in comfort, we are expected to be victorious in every battle we face.

I listed 5 common roots of defeat that we need to battle against in order to live the life God has designed for us.

1. ANXIETY

Anxiety appears when we live by sight and not by faith. Being around the chaos of the world and fixing our eyes on it is discouraging. Anxiety usually comes when we are standing something that is is not stable and as believers, our stability should come from Faith---- which the bible defines as the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)-- Faith are things unseen.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

Temporary and Eternal-- Troubles, calamities, pain, sufferings, sickness will last only for a moment, for a season, only for our life's time. But the endurance that comes from suffering, patience that comes from waiting, healing that comes from sickness and comfort that comes through pain are the things unseen, yet have an eternal value.

So how do we battle against anxiety?

"Live by faith, not by sight"- 2 Corinthians 5:7

2. UNBELIEF

This is the root of anxiety and root of many other sins. Unbelief comes when--

A. When we are ignorant of God's word

Ignorance of God's word causes unbelief because we have no basis to where we will put our faith. In any area, any season of our lives, it is important that we know what God has to say. All His thoughts, desires, promises, instructions, are written in His word. And once we become aware of it, God's word should be our final standard of truth.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness"- 2Timothy 3:16

B. We do not trust God's character well enough

In Matthew 13:53-58, it was stated there that Jesus did not do many miracles because of their lack of faith--- hence, they did not believe enough. In part of the scripture, Jesus healed many, showed wonderful works and miracles. Yet, they did not believe. Why? Because unbelief blinds the eye to what is obvious. To battle against it, we should understand that God is not a man that He should lie, nor change His mind, nor limited that He can't do great things for us.

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? "- Numbers 23:19

Settle in your heart that your Father in heaven is unlimited, you are not. He is a promise keeper, you are not. He is mighty and holy, you are not. He can do great and mighty things, you cannot. Do not measure God's greatness with your own idea of greatness. After all, this is what He says in His word..

"Call to me and I will answer you , and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know" - Jeremiah 33:3

3. LUST

Lust is a desire. Nothing wrong with desires, we are all born with natural sets of it. However, a desire becomes lust when it becomes higher than our desire for God.

According to 1 John 2:16, there are three (3) kinds of Lust.

a. Lust of the flesh

b. Lust of the eyes

c. Pride of life

"The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat."-Genesis 3:6

According to the story, Eve saw the fruit as "good for food"- Lust of the flesh. It was "pleasant to the eyes"- lust of the eyes and "Desired to make one wise"- Pride of life.

Looking back to this story made me wonder what kind of fruit satan deceived Eve with. I thought, It must be something that looks so attractive, it must have been a big shiny fruit that smells really good too. And that's the thing about sin, It is always attractive and pleasing to see. Satan is a deceiver, he is even described as the one who masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He will make sin appear as if they are NOT ugly, dirty, and destructive. As Eve gave in to her lust, a desire was turned to lust. So be aware of this, the enemy will always put us in a situation where fulfilling a desire requires breaking the law of God. However, the bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that..

[a] "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind"- The biggest lie of the enemy is to put shame in our hearts by telling us that we are alone, nobody understands and nobody can help. However, contrary to the lie, the bible tells us that it is common to mankind. Someone has already experienced it, learned from it, and overcame it. Ask people for help, who can pray for you, counsel you and help you escape from deception and walk into freedom.

[b]And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. - It cannot be beyond your control. Because the bible teaches us that sin has no dominion over us. (Romans 6:14) It is not our Master, and we should constantly refuse to bow down to it. If you have been saved, and redeemed, refuse to give in to your carnal desires. Because flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit (John 3:6)

[c] But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. "- One of the best gifts of God to mankind is the "Freewill", you can choose to walk away from it. Be wise in where you stand, for there is a thin line between temptation and righteousness. If you find yourself near that line, do not go around walking beside it and deceive yourself in believing that you will never cross that thin line. Be wise. Flee from it! run away, far far far from it. Be wise in your decisions and do not put yourself in situations where compromising your values is at risk.

And this is the truth behind it.. there is no need to break the law of God in order to fulfill our deepest desires. For as you "delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart" -Psalm 37:4

4. SELFISHNESS

I believe that this is the fallen condition of Man-- Self-centered. I remember a funny story I read before that made an impact in my heart. The author tells about a scene at a coffee shop which is lined with big windows, and as he sits there, he says he finds it entertaining to watch people as they walk by . This is because almost every person uses the window as a mirror without realizing that there's a person behind it. People would pout their lips, tug on some part of their clothing, some lift their heads and straighten their backs, or tilt their heads down and narrow their eyes as if they're some celebrity. You see, people usually forget to look past behind the window because they only see themselves. I mean, who can blame us? After all, our reflection is what's most attractive to us, right?

However of course, our selfishness greatly affects our lives more than we know. Ever wonder why there's war ? it is because we look after our own interests. Why is there jealousy and greed? It is because we want more for ourselves. Why is there disobedience and sin? It is because there's more of Us and less of God. It has been a "Me-Syndrome" all along since the fall of man.

That is why the bible teaches us to..

"Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith"- (Hebrews 12:2)

When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, everything else becomes blurry. When we focus on God and who He is, it is easier for us to imitate His heart. Our desires and wants fall secondary to what God wants. It is easier to look past our own interests because we understand God's heart in giving and serving. It is easier to love no matter how unlovable and imperfect a person may be because He loved us first. It is easier to fogive because we have been forgiven so much more than we deserve. And it is easier to obey and surrender to Jesus because we have so much more of Him and less of Us. The antidote to selfishness is by fixing our eyes on Jesus and constantly imitating His heart. Move from being selfish to selfless.

5. SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY

Just as Jesus compares us to a tree, our maturity in faith is also seen in our fruits.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.."- Galatians 5: 22-23

A person who is so full of the spirit is expected to give birth to these traits. A person who doesn't thrive in these characters are least likely to be growing spritually. And this is dangerous.. Because remember what Jesus did on a tree that doesn't bear fruit? (Mark 11:12-14,20-21) He curses it and the following morning, it withered and died. The fig tree has leaves, yet it has no fruit. It was barren, and useless and deserved to be destroyed.

So how do we battle against it?

A. Identify your weeds.

As seeds of faith are being planted in our hearts, so are weeds that slow us down. Remember that weeds get your nutrients as a plant growing in the Lord. Your weeds could be part of your life not yet surrendered to Jesus, disobedience because you are being a Lord of yourself, or any kind of sin that you have not repented yet. Always identify your weeds, and make every effort to remove them. God cannot hold our hands if we are holding on to something else.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.."- Hebrews 12:1

b. Make sure you are being watered.

You can do this of course by .. first, reading the word of God. There is no better nourishment than this. The bible says that ..God's words are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). Reading the word of God, if taken by heart, brings life to us and waters our souls.

Second, relationship with fellow believers waters our seed of faith.

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."- Hebrews 3:13

The bible clearly teaches us to "ENCOURAGE one another.. DAILY". Jesus would not make a group of 12 disciples for no reason. He created it because He knew that believers cannot be defeated if they are stading side by side to remind, rebuke and inspire one another. I have said this before, and I will never get tired of saying this. NO ONE GOES TO A BATTLE ALONE. I have never seen someone grow in faith yet have walked in the journey by him or herself.

Prioritize your Sunday Service, and group church fellowship. Make sure you are connected with those who are walking on the same direction and be encouraged by their faith. Their story could just be the story that you needed to hear, and the service you missed could just be the preaching that you needed to hear. Be committed. A real believer will naturally desire to fellowship and not avoidance.

c. Desire to grow.

Never get tired of desiring this. God's word is so rich that there so much to learn about it. Desire to grow into maturity..

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me."-1 Corinthians 13:11

Fall in love with your Savior more and more each day. Learn more about Him, go back to the foot of the cross and be reminded of the first day that you encoutered His love. Remember the psalmist's prayer?

"Create in me a pure heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.." Psalm 52:10

He understood that our hearts need to be constantly cleansed and our spirit needs to be constantly renewed. Spiritual growth involves recommitment of our lives to Jesus everday.

PRAYER:

Father in Heaven,

Thank you because there is no greater power in heaven or in earth than Yours. You are mighty and holy God. Lord, I know that in this life I am going to have a lot of battle, but help me to always put my trust in you. When there is darkness around me Lord with pain and sorrow in my heart help me to always look up to You. Im sorry for the times that I have relied on my strength, help me to get back on my feet Lord as I go back to the One who gives me strength. Secure my heart, help me to always remember that you have created me to be victorious in anything that comes my way. Help me to pull out any root in my heart that causes my defeat. May I always listen to the convictions of my heart and may my heart be pure before You Lord. Jesus, I lay everything down at your feet, let me live the life You have designed for me. Let my heart focus on You, O God, my source of strength and life. Today I declare that I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, and I speak the power of the cross in every area my life. Thank you Jesus for you have won it all for me.

I seal this prayer in Jesus' mighty name.

Amen.

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