Feeling Defeated?

The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.

Exodus 14:14 

 

Believe if or not, there are those who have been taught that the Christian life is a life without struggles or pain or sorrow or anything other than a stroll through Paradise.  Well guess what?  Whoever taught such rubbish is WRONG!  Being a Christian is not easy!  But it IS rewarding.

 

There are times when I feel as though I have been fighting a battle against my own human nature and have been defeated.  There are times when I feel as though I have failed to be the kind of person God has called me to be.  There are times I really would like to just indulge in every sin I used to enjoy because I ENJOYED being sinful.  There are times I struggle to keep a positive attitude when my world is coming apart at the seams. I feel like a soldier who has been in battle too long, and it's all I can do to breathe, and if I hear one more person quote Scripture to me, I'm tempted to poke them in the eye!  

 

And it is in these times, when I feel truly exhausted that I am reminded of a couple of things.  First, Jesus was beaten, whipped, punched, had to drag a heavy cross through the streets, got nailed to the cross, and people made fun of Him as his body died...they though He had been defeated.  And yet....three days later...

 

Second, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, a pastor once told the 8 year old me: "You know, if you aren't bumping into the devil then you're walking with him."

 

When I am feeling exhausted and defeated, it is time for me to step back and tell God: "I am tired.  I feel defeated.  You're own words remind me to be still because YOU will fight for me."