“The only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God.” Oswald Chambers.  I was taken back when I read this quote last week. I had just been praying for someone whom I love dearly who lives a defeated life.  We all know those people; nothing ever seems to go their way,  they always seem to get the short end of the stick, etc.  They live believing nothing good will ever happen to them or for them based on the past.  The fact that God gave me this quote on the very day I was praying about a defeated life is no coincidence.  That I am learning, is just how he works.   I reread this quote several times; I even wrote it down and spent some time journaling about what it meant to me.  Something inside of me was saying, “don’t leave yet there is more here for you”.  So, this being one of the few times I actually listened to and obeyed the Spirit, I stayed and continued to ponder what I was to take away from this.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, I also live a defeated life.  Not in every area of my life, but certain parts of it for sure.

You all know what I’m talking about here; we all have these areas of defeat in our lives.  They can range from addictions that we battle, the ones we are convinced we will never overcome, to financial troubles, or marital difficulties, children who despite our best efforts are making poor choices, medical news that is just plain bad, etc..  These are areas that we honestly believe will never change or improve.  We pray about them, but we pray with an unbelieving heart.  As I mentioned above, as I was thinking and praying through this I came to realize I live a defeated life in several areas.  Many of those I will not share because they involve others, but the one I will share is my constant battle with weight and physical fitness.  It is something I have struggled with all of my adult life.  I have lost and gained the same 20 pounds countless times.  Throwing in the physical fitness aspect- I like to think of myself as a runner.  But I go through phases where I am very consistent about my training and diet and times when I could care less and come up with an excuse not to train with great ease.  My running pace fluctuates as much as my weight.  I have lost and gained the same two minutes in my pace time and time again.

Romans 8:37 says “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  A few verses earlier Paul writes in verse 31“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?”  If we call ourselves Christians and we say we believe the entirety of God’s word to be true, why do we continue to lead defeated lives?  I can only answer that question for myself and my answer takes me back to the quote I began with “the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God.”  That is my problem; I look to myself or others way too frequently.  My pride bubbles up and thinks I can handle this, it’s so simple, I don’t need help.  Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  If I know I can’t do it, past experience proves it, why do I continue to try?  Because I take my eyes and focus off of God-who is more than able and put them on myself or someone else.

There is something else that I think we need to consider when we talk about living defeated.  Do the people you choose to surround yourself with feed into that spirit of defeat or do they challenge you to look to God and live a life worthy of your calling?  Do they lift up or weigh down?  Do they challenge you or make it easy to stay stuck in defeat?  This is a hard thing to work through, I totally get that.  No one wants to be lonely.  And we don’t always get to choose the people we are around.  But we do get to choose our closest friends.  We do get to choose our community, those we do life with.  Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  Part of being a good friend is honesty, even when it is hard.  Speaking for myself-I need friends in my life that will be blatantly honest with me, even if it hurts.  And, likewise I need to be able to be just as honest with them if the need arises.  Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” That is true friendship.

As for me-I am tired of living a life of defeat.  I want to live a life of freedom, of “more than a conqueror”.  Who’s with me?  It will not be easy, I know that, but if I keep my eyes on God-well, then “all things are possible.”