​

Defeated

​​

​

There are fruit of the Spirit I know I need to grow, but alas the blooms are a long time coming.  Things I need to get past, but cannot seem to get past, a willingness to be willing that is hard to come by.  

 

Spiritual growth is a gift from above, but reaching out to receive growth is not easy.  Sometimes God uses a little “miracle-grow”  grace to help us.  Sometimes we grow the good old fashioned way, through days of sunshine and days of rain, with a lot of patience and tender care from The  Gardener.  Some days I see the fruit.  Some days I do not see as much as a bud on a plant I have been pricked to prune. When this happens I feel….defeated.

 

The truth is I feel defeated but I am not.  God has prepared a place for me to dwell and it is not the land of defeat.  The land of hope is mine for the taking, not because of any good in me, but because of Christ’s imputed righteousness.  It does not mean there are not giants standing in  the way of me and this land of peace and contentment.  Selfishness, pride, apathy and discouragement tower over me as if to “do not even think about crossing over!”  But when I look past the giants and focus my eyes on my promised ground, it changes things.

 

Today I came face to face with a situation that would leave most people emotionally neutral.  Not me-jealousy, self pity and discontentment rose within me.  I felt defeated.  How could this little situation cause me such sadness and discontent?  I encounter other life situations which fill me with gratitude.  I have  a Sovereign God who is worthy of my trust.  Nonetheless I got discouraged because the giants of jealousy and self pity are so much bigger than I am.  Like the Israelites spies sent to check out The Promised Land, I was focused on the giants, not the land that is mine to inherit or the God who has promised to fight for me.  

 

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6  (ESV)

​

The giants are big, but God is bigger.  Instead of mustering up my own strength to overcome in my weakness He calls me to trust in His.  

​

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:29,30 (ESV)

​

When I put on the yoke of Jesus, who has overcome all things, my burdens are lifted.  I no longer feel defeated because in Him I am not.  Walking with Him does not make the rain go away.  The fruit of the Spirit God has planted in me still need growing.  Trusting the goodness and faithfulness of God in a world where the enemy rules is hard.  Growing in His likeness is not always comfortable, but in the end I find courage.  The enemy can discourage me but he cannot defeat me.  I walk in the grace of the One who has overcome all things.  

  

“..in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Romans 8:37,38,39 (ESV)