What causes us to be defeated?

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.