Victim or Victor. its up to you!
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Victim or Victor
Victim or Victor
It was not too long ago, that no-one wanted to play the victim.
That being the victor was everyone goal.
Fight through obstacles, Never give up, Never surrender,
remember that ?
But how our culture has changed.
Today being a victim actually puts you in charge, so more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon.
I don’t know if heard this or not but the Pride parade in Edmonton was cancelled this year,
not because of city ordinances or lack of funds, or even poor planning.
The organizers got into a major disagreement with one another.
so big, in fact the police had to be called into their final meeting to break up the dispute.
I’m not exactly sure what it was all about, but I do know our culture has shifted to the point of victims having to out compete one another for attention.
Some people have seen victim hood as a way of getting what they want
Kinda shortcut
problem is the only one you are shorting is yourself.
We all learn more from adversary than we do from comfort.
Sure we all like comfort. but does comfort actually teach you anything?
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
We will have adversary in this world.
that’s a given
but how you handle it determines what you get out of it!
You see a victim get stuck in a rut never finding fulfillment.
They often see the obstacles as being to big too overcome
They believe lies to be true.
When in reality, changing from a Victim to a Victor can be as simple as changing your mind!
What? No Way!!!! It can’t be that easy to change your circumstances just by changing you mind!
I’m not talking about changing your circumstances, but rather how you perceive your circumstances.
That’s the difference between a victim and a victor.
It’s all about perceptions and what your choose to believe.
Let take a look a a story in the book of judges.
The story of Gideon,
Now when I talk about Gideon many of you with remember the one who brought victory to Israelites over the oppressive Midianites.
We may remember Gideon as this great man of God who lead Israel to victory.
But is that really want the story is all about?
No I don’t think so.....
Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.
The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.
For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them.
So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.
So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the Lord.
Israel was in real trouble here. think about it… You an agriculture society forced to live in the mountains,
3 different groups regularly come in and steal all your food for 7 years!
Israel calls out to God for help
God in response sends the angel of the Lord to Gideon who says:
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”
Gideon’s response is typical of many of us going through those struggles!
Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
God’s response to gideon
The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
Gideon persists
He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
Was Gideon lying here? No Is He playing the victim.....Yes
you might remember the Manasseh tribes with was a decendant of Joseph who was among the youngest brothers.
The tribes of Manasseh was split in half when Joshua claimed the promised land with half on each side of the Jordan
Gideon was part of the smallest families in Manasseh, And He was the baby of the house.
Its interesting to see how the Angel of the Lord appears and tells Gideon what he wants him to do
And Gideon begins to list why the Angel of the Lord is wrong and He is right!
Have you ever done that when God told you to do something?
List the reason why that won’t work!
You see that’s part of the victim mentality. Pervert the truth so you can remain a victim!
Gideon had been so impacted by his situation he wanted to believe what he knew to be true over what the Angel of the Lord was saying to Him!.
Simple truth: We can’t allow our past to prevent God’s future
The Angel of the Lord tries again!
But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”
Gideon then switches gears:
If what you say is true Prove it!
Have you ever tried that with God? How’d it work out for you?
Gideon then goes and prepares a young got unleaven breadand some broth
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.”
Then God told Gideon he needed him to take a stand against the false God that were brought into God’s people
Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;
and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
So Gideon did this, but at night so no-one knew it was him doing it!
Yes God I’ll do it for you.....as long as no one knows it me doing it!
but the town folk found out and wanted Gideon dead, but his father protected him!
Up to this point Gideon operated out of spirit of victim hood most notably fear!
God told Gideon what he was going to do through him, but Gideon did not really believe it!
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.
Something monumental then happened
So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.
God took over, Gideon then man who obeyed at night when he could hide was now blowing a trumpet and sending messengers to all his allies looking for help
But God had other plans
Even after the visit and miracles of the Angel of the Lord Gideon, was still unsure of himself
Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken,
behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.”
God responded and did as Gideon asked, but that still wasn’t good enough for Gideon
You know Gideon’s thought process.
Maybe that was a bad test....it could have happened naturally. the due could have settled on the fleece. what if that was just a natural occurence. I could be in real trouble here
Again the victim mentality took over its influence again
Gideon began to trust his own experience over the word that God had spoken to him
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.”
God again did what Gideon asked
Finally Gideon was able to trust God, but now it was God’s turn.
Gideon you have too many men!
Now think about this. You’re the youngest in the smallest family, and a small tribe, facing multiple enemies who have defeated every time over the last 7 years.
Can you really have too many men?
I don’t think so.....
But God did not want them thinking they won the battle on their own.
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
So God says “anyone who is afraid to die can go home”! 22,000 men leave 10,000 left
Gideon’s still feeling pretty good. Well I lost 2/3 of my army. by the best still remained. I think we can do this!
God says....Still too many!
God only want the best!
take your army down to the water for a drink
If they cup the water they can stay, if they drink like a dog they must go home!
explain........
Gideon is left with 300 fighting men
Now God knew after loosing almost 30,000 men and left with only 300 he needed some encouragement to maintain the victor mentality
So God told Gideon to go down to the Midian and have a listen
Gideon sneaks down to the camp at night and hears
When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.”
What could that possible mean?
His friend replied, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”
man! what an interpretations
Its enough for Gideon, He worships God and goes gets his army ready.
“Men here’s plan” You take the torch in your left hand, The trumpet in your right hand
and shout!
one of his men approach him and say ....ok Gideon:
You sent out messages asking for our help.....We responded 32,0000
of us. a respectable number for an army
going from 32,000 to 10,000 was a bold move
not sure I agree with it, but I believed you
then from 10,000 to 300 wast questionable
But I think you’ve taken this a little to far.
You see if I have the torch in my left hand, and a trumpet in my right hand hand.
I no longer have a hand to carry my sword.
Gideon responds. God says you won’t need your sword , just the trumpet and torch!
Ok then!
Let’s go to battle
So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands.
When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled.
When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
One thing I can promise you, Is if you are going through a time of adversity, the answer God is going to provide, is most likely not the solution you are looking for
You must be willing to obey what He is telling you to do. instead of waiting around for the answer your expecting Him to give.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
So How do you know if you are living in a victim mindset.
Victim Mentality
“Look what you did to me!”
Victor Mentality
“Look what God did for Me”
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Victim Mentality
focuses on man made truth
Victor Mentality
Seeks God’s truth Above all
Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Victim Mentality
“I can’t succeed”
Victor Mentality
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Victim Mentality
Looks Inward for the answers
Victor Mentality
Looks to God for the answer
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Victim Mentality
Finds and Excuse
Victor Mentality
Knows Jesus is the Way
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Victim Mentality
Makes you defensive
Victor Mentality
Knows you’ve already won
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Victim Mentality
Accepts things the way they are
Victor Mentality
Knows God is not going to leave you how you are
And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Victim Mentality
Makes you feel you are under attack
Victor Mentality
Knows the enemy is afraid of you
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Victim Mentality
Just leave me alone
Victor Mentality
Knows we’re better together
(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
Victim Mentality
Listens what people say about you
Victor Mentality
Listens to what God says about you
Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
Conclusion
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