Victor or Victim?

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:18 NIV


The other day, I was laying in the bed thinking about my life over the past year and a half. I have been provided for in ways that I would have never thought were possible. But I have also been in need in ways I never imagined. And on that particular day, I had an overwhelming sense of peace, even though I think most people in my financial situation would be puling their hair out. I recall that two ears ago, I made 80% more money than I did when I filed my tax return the year before. To most people that would spell financial disaster. And it does feel like that sometimes. But at the same time, I know that this is exactly where I need to be. It’s strange. I have peace in the middle of a storm, just like God promised.

But what makes it worse is that I chose this life. For some people, this type of stuff happens to them as a result of life circumstances. Maybe they lose their job, or become ill, or have to take a pay cut to care for loved ones. But for me, I choose this life, on purpose. Truthfully, that makes me feel different. Everytime, I cannot make a payment when I am used to making it, I still feel different. Everytime I am supposed to get paid for some work I did, but there is a delay, I feel different. Everytime I look at my bank account and wonder if I will have enough to go grocery shopping or get gas, I still feel different. And I feel different because I choose to do this. I am not a victim of my circumstances. No body is doing this to me. I followed my God to a place where He led me and He has promised to take care of me. And He has done just that.

Jesus spoke to his disciples about his death in the above passage. He is letting them know that no one is going to take his life from him. He is willingly laying it down for a specific purpose. And he has the authority to change his situation at anytime. There is a reason for him to have to die this way. But no one should feel sorry for him or treat him like a victim. He is doing this on purpose, as strange as this may sound. It has to be done this way.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to go where Jesus leads. And the result of some of where he leads is not always pleasant. It is not always filled with the type of financial benefits that some say we will get. It is not always filled with riches and fame. Sometimes the blessing is in the power that you have to choose not to be wealthy, and still have the same peace and authority that some people equate to money. Sometimes, what God is showing us is that it is not in having that gives you the power, it is in choosing to lay down your life, for a greater purpose that becomes the power. Because if you choose it, then you also have the power to get out of it at anytime. But if you are constantly playing the victim role, you will never be able to see your authority. No one is doing this to me, I am choosing this life and one day I will choose to take this life up again and live it with the true authority I have which is not rooted in money or possessions.

Many prosperity gospel preachers would have you believe that the moment that you start to live your life for Jesus, everything becomes easy. You suddenly have more money, more fame, better health, whatever you may need. But the truth is, if God gives you any of that stuff, then your boasting is not in having it, it will be found in giving it up. Following Christ is not about what you obtain. It is about what you sacrifice. You don’t have to be a follower of Christ to get stuff. But it takes supernatural power to give up what most people spend their life trying to get. Yet once you get it, God may ask you to give it up in order to make sure you recognize who is truly in control. Think about some of the greatest stories in the bible related to this: Abraham, Hannah, Paul, David, Jesus. There is a point in your life when you realize that anything you want can be yours if God wants you to have it. But when and if you get it, it is never about you. And your power lies in the fact that nothing but God has a hold on you. Because He gave you the power to lay down your life, and to take it up again. You are not a victim. No matter what people may think. They might feel sorry for you or think that you are not making wise decisions. But if that’s what they think, they need to see it again from another perspective. You are not being killed, you have laid down your life.

Following Jesus is not easy. Let me not lie to you. And God will not ask you to give up something you never possessed. But what you cannot give up, actually possesses you. And as long as that possesses you, you do not yet fully belong to God. When nothing in this world can hold you, you are actually more powerful than you know. I knew that when I was planning to leave my job a year and a half ago that I was going to have to quit. I was trying to plot to see if I could get fired so that I could get unemployment (true confession). But something in me knew that this was not going to work. I had to choose this. And because I chose this, I feel more powerful than life choosing this for me. It gives me strength when I need it. It gives me hope and it give me power. I can take up my life at any time, but I choose to keep going and wait for God to take me down the path. It makes me a victor and not a victim. So I encourage any of you who feel like God is calling you to lay something down, to do it. Because eventually you will not possess that thing that he is asking you to lay down. The difference will be in how much power you feel you have in the midst of it. Will you be the victim or the victor? Will you be the one blaming the devil for what he is doing or the one who knows that nothing the devil does can harm you because you chose this? It’s easy to have life happen to you, just keep living. Something's going to go wrong eventually. But laying down your life puts you on the offensive. You have the chance to choose your life and your death. You are not living as a victim. You will have more power than you will ever know.