Have you ever felt like a victim? Like circumstances were beyond your control, and you never really stood a chance? Perhaps you have been a victim at some time in your life, a victim of an accident, or a crime, or neglect, or of some form of abuse. Very few of us have not, at some point, been a victim of something, or someone. These experiences leave us with mental, and sometimes physical, scars which we carry with us. The wounds may heal, but the scars remain. How do we move beyond these tragic events in our life, and more importantly, what happens when we don't?
We can't begin to address all the ways in which someone can become a victim, nor will we attempt to. What we will attempt to do is find a way in which we can come to terms with the things which have happened to us, and to free ourselves from the "victim mentality" that causes us to place blame, and to make excuses for our own behavior. When we internalize the negative occurrences in our lives, we give them power over us. Whether it's something someone said, or did, to us, or a tragic event such as the loss of a loved one, we need not allow these things to gain control over our minds. Certainly, with any tragedy, or loss, there is a time of grieving which we must go through. Likewise, with neglect, or abuse, there are long-term effects, and sometimes these situations require counseling, or therapy, in order to begin the healing process. I am in no way attempting to minimize the impact that these events can have on our mental and emotional well-being, I am simply pointing out the fact that we cannot overcome these obstacles on our own. These struggles cannot be dealt with alone, and our best hope for healing comes when we lay our troubles at the feet of the Wonderful Counsellor, Jesus. He alone can provide the cure for all the damage that the world has done to us.
One of the worst aspects of the internalization of negativity is that it will always come out in other ways. We begin to develop an attitude of bitterness, we lose our patience easily, we lash out, and we may seek to blame others for our own behavior. We will attempt to justify our actions based solely on the premise that "if this had not happened to me, I wouldn't feel this way", or "if they wouldn't act this way, I wouldn't lose my temper". When we attempt to justify ourselves in this way, we are simply making excuses. This is a form of denial. We can't accept the fact that we are responsible for our own emotions, and rather than bring them under subjection, we allow ourselves to lose control. These are all choices which we make, and though they may seem like subconscious choices, they are, in actuality, learned behavior. We lost our temper with someone and they bowed down, we got our way, and we liked it. We blamed someone else for our problems, and we got sympathy, and that felt good. So we kept on doing it...but at what cost?
Do we continue in this victim mentality, or is there an alternative? Is there a way out of this downward spiral of negative thoughts and actions? How can we battle these demons, and what can we do when it seems that we've lost control?
We can surrender.
We can surrender all that we've done, and all that we are, to Jesus. We can give up on blaming others for our problems, we can quit making excuses, we can stop living in denial, and we can begin to live in VICTORY.
Jesus has already defeated all the demons that we could ever face, and because of Him, we can have victory. He tells us in John 16:33..."These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We don't have to feel as though we are alone in this fight, because we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. We have an advocate, a mediator, One who has promised that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says..."...thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
When we choose to surrender to Jesus, to give Him our all, we choose to be a victor rather than a victim. We begin to take responsibility for our own actions, rather than blaming others. We still fail, but we own it. And we find forgiveness. And we move on. We acknowledge our shortcomings, but more importantly, we acknowledge the One who gives us the strength to overcome them. Many people are reluctant to surrender to Jesus, to become a Christian, because they feel that they must first be "perfect" before they can give their hearts to God. This is simply not the case. God doesn't want your perfection, He wants to perfect you Himself. The Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9..."...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." And we read in Romans 8:37..."...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." We simply have to place our trust in Him, as we read in Proverbs 3:5-6..."Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Another significant change which takes place in our lives when we surrender to Jesus and choose to live in victory is that we begin to take back our power. So much of our energy is spent, depleted, on blame, denial, and excuses. And when we replace those negative aspects with responsibility, acknowledgement, and accountability, we begin to see positive changes. The energy which once was wasted is now renewed. The toxic emotions that once weighed us down give way to a peace "which passeth all understanding." Ephesians 6:10 tells us to..."...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
One of the great paradoxes of the Gospel lies in the fact that our surrender to Jesus provides us with freedom. We live in bondage when we live for ourselves. Imprisoned by our own lusts and desires, and held captive by self-indulgence, we forfeit our freedom. We create our own prison, and sentence ourselves to life without parole. However, when we begin to realize the futility of our selfish nature, in contrast with the fullness of heart and peace of mind that Jesus provides, the choice becomes crystal clear. We read in John 8:36..."If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." What wonderful freedom we experience when we are freed from our sins! What beautiful liberty to be freed from the eternal punishment that our sins would ultimately lead to. Galatians 5:1 tells us to..."Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
We don't have to be a victim in this life. We don't have to be a victim of this life. We can choose victory. We can choose Jesus. When we are born again, born into His kingdom, we become victorious. And His victory will never fail us. Although we may sometimes lose focus, and become mired down in the cares and concerns of this world, He will always be there to pick us up if we fall. He will renew our strength, revitalize our faith, and restore our right standing. We read in 1 John 5:4..."For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Our faith in Jesus is our assurance of victory, no matter what this world may throw at us, or how violent the storms of this life may become. Romans 8:31 tells us..."What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Jesus is the Light at the end of our tunnel, He is our Way back home. Jesus is the Truth in a world full of lies. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend...
He is our Victory.
We're going to take a look at the concept of hope, what it means to have hope, and what it means to lose hope. We'll examine its importance, which we can't even begin to measure in any real sense, because without it, we have nothing. We'll look at where hope originates from, how we can nurture it, and how we can hold on to it in a world that increasingly seeks to diminish it, and to take it away from us.
There is an undeniable and unbreakable bond between hope and faith. In fact, it is not at all unreasonable to assert that we cannot have one without the other. If we have faith in God, and in what He has done and will do, for us, then we have a hope that the world cannot take away. If we have hope for the future, real hope, we know that it stems from faith in God and in His control of all things. So, we see that hope and faith are intertwined. They are in no way mutually exclusive, that is to say, you cannot have faith without at the same time having hope, and you cannot have true hope without having faith in the One who gives you your hope.
There is a beautiful old hymn, written by Edward Mote almost 200 years ago, entitled "My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less", and the words are both powerful and thought-provoking...
"My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the 'whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand."
And Jesus is our Hope. We read in Romans 5:1-5..."Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
Just as we established earlier, one cannot have hope without faith. In the same way, one cannot have hope without peace. If we are not at peace with God, there is no hope for our future. We cannot direct our own lives and at the same time be at peace with God. We read in Jeremiah 10:23..."O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." How true a statement this is. We cannot be in control of our own lives, with no regard for God, and be at peace at the same time. Sadly, this is the root cause of depression, despair, hopelessness, and addiction. One who has not come to know Jesus Christ, who has not been washed in His blood, not been justified by faith in Him, cannot have peace with God, and therefore cannot be at peace with himself, and depression, loneliness, despair, addiction, and even suicide are the end result. Even believers are not immune, and can easily slip into these traps if they allow themselves to drift too far from the shore, to be drawn away by the countless other things which would take our attention away from God and from His plan for our life. We have to maintain our hope in God, as we read in Psalm 31:24..."Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." It is the ultimate tragedy when a believer loses hope because it means that they have lost faith, they have let go of the one thing to which they should have held onto with all their might, the only thing that could save them. Psalm 119:114 tells us..."Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." Jesus is our Hope, and we cannot take our eyes off of Him, we cannot allow the problems that we face, and the cares of this present world, to shift our focus from Him. Remember, Peter was able to walk upon the water only as long as his eyes were on Jesus. When the storm around him drew his attention away, he began to sink. Simply put, we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of the fact that this life is not all that there is. Our reality need not be defined solely by what we can see, or hear, or feel. Our eternal destiny is dependent upon our looking beyond this temporal world. Paul tells us in Romans 5:2..."...we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." We have reason to rejoice, simply because we have the hope of heaven, through His grace we look forward to the fruition of His promises, of the home which He is preparing for us.
Paul goes on to say that we are to "glory in tribulations also", because "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope." This is difficult to put into practice, but God expects us to have a certain immunity to the cares and problems of the world because our hope of glory should override any difficulties which we face in this life. Certainly, this is much easier said than done, but just as Paul so eloquently expresses, here, as well as in 2 Timothy 4, this is a process which we must endure, a race that we all must run, a course we must finish, in order to be found worthy of the crown which is laid up for us. We go through tribulations, which strengthen our patience. This leads to experience, which we can rely on to face future challenges, and when all of these factors come together, we have an innate sense of hope for the future. Hope is the end result of the trials we face. Tribulation leads to patience, which leads to experience, and finally, our end result is hope. Interestingly, when Paul tells us, in verse 3, that "tribulation worketh patience" the original Greek word used there is "dokimen", which means "he is approved that has passed the test." So, we see that the tribulations that we face are really nothing more than a test, which we must pass, and when we do, our patience is tested, and tried, which leads to experience, and our experiences lead us into a mindset of hope for the future. Paul concludes in verse 5 with a powerful statement..."And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Hope maketh not ashamed. What does Paul mean by this? The hope that we have in Jesus is not, and never will be, misplaced. We read in Proverbs 10:28..."The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." We have an everlasting hope, and it will never deceive us, never disappoint us, never leave us wanting. It is a hope which is bolstered by the Holy Spirit, living in us and working through us, a living hope, which can never be extinguished.
Another aspect of hope is brought to light in Romans 8:24-25..."For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Hope is here linked with salvation, thereby establishing it as being on the same level with grace, and with faith. Therefore, its importance cannot be overstated. We MUST have hope. However, at the same time, we hope for something which we have not yet seen, and this forever links hope with faith. And if we, through faith, by grace, hope for that which we have not yet seen, we will patiently wait for it, because we know that God has promised it to us, and we believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We read in Lamentations 3:26..."It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."
Though there are many verses referring to hope throughout the Bible, and countless instances in which hope is relied upon, and proven, we have but limited time here to expound upon it. To attempt to define all that faith, and hope, entail, would take more time and space than that which we are allowed. However, there is one final verse which beautifully summarizes what it means to have faith, and to have hope, and it is found in Hebrews 11:1, where we read..."Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This verse, at first, seems rather cryptic in nature, not easily understood, and so, we must consider it carefully, dissect it, in order to fully grasp its meaning. "...faith is the substance of things hoped for..." we believe with every fiber of our being that God will do for us all that He has promised, as we read in 2 Timothy 1:12..."...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." And our belief, our faith, and our hope are all interwoven, and work together to give us a kind of foretaste of glory. Jesus living in us, working through us, the indwelling of His Spirit, is the evidence of things not seen, our assurance of future glory, of a home not made with hands, where we will be with Him forever more.
Jesus has promised that He would never leave us, nor forsake us, and our belief in Him is the grounds for our hope.
Never Lose Hope.
