How should we respond to defeat? - Defeat - TouchPoints

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 call on your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive their sins 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 1:8-10I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us.

When we  experience defeat,  we can either focus on ourselves  and our  problems, or learn to rely on God. When you trust him 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 at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

We should be consistent and persistent in prayer, because prayer is how we resist the attacks of the enemy y.

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 and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

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.