How to Live as a Victor, Not a Victim!Sample

Are You a Victim or a Victor?

What is a victim mentality?

Simply stated, a victim mentality is the mindset that convinces you that you are a victim. Henry Cloud, best-selling author of Changes That Heal, says: “Victims declare, ‘The world is responsible for me’ and never do anything to better their quality of life.”

The truth is we aren’t born with a victim mentality. We develop this mindset through suffering injustices, tragedies, or abuse. To be sure, there was a trigger event that started the victimhood cycle—a cycle you can and must break if you want to see vindication. You may not even realize you have a victim mentality—and that’s part of the deception. If you could see it as a mindset that delays or even derails your vindication, you would immediately reject it.

If you’ll keep your heart open, you may see yourself in one or more of these twelve signs of the victim mentality listed in this reading plan. Pray before you read this next section and ask the Lord to expose any victim mentalities that are hindering your vindication.

Read Hebrews 12:12-15.

In my experience, too many people today live bitter over what happened to them in the past—and, therefore, remain in bondage to a memory that only exists in their mind. That memory acts like a magnet that pulls them back to the familiar emotions of pain, anger, and despair.

At the extreme, people pursue an Old Testament ideology of injustice—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, fracture for fracture, and so on—without understanding that they are only opening a door for the enemy to wreak more havoc in their lives.

There is a better way, and I’ve found it. It’s the way of Jesus, who offers to vindicate us from every injustice. Our heavenly Father promises to make the wrong things right and the crooked places straight. He promises to work all things together for our good if we love Him and stay focused on our purpose instead of our pain. He even promises to take what the enemy meant for harm and turn it around for our good.