Victims or Overcomers

I was in a meeting talking about Identity and the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart about not being a victim.  I have read books on the "Victim Mindset" and yet there was a deep belief in my soul that the reason I still had struggles was because of what someone had done to me in my past.  Yet the Holy Spirit began to remind me of Ephesians 2:1-2, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  in which youformerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."  I began to get revelation that I was still in bondage in some areas of my soul because of my sin and my agreement with the lies.

I had learned to be a victim early on with my father committing suicide when I was 6 years old but also internalized a sense of powerlessness in life.  Even though God had done significant work in my life, I still felt in bondage to worry, fear, self-pity, and anxiety.  It was revealed that I was 100% responsible for my response to people's sin against me in my life and that I had chosen to come into agreement with lies.  For those of us who have had painful and damaging childhoods, we often feel like victims but when we were placed "in Christ" we were infused with the DNA of an overcomer.  One of the biggest enemies we must see that has been overcome by being "in Christ" is our sin.  Romans 6 shows us that we were once slaves to sin but now by being place "in Christ" sin no longer has mastery over me.

Since I still believed I was a victim at some level I didn't fully acknowledge the depth of my sinfulness.  In other words being a "victim" was a good excuse but excuses don't set you free, having the penalty paid for sin sets you free.  As I remembered, before salvation, the depth of my sinfulness, curses, lies, shame, fear, disobedience, unbelief, distrust, doubt, lust, selfishness, and all else that came with it I could see it was sin that was robbing me of life.  Seeing myself united to Christ in His death because of my sin put on Him and me dying with Him, the true grotesqueness (is that a word?) of my sin became evident.  Only in Jesus could I be forgiven and resurrected from my sin, I was powerless in my own ability to overcome.  Praise God for resurrecting me in Jesus Christ to newness of life.

Resurrected to New Life,
Bret