How to Live in Victory after You’ve Faced Defeat

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We all want to live in victory.

Because when we’re living in victory life feels easy. So, we can be tempted to take that ease for granted and simply enjoy each day’s comfortable routine.

But when life is hard—when our enemies attack us and we’re faced with defeat, when we struggle with pain, when we’re left wanting, or when we’re afraid—those are the times we’re more inclined to cry out to God.

Psalm 83 is believed to have been written when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Ezra wrote the following about him in 2 Chronicles…

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat . . . he sought his father’s God and obeyed His commands. He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 17:3a, 4a, and 6a

Life was good under Jehoshaphat’s leadership. But then…

The Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, and others declared war on the nation.

Scripture says…

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

2 Chronicles 3–4,

And that’s today’s Psalm…

O God, do not be silent!
    Do not be deaf.
    Do not be quiet, O God.
Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
    Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?

Psalm 83:1–2

When the path is smooth and life is easy we can forget that we need God as much on our good days as we do on our difficult days. But when we’re being attacked and we’re frightened . . . like a child, we want our Father to comfort and protect us. We want Him to defeat the “enemy” and give us peace.

Sometimes we have to face defeat before we realize our need for God. Sometimes it takes being in an “I can’t” situation before we humbly turn to the Lord for help.

As the LAB Notes put it…

“Sometimes we must be defeated before we can have the ultimate victory.”

Before we are able to live in ultimate victory, we have to KNOW the One who is Most High over all the earth…

May they know that You alone—
whose name is the Lord—
are the Most High over the whole earth.

Psalm 83:18

No one raises their hand and signs up to face defeat but sometimes God allows the discouragement of defeat to help us realize our need for Him. The good news is that when we humble ourselves and run to Him in repentance asking for His help . . . He welcomes us into His loving arms and gives us what we need to live in victory. He forgives us and loves us and that’s what we need more than anything.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 
neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—
not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Romans 8:37–38

And living connected to God, our Creator, Savior, and Comforter, gives us the greatest victory of all.

Let’s pray…

A Prayer to Live in Victory

Father God, I want to live in victory. I love it when my days are filled with comfort and ease. But that’s not the world we live in. The enemy of our souls, the “thief” is always at work trying to steal, kill, and destroy the good that You want for us. And we give in to his temptations and lies.

So, much of our lives are affected by defeat because of our own sins and the sins of others. Please forgive us. Please forgive me. I want to obey Your commands . . . to be deeply committed to Your ways. Please help me.

Thank you for providing Jesus, the Way, for me to live in victory. Thank you for having Him suffer my punishment to give me victory over the enemy’s evil efforts. Thank you for sending Him to defeat sin, death, and worldly powers. Thank you for giving me faith and for washing me clean through the waters of baptism. Thank you for giving me victory in Jesus.

And thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit who is with me and within me. His power is greater than the enemy. He alone is the One who can help me live in victory. By Your grace, I belong to You. I love You. Please give me everything I need to trust and obey Your will and live for Your glory! Amen.

It’s important to remember that the enemy wants us to live in defeat. He wants us to feel shame and guilt over our failures and he wants us to refuse to forgive and embrace the “victim” label.

But God offers a way for us to live with peace, joy, hope, and so much more.

I want that. Don’t you?

That Way is Jesus. He is the TRUTH and the LIFE. He is the only way to live in victory! He is the One who makes our forgiveness possible. He is the One who makes it possible for us to forgive others.

And that’s the blessing of victorious living! Forgiven to forgive. Loved to Love. By God’s grace through faith.

May you be blessed to live in victory today, tomorrow, and always.

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