Victim or Author - David and Lisa Mitts
Breakthrough Equipping Spiritual Training, B.E.S.T.
Week 10: Victim or Author
One of the most important heart boundaries that a Believer
can deal with is the issue of authority and responsibility. The opposite
of authority and responsibility is the heart attitude of being a victim.
Listen to Victim
or Author
The earliest example of a victim heart condition is in the
Book of Genesis. In Chapter 3, we have the famous response to sin:
"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and
made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in
the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from
the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God
called to Adam and said to him, "Where areyou?" So he said,
"I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;
and I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that
you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you
that you should not eat?" Then the man said, "The woman whom You
gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." And the
LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I
ate."" Gen 3:7-13 (NKJV)
Notice the progression:
1. They have their eyes opened by the consequences of
sin: This is the first step of being a victim. It is a change in perspective.
The Scripture tells us they knew of their nakedness and felt shame.
Sin exposes us to our weakness and makes us feel in need to covering up
or hiding our heart condition from the consequences of our actions.
Failure moves from being an event in our lives to an
identity. We have done something “wrong” and our feelings in
the heart make us ashamed and often we believe it’s because we have something
wrong with us that needs to be covered up with whatever “fig leaves” we can
find.
a)
The “fig leaves” are the symbol of
self-protection. They represent to me, the mindset that sets us up to be
victims in our own destiny.
b)
We choose to be our own salvation, our own
defense and because we know that our fixes are imperfect and fruitless we begin
to be a victim.
c)
Notice it was the “fig tree” that Jesus chose to
curse.
d)
Now in the morning, when He was returning to
the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it
and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, "No longer
shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig
tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked,
"How did the fig tree wither all at once?" And Jesus
answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do
not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you
say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
(Matthew 21:18-22 NASB)
e)
Notice that Yeshua was “hungry”. We aren’t
going to take the time now, but at another time look at when He
should have been hungry, He told His disciples, He had a food supply they knew
nothing of, the Word of God. Yeshua was tempted at all points as we are.
f)
Hunger is more than a physical thing. It
represents lack. So, we could translate this as Yeshua experienced
lack.
g)
“Seeing” a fig tree He found no provision.
The fig tree is the source of the fig leaves that were the symbols of
self-provision, the covering that we, as victims use for our shame and
imperfections. Yeshua then speaks to that system: “No longer shall there
be any fruit from you”. This is declaration on all of our shame based,
self-derived works that arise out of the victim spirit.
h)
Then Yeshua gives the interpretation of what He
has just done. He has declared shame based works, dead! He says by
contrast, that if we have faith, or we see with eyes of faith and do not doubt.
What is doubt? It is wavering between 2 realities. What are
the 2 realities? One is the provision of God and the other is the fig
reality.
i)
Each “reality” a mountain, a spiritual
place of authority. The fig reality is the reality of self-effort and
feeling the victim of God, of life and ultimately of our own selves.
j)
This week I had the genetics conversation with a
client of mine. Our medical research has generated a belief in chemical
imbalances as a result of family tendencies like alcoholism, sex addiction,
food addiction etc. We are training people in the fig leaf, no fruit
reality. All we are really doing is validating the nature of sin and
death! Our “science” is really just demonstrating the reality of
generational sin patterns and how “real” they are in the DNA. The
Scriptures call these iniquities that are visited on subsequent generations.
k)
The victim spirit though then converts that
understanding into fig leaf reality. Drugs are prescribed to correct the
“chemical imbalances”. Anti-emotions. But this only creates a new
level of victims. These fig leaves only cover with man-made solutions
which are more sin and therefore only deaden us.
2. Hiding. Why and when do we hide? We hide
out of fear. Our fear is usually in the smallness of how we see ourselves
and the threat of danger from a stronger more powerful person. So hiding
is the action of a victim, or a victim-to-be. We go into the shadows to
avoid being found out.
a)
Hiding is just physical hiding. It is
hiding our talents. It’s the fear of rejection which is rooted in hiding.
Hiding is accepting the curse!
b)
In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the
talents and issue of hiding:
c)
"To one he gave five talents, to
another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he
went on his journey. "Immediately the one who had received the five
talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. "In the
same manner the one who had received the two talents gained
two more. "But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a
hole in the ground and hid his master's money. "Now after a long time
the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. "The one
who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents,
saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more
talents.' "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave.
You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.' "Also the one who had
received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two
talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.' "His master said to
him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things,
I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
"And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said,
'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and
gathering where you scattered no seed.'And I was afraid, and went away and
hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' "But his
master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap
where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 'Then you
ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received
my money back with interest. 'Therefore take away the talent from
him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.' "For to everyone who
has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the
one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. "Throw
out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:15-30 NASB)
d)
What I want to emphasize is the harshness of the
Lord towards the victim spirit. Can you hear the victim:, 'Master, I knew you
to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you
scattered no seed. 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your
talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours?
e)
You see when we hide who we are, stay in the
background, try to blend in essentially become invisible, it runs contrary to
God’s will. He is a God of Glory not of background!
f)
Secular philosophy tries to turn God into an
impersonal background force and strip Him of His identity. It tries to turn God
into nature or nuclear force. But God is personal and He is all about
Glory! Glory is as individual as you can get.
g)
Glory is NOT about pride. Pride is just a
different fig leaf than being invisible but it is still a contrived identity
usually in slavery to what it thinks other will value! Pride is about
looking good. Glory is about what is! God is NOT hiding who He is.
He isn’t trying to be politically correct. He is not hiding.
3. Yeshua told us to show forth our glory.
a)
"You are the light of the world. A city
set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put
it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in
the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16
NASB)
b)
Our light is to display who God is to the world
through our good works, our visible deeds!
4. So what is the solution? Well it isn’t blaming,
being a victim.
a)
Then the man said, "The woman whom You
gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." And the
LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate
b)
The goal of the enemy is to get us focused on
each other as the source of our actions. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the
snake. They each were victims. Victim heart condition is the root
of the fall. It is the root of the wisdom of the fallen world.
c)
Being a blamer whether it’s in our parents, or
our boss, or the pastor, the government, your kids, your spouse, or even satan,
the all-powerful victimizer is to come into agreement with the fall. It
causes us to hide our light. That mindset makes us manufacture fig
leaves, cover-ups. It puts our focus on our pain.
d)
Now I’m not saying that there are not legitimate
victims of crimes and other evil actions. There are real. What
I am saying is that there is a heart attitude that will keep us in fear and
hiding. It will quench the light that is in us. It will cause us to
live in shame and guilt. Lisa
5. How do we turn it around?
6. 3 steps:
a)
We assume total responsibility for our
attitudes, our emotions and our feelings! This is a choice. This is
all about choosing our perspective and reclaiming our authority. We only
have authority and power where we choose to be responsible.
i.
Look with me at Luke 11
ii.
As the crowds were increasing, He began to
say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign,
and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.”For just
as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this
generation. "The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this
generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of
the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than
Solomon is here. "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at
the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and
behold, something greater than Jonah is here. "No one, after lighting a
lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so
that those who enter may see the light. "The eye is the lamp of your body;
when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is
bad, your body also is full of darkness. "Then watch out that the light in
you is not darkness. "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with
no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you
with its rays." (Luke 11:29-36 NASB)
b)
First, the sign of Jonah. Most assume it be the
death and resurrection which it is but it also is a sign of wisdom. Nineveh was
the heathen world power and it recognized the voice of the Lord in Jonah and
repented. The Queen of Sheba recognized the voice of Lord in Solomon and
repented. She came to the light.
c)
Our eye or our perspective determines our lamp.
We need to choose to responsible for our lives. It is wisdom.
d)
We have the privilege and responsibility to
choose what we focus on
7. Second, we need take what we learned last week about
our temperament and build a success team. This means we own our part and
allow others to fulfill their temperaments and work together. It’s time to
get a vision and work together. Stop judging yourself by what you can’t seem to
do well and do what you do well but allow others to become part of your life.
Let the light shine.
8. Third, we need to practice an attitude of
gratitude.
a)
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever
is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 NASB)
Activation:
Two key words to think and pray about:
- React
- Respond
Example of a medication: “I had a reaction to…..” versus “I
responded to the medication…”
Let’s pray and ask the Lord what we have reacted to in life?
What do we perceive as having happened to us? This is the victim or
martyr spirit. We cannot build effective teams for our destiny if we
spend our lives reacting.
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