Overcoming the Spirit of Defeat and Living With The Spirit of Victory

We all remember The Roadrunner. Who hasn't seen it. Every Saturday morning I would be glued to the TV and watch the usual line-up of cartoons and this was one of my very favorites. I don't know how many episodes were ever produced (probably hundreds) but, while the story was always the same, it was also always entertaining: Wiley Coyote relentlessly in pursuit of the ever-elusive Roadrunner. We were always intrigued with Wiley's newest methods and plans to capture Roadrunner. However, no matter how hard he tried, he would go down in the flames of defeat ...only to try again. "A" for effort, "F" for results! Poor Coyote. How he made us sigh and, mostly, smile and laugh.

The Roadrunner makes a great metaphor to speak about some deeper things on a spiritual level. Don't we all know of some people, even Christians who are like Wiley Coyote? Always trying to reach some goal with lots of effort but, in some way and on some level always being defeated. They seem very determined but also bound to fail.

Don't we also know other people who are like the Roadrunner? They go through life and no matter what they face, succeed nevertheless. They have victory. Despite opposition and circumstances, they just seem to triumph and overcoming the obstacles. Sorry to get so serious about something so enjoyable like The Roadrunner; however, it is an interesting study in victory vs. defeat.

Tragically, there are many Christians who, though knowing Christ, seem to live their day-by-day lives in defeat. They are like Wiley Coyote. Always trying, yet never really succeeding. For whatever reason, things just don't seem to work out. As a matter of fact, life itself just doesn't seem to work out. Though knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, for some reason, there seems to be a disconnect between faith and real life experience. How can this be?

Perhaps you know of someone like this. I know I was like this. Even though a born-again believing Christian, for about the first 25 years of my walk in Christ, I lived with a spirit of defeat - not victory. I knew Jesus as my savior and lord, but honestly, I didn't know His sustaining and empowering victory in my life. I was so use to defeat that I didn't even know I was walking in it, because it was my normal. Like Wiley Coyote, lots of effort, but few victorious results. Life under the dark cloud, living with a spirit of defeat.

However, the good news is that we don't have to be like Wiley Coyote. We can live life like the Roadrunner. We can know victory and overcome defeat. Truly there is a spirit of defeat. It is manifested by a pattern of  continual failure, fear, oppression and it can even "smell" or "feel" like death.

Question: where does it come from? Answer: the enemy...the devil.

Question: How did we get it? Answer: By allowing it to happen, by giving the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27), allowing satan and his lies to speak to us and dictate to our lives instead of standing on God's Word.

Question: What do we do about it, how do we overcome it? Answer: First - repent of any sins and unbelief. Next, be renewed in your mind and spirit by God's Word (Romans 12:2)- standing on His promises and, in God's strength, walking in victory (Hebrews 10:36). Second - rebuke the devil (James 4:7). Tear down every thought/imagination/stronghold that does not agree with and conform to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) and is contrary to the promises of God. Break any bondages the enemy may have on your life by claiming/accepting/calling forth the blood of Jesus upon your life (Romans 5:9-11). Third, understand that there is a warfare going on and your life is the battleground (2 Corinthians 10:2-4). Wage this warfare by developing a habit of continual prayer, as well as by standing, confessing, proclaiming God's Word over your life and situations. Put on the armor of God to be strong in the power of His might against the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Fourth - be accountable to and seek the help of your spiritual oversight. Let your pastor minister to you and pray for you. Be rightly related to your leadership because your pastor is your shepherd and cares for you (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

This is how you get the victory! It is God's will for your life and your right, as a child of God, to have it and walk in it. Because of Jesus, we are more than conquerors in Him (Romans 8:37). We have all the victory in Christ, He is our victory (2 Corinthians 2:14). He has set us free from sin and death (John 8:36, Romans 6:22, 8:2) to love, obey, serve and walk victorious in Him.

As you do these things and persist until you gain the victory, you will overcome the spirit of defeat. This is how to say goodbye to being like Wiley Coyote and become an overcomer like the Roadrunner.

Beep..beep!

The Man In The Hole

What Distinguishes Christianity from all other religions is the compassion of God - He came to rescue us because we can't rescue ourselves. Ephesians 2:8 - "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

Stepping Out in Faith - Crossing The Big Divides In Life

Taking steps of faith are not comfortable to us because, in our sinful nature, we don't live by faith. Yet, to please God we are required to walk in faith- biblical faith, not human faith. Biblical faith and human faith may sound like they are the same thing, or at least very similar, however, they are not. Human faith is believing with our physical senses, which is very limited in ability. Biblical faith is believing God, based on His Word, with our hearts which empowers us to believe things that are beyond the ability of our sense - even to believing things that, to us, are impossible.

The reason for biblical faith is that it allows us to enter into the spiritual realm and access God. When we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, as both our Lord and Savior, He gives each of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).We are called to walk in that faith. Without it we cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6) and cannot even comprehend His promises or receive His blessings.

Hebrews 11:1 in The Amplified Bible says "that faith is the assurance of things (the confirmation, the title deed) [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]".

So, we can have an assurance, which is a guarantee, of the things that we hope for (based upon the Word of God). Faith is the "proof" of things we don't or can't see (things beyond the ability of our senses) and the conviction or certainty of the fact that this things really exist.

Faith takes hold of the hopes that are in God's reality and brings them into our reality and lives. How do we get this faith? By hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17). When we have faith based on the bible we are to believe before we receive. We can do this because God's Word is totally true and can be totally relied upon - after all, it is God's Word. Therefore, because God says it, we are to believe it - even before we see His promises come to pass in our lives.

It is essential that we live with this type of faith. As a matter of fact, we are to know God's Word and claim His promises until they come to pass in our lives, giving Him thanks and praise in anticipation of the promises being fulfilled. This is true concerning any of our needs - healing (physical, emotional, or spiritual), finances, conquering sinful habits, etc.

Remember Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade? The short video clip below shows a part of that movie where he is attempting to cross a deep chasm to obtain the holy grail and use it to save his father's life. It serves as an interesting illustration about the necessity of exercising faith. Indiana had to believe something was real and that it existed, even though he could not see it. He would never have been able to reach his objective (getting to the other side of the chasm) without first believing in the reality of what was unseen - the bridge. His "faith" was proof that the bridge existed, despite all his senses telling him that it didn't exist. This clip illustrates the nature of faith and, if you will, can even speak to us on a higher level and provide great insight about biblical faith in action.

Bible faith is victorious faith and overcomes all things in Christ. We are victorious and are overcomers when we live and exercise our faith. We also please God and experience His abundant blessings when we do so.

The Transformation From Fear