From my own personal experience, this conviction of sin, this pruning of what is not of the Lord, of what is unholy and unpleasing to Him, happens most often in times of waiting. In the midst of my weary waiting, God has made Himself most known, most felt, and most real to me.
Defeat is quite the “gospel” kind of concept, don’t you think? It is a concept which is completely backwards in our minds, in the world around us, and in our feelings. But I have often found that the only gospel worth believing in tends to follow this pattern. A pattern which looks entirely foolish to those who have not been changed by it.
The Few 