I was recently driving down the highway when I passed an area I recognized as holding much significance in my mind. It was just another patch of pavement, but to me it represented an awakening and awareness to how God had changed my perceptions.
No, I don’t mean He did it right there, and I’m not talking about a “burning bush” moment. What I mean is it was this particular place and circumstance that really opened my eyes to how The Lord had changed the way I saw life.
I used to live a defeated life. I knew Christ, and I believe in my heart that I held the gift of salvation, but I also know I was a long way from living as God intended for me. Setting aside my sinful indulgences, it was also the way I transversed the day-to-day. I was doing fine in the fact that in my Christianity I was free from sin and death, but somehow I still lived a defeated life. I was a captive. Every day. And I’d be willing to bet many of you who read this will see that you may be walking in defeat also. Not intentionally; it just happens.
That’s right. I believe you can be a Christian and still move through life in a spirit of defeat. I want to tell you a story, my story on that unspectacular stretch of highway. I think there’s five mistakes we make as Christians, mistakes I have made in the past. I want to tell you how God changed my perceptions.
1. A defeated Christian believes in “bad luck,” and that terrible things always happen to them.
A year ago I was heading home late at night with my children when suddenly I experienced a blowout of my driver’s side, rear tire. It’s a sound and feeling no one wants, and especially not while going sixty miles an hour on wet roads.
So often in life things happen unexpectedly, and your first thought is that’s just my luck!
Why do bad things always happen to me?!
If I didn’t have bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all!
When it rains it pours!
That’s typical!
Our first reaction to a bad circumstance is typically a negative one. And then we begin to feel sorry for ourselves and our plight. We proclaim that these horrible circumstances are just our lot in life, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
2. A defeated Christian becomes angry over circumstances beyond their control.
As I held tightly to my steering wheel I slowed my vehicle, and I began searching for a place to pull over. This was definitely not what I needed right then! It was nine o’clock at night for goodness sake.
I’ll be honest. I’m not always the best at keeping my temper in check, and I’ve even been known to actually rage about things. I can scream loud enough to make glass break, and I can cuss a Sailor under the table if I so choose.
Aren’t we all like that more than we wish to admit. But I ask you this; for what purpose do we become seething and enraged? When has getting angry over circumstances beyond your control ever remedied a situation?
It makes me wonder, are anger and rage actually an unconscious proclamation that God has no control over your life? I mean, isn’t boiling over frustration about a situation just another way of saying, “God, you really messed this up for me!”
3. A defeated Christian focuses only on the negative.
As I pulled onto the side of the road I thought about my situation. It was raining. I had two young children with me, and it was late. I knew from the sound of it the tire was shredded, and I knew I had about zero dollars available in my checking account for a new tire. I was all alone, and I didn’t even know where the spare was located in my van. After all, we hadn’t even had it that long. Just long enough for the three month warranty to be up.
So what do you do when adversity comes your way? A person ruled by a spirit of defeat will focus on the negative aspects of an endeavor, and they will feel powerless to change them. They will spend so much of their energy focusing on the glass being half empty, and wallowing in self pity and “woe is me” mentality that they will miss the hand of God in their life.
4. A defeated Christian misses God’s blessings.
As I sat on the side of the road I put on my emergency blinkers. I called my spouse who happened to work only a few miles from where my incident occurred, and he answered on the first ring.
After I hung up with him I looked in the backseat, and I noticed my girls fast asleep. I also noticed it had stopped raining.
A Department of Transportation vehicle suddenly arrived. My blowout had occurred not only near to my husband’s work, but also right beside a weigh station. It was there on the exit ramp of the weigh station that I had safely brought my vehicle to a stop. Safely.
The friendly, young officer, eager to change my tire for me, informed me he had turned off the light for the weigh station so my children and I would not be at harm from any fast-moving semis that normally came through.
The children still slept soundly.
A person walking in a spirit of defeat would disregard the last few paragraphs above, or all they would see would be: ruined tire, wet outside, inconvenience, financial burden, bad luck.
How miserable of an existence to live every day seeing so much bad everywhere.
5. Defeated Christians become ungrateful in the face of blessing.
As I watched my husband and the friendly officer change my tire together we all joked back and forth. I kept expecting the children to wake, but they never did.
I looked at what was left of the destroyed rubber, and the men voiced what kept going through my head.
“It’s a miracle you kept this van on the road in this weather after a blowout like that.”
When so much time and energy is invested into focusing on what has gone wrong in your life you have little left with which to notice the blessings. And even when miraculous blessings are poured upon you, a defeated Christian will miss it. Every time. They feel entitled to God’s best, and become discontent with His will. They walk in an ungrateful spirit, expecting from God, yet missing His glorious hand. They’re like spoiled children who can never have enough, and even in the face of wonderful gifts, they are ungracious.
I remember that night after I got home I sat in the dark nursing my baby daughter. I was still in shock, but it wasn’t from the whole ordeal of a ruined tire.
At that moment I realized how God had changed my heart. Normally in my past I would have become angry, disgruntled, and felt defensive towards a life that gave me lemons.
I would have been worried, worried, worried over financial concerns. And I would have been blind to all the beautiful ways God had shown His presence that night. I would have been untrusting of His will, and would likely have never even considered what ill fate this minor inconvenience might have prevented.
But as it stood I felt nothing but gratitude. The whole situation had been in His hands from start to finish, and thank God I hadn’t missed a minute of his blessing. I was alive, and my precious babies never even knew.
I had never cursed luck, or even cursed at all. Anger had not overtaken me, and though I noticed the negative aspects of my circumstance, they did not rule me. They did not take my eyes off what God was doing for me.
Financial blessing came, and I told many of my knights in shining armor present to assist me in my need. For the record, I could have changed my own tire, but I was honestly grateful for a husband who would leave work in a moment’s notice to make sure I was ok.
As I drove past the weigh station this past week I was reminded of the night God showed me I could walk in my Christian life victoriously, that in addition to my salvation I could also conquer the day-to-day mundane by depending on His sovereign hand.
He showed me that I could defeat this world, not be defeated by it. He showed me I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and I could enjoy my victorious life even in the face of supposed lost battles. I could always rise as a victor when I trusted in Him.
Does that mean I always get it right, and I never miss the mark? Certainly not! Ask my husband and kids, and you may get an earful. But the point is I’m trying, and God’s not done with me yet. He is helping me to walk victoriously in this life He has given, and I refuse to turn back defeated ever again.
Ashley says
This happened to us Sunday! Your example of a defeated Christian definitely hit me to my core! Everything you just said was exactly what went through my mind. I love how God works. I even threw my phone in the floorboard and said we can’t win for losing! BUT my husband was driving it was a front tire and we had just exited a ramp and had not yet reached 70 mph. I told my husband tonight before reading this that what happened Sunday could have ended very differently. Thank you so much for sharing it hit this little lady’s heart!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you very much. I’m super blessed God could speak to your heart through this.
Christina says
Thank you for this post. I’ve been feeling so defeated & this was exactly what I needed to read. Bless you.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much!
Gwen Woodard says
I liked this so much. When something bad happens and we as Christians look for the bright side often people think we are dim witted or on something! I always know God does things for a reason. If you hadn’t had the flat where you did (or not at all) you might have found yourself in an accident further down the road. Angels watching over you.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you!
Fikru Kinfu says
A blessing in this complex world of Flesh…Fikru from Ethiopia, East Africa.