The Defeats of Man (7.3.14)

“The defeats of man carry over from his origins,

                                                                     have an escape route planned.

The defeats of man do not like to be called such,

                                                                     would seek another name.

The defeats of man speak of external influence,

                                                                     which would control the soul.

The defeats of man are visited repeatedly,

                                like skating where the ice is thinnest,

                                                                              liable to fracture,

                                                                                            put a life at risk.

The defeats of man can be voided when wisdom is deployed,

                                                       as knowledge is gained,

                                                       as recognition of the precursors surface into the sunlight.

The defeats of man are accompanied by darkness,

                                are sojourns in the darkness,

                                are exacerbated by the darkness.

The defeats of man are not enjoyed by man when the spirit seeks a new beginning,

                                                                       when collapse is imminent,

                                                                       when recollection leads to the fulfilling of desire.

The defeats of man speak of attractions within freewill,

                                speak of alternative harbours with vicious breakwaters,

                                speak of alternative harbours where the vessel is put at risk,

                                speak of alternative harbours where the anchor is not deployed,

                                                                                where the cordage is unreliable,

                                                                                where the engine works in bursts,

                                                                                where the burden to be carried puts the gunwales under threat.

The defeats of man are as the polishing of brass –

                                             which does nothing but create a blurred reflection every time a rag is applied:

                                                                                every time dullness reappears;

                                                                                every time corrosion rears its head;

                                                                                every time the application of the rag achieves the same result –

                                                                                        as in the circling of the mountain which will not go away.

The defeats of man are brought upon himself through disobedience:

                                                                                by disobedience to his conscience,

                                                                                by disobedience to the moral laws of God,

                                                                                by repudiation of the promises of the cross,

                                                                                by repudiation of the offering of grace.

                    Surely will sickness and disease be with him in his defeats all the days of his life –

                               while he makes no successful attempt to leave the camping ground of Satan:

                                                                                where he lingers far too long –

                                                                                where his suffering does not bring wisdom –

                                                                                where he has yet to discover the key to freedom –

                                                                                                                                yielding life in all its victory.

The defeats of man build in magnitude with repetition;

                               close the doorway of escape;

                               open the door of self-destruction:

                                                                                where darkness reigns within the cubbyhole of death.

The defeats of man cover many aspects of a life:

                                can be small and niggardly,

                                can be large and disastrous,

                                can be the cause of much publicity,

                                can be kept as a secret –

                                                               yet to see the light reveal.

The defeats of man can lead him to a court of justice,

                                                     to incarceration,

                                                     to the grieving of the victims,

                                                     to the grieving of the next-of-kin.

The defeats of man can be shameful as a record is created,

                                can be enfolded in a repertoire of lies,

                                can be hidden where light has been forbidden.

The defeats of man are in need of examination,

                                are in need of overcoming,

                                are in need of action through necessity.

The defeats of man store rotten apples in a barrel which form as sediment at the bottom,

                                                                                                   as scum upon the surface.

The defeats of man kindle the quest for medication which does not address the issue at the source.

The defeats of man cause suffering in silence so long as a mentor is unavailable.

The defeats of man can be addressed by a change in direction,

                                                            by a willingness to turn,

                                                            by the seeking of the gifts awaiting picking up.

The defeats of man are overcome by turning the key of salvation in a door –

                                                                                                       which previously refused to yield its contents;

                                                      by turning the key of grace for entry to a room requiring emptying –

                                                                                                       and known to be filled with muck;

                                                      by turning the key of deliverance which asserts its right –

                                                                                                       to open the gateway to freedom:

                                                                                            enabling discovery of discipling for eternal life.

                    So is the pathway made possible by The Living Loving God in the reconciliation of man.”