Category Archives: Defeat

Attacks, Battles, Bible, Choices, Defeat, Enemies, Flesh, Holy Spirit, Opponents, Scripture

BEING AGAINST SOMETHING

GALATIANS 5:17

“For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.”

A lot of times when we hear someone is against something we automatically assume it’s a negative reaction to something. There are some things in this world that we need to be against. We should be against child abuse in any form. We should be against domestic violence against men or women. We should be against heresy in the church. And we should be against the deeds of the flesh, which is Paul’s topic in today’s verse.

Paul is discussing the battle we are up against every day with our flesh. He says the Spirit (which resides in each of us as believers) is in opposition to our flesh (which we are born with – that old sin nature). The Greek word he uses here for “opposition” is used eight times in the New Testament, six times by Paul himself. It can be translated as enemy. Get the picture. Our flesh is no friend to the Spirit. So, each day we must destroy that flesh and yield to the Spirit.

APPLICATION

Antikeimai is defined as “someone being thoroughly unreconcilable.” You have probably heard of a couple divorcing due to “irreconcilable differences.” That’s the picture here. Our flesh and the Spirit cannot coexist. Many believers try to do that. They are trying to live in the world according to fleshly standards. It just won’t work. The world will eat you up. It loves to cater to the flesh. It will not honor the Spirit.

Now, we can’t escape this flesh as long as we are in this world, but we should always stand against it. I shared earlier in this study in Galatians my life verse, which is Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

My flesh has been crucified with Christ. It is dead to this world. I still have the choice each day whether to let it resurrect itself in my life or to keep it nailed to that cross. I choose today to live by the Spirit. It is through the Spirit that I can communicate directly with my Lord. Don’t you desire the same? Today, choose Spirit over flesh.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me a new life in the Spirit. Help me keep that flesh defeated each day.

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Allies, Battles, Bible, Crushed, Defeat, Enemies, Fighting, Following, Protection, Scripture

CRUSHED UNDERFOOT

MALACHI 4:3

“‘And you will crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am preparing,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but the instant image I got when I read this verse was someone crushing a lit cigarette with their food on the ground. You’ve probably seen someone do it, too. That lit cigarette is smothered and crushed by the bottom of their shoe. Usually there’s some rubbing also to make sure the fire is out. I know – not a very biblical example, but you get the picture.

The Lord is not crushing cigarettes, but He does say the wicked will be crushed that way by His followers. He will give them the strength and power to smother out the fire of the wicked. They will lose all their strength. “On the day I am preparing” is an unknown day. We can rest, however, in the fact that He is preparing it, so it will be right on time.

APPLICATION

Psalm 68:21 says, “Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.” We have that promise. Just like He promised the children of Israel to crush the wicked, He will crush our enemies today. In Luke 10:19 we are told when Jesus was talking to the seventy-two disciples He had sent out, “‘Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.’”

Now, this is an important point – you have no power to do this on your own. The power, the authority, all comes from Him. He is the one crushing them, not you. So, if we have that power through Him, why do we fear? We have no reason to. He is our strength. It is His heel that crushes them.

The whole time Jesus was on earth Satan was trying to find a way to bring Him down. He even used one of Jesus’ disciples (Judas Iscariot). The devil thought he had won when Jesus was crucified and buried, but his head was crushed by the heel of the Savior on Resurrection Morning. Jesus is just as triumphant today. Trust Him.

O Lord, my God, I praise You for crushing the wicked and my enemies. I have nothing to fear with You so near.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break when we finish Malachi in three days. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study.

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Allies, Battles, Bible, Defeat, Defense, Deliverance, Demons, Devil, Enemies, Protection, Rescue, Scripture

THE DEVOURER

MALACHI 3:11

“‘Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless to you,’ says the LORD of armies.”

One thing I have learned from ministry is that we are in constant need of protection from those who want to devour, eat up and destroy what we are trying to do for the Lord. The enemy does not want us to be successful in God’s work. He will do anything to destroy it. He will use anything at his disposal. So, I pray for His protection all the time.

In verse 11 of Malachi 3, God promises the people that as a result of their obedience in giving, which have discussed the last couple of days, He will protect them. I love what Matthew Poole says in his commentary about this verse. “The devourer; all kinds of devourers, the locust, the canker-worm, caterpillar, etc., pests of those countries very often; though they are in mighty armies and incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once as if they were but one.”

APPLICATION

Did you catch that last phrase in the above paragraph? “yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once as if they were but one.” Even if the devil sends hordes of demons against you, one rebuke of God will send them all scattering. Woo-hoo! Just one little flick of His finger! We have an all-powerful God watching our back. Who ‘ya gonna call? Not Ghost Busters. I am going to call on Jesus.

We are promised God’s protection today just as suredly as the Old Testament believers were. God is still God. He hasn’t changed. He still loves His children. He still gives His protection when needed. He still moves in and destroys those incoming volleys of the devil.

Look at these verses in Psalms 3. “1 LORD, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’ Selah 3 But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” As a friend of mine used to say, “If that don’t light your fire, your woods wet.” Glory, Hallelujah! We serve a living Savior.

“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, Whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him He’s always near.”

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Affliction, Battles, Bible, Confession, Defeat, Exile, Forgiveness, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Obedience, Persecution, Restoration, Scripture

NO TRAFFIC

ZECHARIAH 7:14

“‘but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, since they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

No traffic sounds good, doesn’t it? I live in a city where we have daily traffic jams. One spot in particular causes daily delays. They have attempted to correct that spot and improve the flow of traffic, but it really hasn’t helped a lot. But traffic congestion can also mean that many people are coming to your area or at least coming through it. It helps the economy which in turn helps your community.

God promises the traffic will stop in Israel. He says, “so that no one went back and forth.” Because of their unrepentant sins, God “scattered them…among all the nations.” They were led into exile by foreign invaders. Their land would be left desolate. There would cease to be any reason to come to that land because everything of value was gone.

APPLICATION

Has your life been left desolate because of your sin? There is hope in Jesus. He can restore that which was lost. He can return you to a place of fruitfulness. But that is only possible as you confess and submit to Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

You see, our cleansing is just waiting – waiting on us to respond to His calling on our lives. When we do respond, He is there – faithful and righteous to forgive us. What are you waiting for? Aren’t you tired of the windswept streets of your life – desolate due to sin? He can restore the flow of His Spirit.

Warning: When you decide to go all in with Jesus, He will make your life exciting and real. He will lead you to new opportunities for service. He will give you a hunger for His Word that can only be sated by study and application. He will give you a passion to reach the lost with the Gospel. Are you ready for some “traffic” in your life?

Lord, lead me and I will follow. I want to be about Your business.

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Battles, Bible, Defeat, Famine, God's Will, Judgment, Persecution, Prophesy, Scripture

JUST WHAT DO THESE COLORS MEAN?

ZECHARIAH 6:2

“With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,”

If you know anything about me, you know that these two colors, red and black, mean one thing to me. Go DAWGS! The University of Georgia’s colors are red and black. I went to school there and have cheered for our teams ever since. In my office and in my wardrobe, there are a lot of red and black things. Some people say I bleed red and black. I am sure that’s quite true, lol.

We’ll look at the colors of the horses today and tomorrow and see what they represented in the vision of Zechariah. The first one is the red horse. Scholars pretty much agree that this represents the bloody empire of Babylon. They were known for their ferociousness in battle. And the black horse symbolized the Persian (Medes and Persians) empire which also brought in famine and death. We’ll see the other two horses tomorrow.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl, what can you get out of this verse to apply to our lives? Well, let’s see. Both of these horses represented empire that had defeated Israel and had been used by God to judge the nation. So, what has defeated you? What has caused you a spiritual famine? We have all faced those times.

In my life, I can point to one thing that has caused defeat and famine. When I stop having my daily Quiet Times with the Lord, my world begins to fall apart. I stop seeing things like God sees them. I become selfish and self-centered. I long for the things of the world. That always brings spiritual defeat and famine.

It is so important for us to spend time every day with Jesus. Read John 15 today. Make a note at the number of times the word “remain” or “abide” appears in that chapter. Do you not think it is important? You have got to spend time with Him to stay attached to Him. Then and only then will you ward off that defeat and famine. Will you still have tough times? Sure, but He will be with you. Do not fear!

Father, I know through You I can walk victorious every day.

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Bible, Courage, Defeat, Defense, Devil, Enemies, Oppression, Prayer, Protection, Safety, Satan, Scripture

FOUR HORNS

ZECHARIAH 1:18

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns.” 

I am a deer hunter. For all you animal lovers, please forgive me. I love to hunt and eat venison. I put out trail cameras to watch and see what deer are moving through the area I am scouting. I particularly like to watch for the big bucks with their beautiful antlers. The width, height and girth of the antler usually shows the age and health of the deer. The more mature and powerful deer normally have the biggest rack.

As you can imagine, today’s verse sparked my interest. The mention of horns made me curious, just as it did Zechariah when he saw this. Most scholars agree that these horns represented four powerful nations that had the potential to destroy. Benson says this about these four horns in his commentary, “the most ancient and prevailing opinion among the Jews themselves, and perhaps the most probable of any, is, that the four great empires, the Assyrian, or Babylonian, the Persian, Grecian, and Roman, are intended; namely, the empires alluded to by the four beasts, Daniel 7.” Whatever they represented, it definitely caught Zechariah’s attention.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl. Let’s see how you apply this verse about horns to us. I’m glad you said that. What powers or forces do you fear? Who has come against you? It doesn’t matter the number. You may have or have had multiple forces come against you. The same God who defended and restored Israel is here today. He stands ready to take on those horns.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we must be prepared to take on these forces of evil. You have read, I’m sure, the passage on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17. But did you stop there? You see, the secret to taking on these horns is found in verse 18. “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,”

We have to pray, seeking God and His strength. It is not about our strength. It is completely His strength that defeats these horns that come against us. And we must pray for “all the saints.” As we lift up others, God lifts us up. So, pray and believe. Let God smite those horns of evil in your life.

I will trust You, O God, to take up my defense. I will not fear when I see these horns come against me.

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Affliction, Battles, Bible, Captivity, Defeat, Enemies, Protection, Scripture, Victors

CAPTIVITY 

NAHUM 3:10 

“Yet she became an exile, she went into captivity; also her small children were smashed to pieces at the head of every street; they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound with shackles.” 

In this study of Nahum, there has been a lot of talk about captivity. That got me thinking about what holds me captive. What do I allow in my life that holds me captive emotionally, spiritually or even relationally? I bet you have the same captors in your life. 

Nahum is continuing to address the Ninevites in his prophetic statements. He is painting a picture of the horrors of human captivity – children killed and adults led away as slaves in chains. Both their present and future were taken. How defeating.  

APPLICATION 

As horrible as that sounds in today’s verse (and it is horrible), we willingly or naively put ourselves in similar chains. We stay in relationships that we know are not good for us spiritually. We continue in behaviors that will only lead to trouble down the road. We even sit under teaching that floods our minds with ideas that run contrary to God’s Word. 

Paul warned the Colossians of this in chapter 2 of his letter to them. Colossians 2:8 reads, “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.” 

We have warnings all through Scripture, if we will just heed them. There lies the problem. We don’t read the Scriptures to know of these warnings. We don’t memorize and meditate on them to build our defenses. The only way to combat captivity is to take our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Get in the Word today. 

I am armed with Your Word to battle against any evil force that may come my way. You are my tower of safety. 

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Abiding, Allegiance, Battles, Belief, Bible, Courage, Defeat, Enemies, God's Will, Opponents, Promises, Rescue, Scripture

LIONS’ DEN

NAHUM 2:11

“Where is the den of the lions and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub went with nothing to disturb them?”

I love going to the zoo. We have a small one here in Chattanooga, TN where I live. Almost any zoo has “the king of the jungle” – the African lion. These beasts are huge. It is hard to really understand how big they are until you see one in person. A full-grown male lion does not have many threats. They rule the jungle or African plain.

That is the analogy Nahum is using in today’s verse. Nineveh had devoured all its enemies. None seemed able to stand against it. So, that is why it is so appalling that Nineveh is so desolate and defeated. Nahum is asking, “Where is the den of lions”? All their fierceness was gone. They were defeated.

APPLICATION

I want you to know that as a child of the King, your enemies will not stand. They will all bow before Him. They may appear to be triumphant right now, but their day will come. You may not see it in your lifetime, but it will come. No enemy of our King will remain.

How do I know that? Because His Word says it. Romans 14:11 says, “For it is written: ‘AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, TO ME EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE WILL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.’” If God’s Word says it, that settles it. It will be just as He has said. Do you believe that?

I know I can trust Him when He says something. I believe all my enemies will bow, just as I will. I will bow willingly. They will bow because they know they are defeated. Oh, how sweet to know in Whom I can trust.

I praise You, O God, for Your faithfulness to all generations.

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Accused, Affliction, Battles, Bible, Defeat, Devil, Evil, Power, Scripture, Victors

LED AWAY

NAHUM 2:7

“It is set: She is stripped, she is led away, And her slave women are sobbing like the sound of doves, beating their breasts.”

I had a friend, who is now with the Lord, who was captured and was a prisoner of war during World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March in the Philippines that was led by the Japanese. He told me once how hopeless and helpless he felt. I cannot imagine what he went through.

Nahum is describing Nineveh as a woman being led away in captivity – stripped, sobbing, beating their breasts. Hopeless, helpless! When Nineveh was defeated, the surviving inhabitants were led away. Nineveh would never be the same. Rebellion against God never ends well.

APPLICATION

We often feel defeated. We feel hopeless and helpless when the enemy is upon us. When we give in to the attacks, he can rob us of our joy. But we must remember what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

We are not defeated. We are victorious because of Christ. We are the victors. The war has already been decided, and we are on the winning side. Never forget that. We will face battles in the future, and we may fail at times. But we are not captives.

Aren’t you glad that you are not on a death march? When you  get discouraged, look up. You need allies in your life who can come alongside you during those trying times. Most of all, turn to Jesus, who can take all your pain away. You are NOT DEFEATED!

Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming love.

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