Introduction : I hear that an eagle flies high up into the sky with her baby on her back, and lets it fall off when the baby bird begins to fly. If the baby bird tries its best to survive, she raises it, but if it fails, she abandons it. In nature, the strong survive, and the weak are eaten by the strong. It is the same with humanity. In history, a strong nation always ruled and plundered a weak nation. There is no place for a loser on this earth.
1. A loser in life 1) An animal dies if it is defeated in its world. - When I see on TV the life of animals in Africa, I feel badly (lions, leopards, gazelles, zebras, and gnus). The weak are always eaten by the strong. 2) A loser in the human world (1) Is abandoned or forgotten. (2) Becomes the subject of pity (Heb 12:1).
2. Defeat begins in the heart - When the Israelites came to Kadesh Barnea, the end of the desert, they sent 12 spies to the land of Canaan (Nu 14:7-9). - Ten of them 1) They had already been mentally defeated. (1) They lost hope, and resisted the Word of God, complaining that the land of Canaan was barren (Nu 13:31-32). - A dream is not real. Reality is changed by a dream. (2) If our thoughts are negative, we cannot avoid defeat (Ps 106:24-26). 2) They had already been defeated in their self image. (1) They considered themselves as grasshoppers, compared with the giants living in the land of Canaan (Nu 13:32-33; Dt 7:6). (2) Those that have the self image of a loser are like a sinking ship. 3) Their faith was that of a loser. (1) They put more faith in their circumstances than in God. - The walls were high, and the people who lived there were great (Dt 7:21). (2) Those who do not look to God have no faith (Dt 11:25; Nu 14:11). 4) They spoke as losers. (1) They said, "We can´t enter the land. If we do, our families will become captives" (Nu 14:1-3). (2) What we speak comes true (Pr 6:2; 17:20; 18:21).
3. Why is it impossible for us to be defeated? (1Pe 2:9) 1) We are a chosen people - We are those whom God is pleased with, likes, and loves (Eph 1:4-5). 2) We are a royal priesthood. (1) A king reigns (Ge 1:26; Lk 10:19; 22:30). (2) A priest serves God, who is his heritage, and the priest has the right to bless (Dt 18:5; Nu 6:27). 3) We are a holy nation - we are a nation of God in the world, a people of God and His land. God reigns over us (Rev 1:6). 4) We are a people belonging to God. (1) He takes care of His belongings and protects them with interest (Isa 43:1; Ps 121:7). (2) God gave the life of Jesus for us, takes care of us, raises us, and protects us as the heirs of heaven (Tit 3:7; Jn 10:28).
Conclusion : Success and failure in life depend upon the mind. Those who accept defeat in their mind have no where to stand. Believers in Jesus must not accept defeat in their mind. We are born to win (Ro 8:33-39).
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