How to Beat the Defeated Mindset

Have you ever gotten into a situation that didn’t go anything like you planned? The first thought is to feel frustrated, defeated and hopeless.  Your mind begins to create situations that haven’t even happened making you feel like you’re stuck. Next, you lose motivation to be proactive in changing your unfavorable circumstances.  You may even begin to succumb to feelings of sadness and depression. That’s a spirit that you must free yourself of.  How do we do that? Through prayer and constant communication with God no matter how you bad you think things are and making a choice not to let our circumstances govern our lives. Decide to win and that with God you will NEVER lose. Understand that feeling defeated is a MINDSET and a crafty trick of the enemy.  There is always a way to make things better and God will order your steps if you ask and allow Him to.  In order to do this we must exercise our faith which is a little difficult when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.  Not being able to SEE the light also puts us in a vulnerable state. We may find ourselves relapsing back into our old behavior before we really knew God. This is where the real fight begins. Walking by faith, not by sight is easier said than done. The enemy uses our emotions and negative situations against us by creating division in our lives from the very ones God sent to help us. Our circumstances sometimes create a war between the enemy and our own minds.   Things get even more difficult as we attempt to stay positive in spite of the negative situation we think we have found ourselves in.  Notice I said THINK because sometimes we are so busy seeing only negativity because things didn’t go exactly the way we thought it would go, that in our minds it automatically makes everything bad after that. This is the greatest manipulation of the enemy. God doesn’t make mistakes and everything happens because he purposed it to happen that way.  Here is the main question we should be asking ourselves, is the situation really  negative?  It all depends on how we look at it. Are you guilty of idolizing a situation you thought would be and when it didn’t turn out the way you wanted it has now become life’s greatest disappointment? Now nothing else will work out for you? It’s this type of defeated mindset that gets us into trouble. We conquer this state of mind by realizing and accepting the reality that a situation didn’t work out, being ok with it,  and patient as we allow God to redirect us down a greater path. Pray and ask God that you learn and understand whatever lesson He is trying to teach you then pray that He orders your steps and leads you where you need to be.  With every stormy season comes a lesson, and like all storms, the end will eventually come.  We must harness our patience as we go about our business and trust in Jesus to carry us through it. I struggle with this myself, but now that I’m learning to let God be who He is, the author of my life, I’m confident the end of my story will turn out just the way I imagine it.  Who’s writing your story as you journey through life?  If it’s not Jesus, then re-evaluate your life choices because there is no greater author than He. Trust in His plan for you.

I Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
Hebrews 10:35-36 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

 

Pray with me…

Lord help me not to question why things happen the way they do in my life, but to learn the lessons you have designed for me to learn during my storm. Father help me to create the best life possible while I’m living here on earth through obedience and patience. I know this life is not my final destination, so I pray that my time here to be sweet and enjoyable as I serve only You. I give my life over to you and I trust in whatever plan you have for me God. Let my faith be strong through every storm, and my mind be sound in every decision I make. You are the author of my Life Jesus. Thank you for everyone you have sent my way to bless me and for your amazing grace.

Amen.