Breakthrough Equipping Spiritual
Training, B.E.S.T.
Week 10: Victim or Author
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as
evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints
for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all
attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a
mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of
Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by
waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to
grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole
body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to
the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for
the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB)
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.
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 are you?" 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 manmade
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.
