Question 1

What causes us to be defeated?

Accepted Answer

2 Kings 17:7This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods.2 Kings 18:11-12At that time the king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria . . . For they refused to listen to the Lord their God and obey him. Instead, they violated his covenant—all the laws that Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded them to obey.Proverbs 14:32The wicked are crushed by disaster, but the godly have a refuge when they die.Lamentations 4:12-13Not a king in all the earth—no one in all the world—would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood.Romans 3:14-16“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them.”Although not all defeat is a direct result of sin, sin can be one of the strongest causes of defeat. Sin seeks to devour and destroy us, so we must always be on guard against temptation.

Question 2

What can we learn about God from victory and defeat?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 20:4“The Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!”Psalm 3:8Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.Psalm 44:3-4They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.Psalm 48:10As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory.Proverbs 21:31The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.Winning all the time does not train us to overcome. We often learn to trust God by watching him act on our behalf when defeat seems imminent and sure. Ultimate victory belongs to those who trust God to help them.1 Kings 8:33-34If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave their ancestors.2 Chronicles 7:14-15Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.In order for us to become closer to God, it may be necessary for us to lose a few battles. God can use all things, even our failures, to show us more of who he is.Psalm 119:67, 71I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. . . . My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.Sometimes we need to suffer under God’s discipline in order for God to shape us into the people he wants us to be.2 Corinthians 12:7-10To keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.In our areas of weakness, God’s strength is most evident. Allowing God to work through our weaknesses forces us to acknowledge that the victory is his.2 Corinthians 1:8-10We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.Our times of defeat teach us to rely on God. When all is well, we may think we don’t need God. When experience defeat, we discover first-hand how much we need God.

Question 3

How does God help us when we are defeated?

Accepted Answer

Romans 8:35-37Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.Psalm 34:18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.Isaiah 41:10Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.Acts 10:38You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.Psalm 30:1I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.Psalm 54:7You have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.God’s loving presence sustains, rescues, and heals the defeated. Sometimes we notice only our troubles and enemies. But when we recognize the presence of the God of Creation walking with us, we will not feel defeated.

Question 4

How should we respond to defeat?

Accepted Answer

1 Kings 8:33-34If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave their ancestors.If defeat is a result of our sin, we should turn to God in repentance and trust.2 Corinthians 1:8-10We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.When we experience defeat, we can either focus on ourselves and our problems, or we can learn to rely on God. When you trust God to help you, you will overcome defeat.Psalm 25:2-3I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.We should let God’s loving presence replace our feelings of shame.Ephesians 6:18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.We should be consistent and persistent in prayer, because it is through prayer that we resist the attacks of the enemy.2 Corinthians 4:16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.We should strive for daily spiritual renewal.2 Corinthians 4:8-9We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.We should persevere, for victory is the fruit of persistence.Joshua 8:1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land.”We should obey God without fear of failure; if God is on our side, how can we ultimately fail?

Question 5

How can we avoid defeat?

Accepted Answer

2 Chronicles 13:18So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors.Psalm 22:5They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.Psalm 25:1-3O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.Psalm 31:1-4O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger. Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.Psalm 71:1-3O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.Psalm 112:6-8Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.Psalm 125:1Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.Isaiah 26:3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!We are to trust in God, which means we have confident hope that he will fight for us and help us overcome. And in the end, we will achieve the greatest victory of all when he gives eternal life to those who trust in him.Deuteronomy 28:13If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.Joshua 7:3-12When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” . . . but they were soundly defeated. . . . Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us?” . . . But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! . . . Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. . . . That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.”We are to consult God, listen for his direction, and obey his instructions, for he is true wisdom.Romans 13:12The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.Ephesians 6:10-18A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. . . . Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.1 Thessalonians 5:8Let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.1 John 5:4-5Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.We must be dressed in the full armor of God—always prepared for battle. Victorious warriors don’t put on their armor while running to battle; they are prepared before the battle starts.2 Chronicles 26:16When he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.Psalm 106:36They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.Proverbs 19:3People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.1 Timothy 6:9People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.James 3:16Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.We should rid ourselves of sin, Satan’s weapon to defeat our souls.Proverbs 18:7The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.Proverbs 26:28A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.Ecclesiastes 10:12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words.We should guard our tongues, for our words have the power to bring ruin to ourselves and others.Proverbs 24:6So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers.We should seek godly counsel, for victory depends on wisdom. Foolishness never leads to victorious living.Ecclesiastes 4:12A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.We gain strength from fellowship with other Christians, for they can watch our back when we are under attack and lift us up when we fall.

Question 6

What has God defeated for us? What will God defeat for us?

Accepted Answer

Romans 6:10When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.1 Corinthians 15:26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.1 Corinthians 15:51-57Let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. . . . But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.When Jesus died on the cross and was raised three days later, he defeated the power of sin and death. Now, for those who believe in Christ to save them, sin and death do not have the final word. Instead, eternal life with Jesus awaits us.Isaiah 14:12-17“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.John 12:31The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.John 14:30I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me.Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.Colossians 2:15In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.Revelation 19:17-20Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.Revelation 20:10Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.Satan is a created being and therefore has no power over God. If we accept Christ as their Savior, Jesus has broken Satan’s hold on our lives as well.1 Corinthians 15:28Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.Nothing can stand against Almighty God. All those who oppose him will be defeated in the end.

Defeat