Moving from Victim to Victor
Psalms 18:1-5 1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
Roadrunner v. Wiley Coyote
1. Wiley had the best-laid plans. He invested in the most up to date gadgets in order that he might win the battle.
2. Yet the best-laid plans always backfired on poor ole coyote.
Now just for a moment lets parallel the life of coyote with our own.
1. The battle was not only a physical headache but a mental headache…Keep in mind Coyote dealt with defeat everyday and sometimes several times everyday and that tends to play on ones mind and its in the mind that most of our battles rage. I can identify.
2. Coyote tried to handle things on his own. No matter how many times he failed he still depended on his wit and will to win the battle. Now we don’t know but perhaps there were other coyotes (they run in a pack you know) perhaps other coyotes tried to reason with Wiley and tell him to seek help. But Coyote was far to proud to seek help this was his battle and he would win it on his own. I can identify.
3. I am sure in the beginning ole Coyote thought this was no big battle. He had probably caught many birds before and this was just another day and just another bird. I can identify.
The no big battle theory does nothing but add confidence in our own strength.
The bad news is we can identify the good news is there is a better way.
The good news is there’s a way to turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy and there is a way to move from the victim to the victor.
First lets look at David the Victim.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
No matter how you slice it David was as my dad used to say in a “heap of trouble”
Now we don’t have much problem admitting the victim part. In today’s society everybody is a victim…either a victim of somebody else’s doing or a victim of our own doing but never the less society doesn’t have a problem admitting they’re a victim.
But David did not just play the victim role, David decided that he would much rather be the victor than the victim.
Now if you like the victim role and there are plenty of people who do then this message is not for you. This message is for those who are tired of fighting a losing battle and want to move from victim to victor.
The key to my entire sermon is found in verse 6.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God.
Two keys tonight from moving from victim to victor first there must be a confession of weakness.
David when finding himself in distress. David when finding himself in a battle. David when finding his mind being attacked with doubt and defeat.
Admits he is weak and cannot defeat the enemy. Now we do not see that statement of weakness word for word but I will show you that he is declaring his weakness in a few moments but I want us to realize tonight the first step in moving from Victim to Victor is to admit our weakness.
Why must we admit our weakness because only when we confess our weakness are we able to possess His strength.
2 Cor. 12:9
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Notice the turnaround.
Verse 9 said His strength is made perfect (complete). His strength is made complete in my weakness.
I like to say it this way…I CONFESS my weakness that I might POSESS His strength.
The reason why a lot of US never move from victim to victor is because we refuse to admit our weakness. We are back to the Coyote syndrome of I can handle things on my own.
It is human nature to handle things in our own strength and NOT to admit we are weak because somehow we have come to believe that weakness is linked to failure.
But God’s way of thinking is not mans way of thinking and God says to admit weakness is to possess my strength and my strength is not failure but success guaranteed.
So the first key is to confess our weakness but there has to be more than just a confession. (I have confessed my weakness many, many times and have fallen on my face because I have failed to do the second thing David did to move from victim to victor.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God.
David not only admits his weakness but also PURSUES GOD. After the confession their must be pursuit not pursuit of the enemy but of God.
David realized a very important key in moving from victim to victor and that is HE WAS NOT CALLED TO PURSUE THE ENEMY BUT WAS CALLED TO PURSUE GOD AND ALLOW GOD TO PURSUE THE ENEMY.
David declared that he was depending on the Lord to deliver him.
David’s dependence on God is found in his pursuit of God.
And our dependence on God is found in our pursuit of God. If we are not pursuing him then we are not depending on him.
Said another way…OUR confession of WEAKNESS is only as good as our PURSUIT of God.
We must pursue him with everything in us. There are different types of pursuit that really isn’t pursuit at all.
The word pursuit means to go after with every intention of overtaking whatever it is that one is after.
Ex. Playing chase with a child you don’t always pursue sometimes you just want to play around and make the child think your going to get them.
This was no game to David. He was a man in hot pursuit of God because the enemy was in hot pursuit of him.
David did not intend to get close to God. David intended to pursue Him until he caught Him.
It’s the type of pursuit described in Psalms 42. As the hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul for thee, O God.
Another words just as the deer depends on the water brook to not only cure his thirst but to also provide protection David depends on God to cure his thirst and to provide protection from the enemy.
Some may say oh so David’s scared and he’s running from the enemy…but I believe more accurate is that David was not running FROM the enemy but was running TO God. For Psalms 18 declares that David after pursuing God pursued the enemy and wiped them out.
LISTEN TO HOW MANY TIMES DAVID REFERS TO THE SOURCE OF HIS VICTORY.
Verse 6, 7 says In my distress I CALLED upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because HE WAS WROTH.
17 HE delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: FOR THEY WERE TOO STRONG FOR ME. 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: BUT THE LORD was my stay. 19 HE brought me forth also into a large place; HE delivered me, because he delighted in me.
29 For by THEE I have run through a troop; and BY MY GOD have I leaped over a wall.
32 IT IS GOD that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
35 THOU hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and THY right hand hath holden me up, and THY gentleness hath made me great. 36 THOU hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. 37 I HAVE PURSUED MY ENEMIES, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. 39 FOR THOU hast girded me with strength unto the battle: THOU hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
David moved from victim to victor because God stepped off the chopper and onto his battlefield.
Illustration from “We Were Soldiers”
What we need is for God to step off the chopper and onto our battlefield.
Now I must admit I question God about exactly how some of those guys in that movie was brought back. (discuss)
He is no ordinary general.
Hebrews 4: 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
You can have confidence that God can handle your battle because God has already defeated every enemy that you or I will ever face. He has not only defeated your enemy today but has defeated your enemy of tomorrow.
There is not a battlefield that will ever come our way that is foreign to God. He is familiar with the enemy. The enemy may catch us by surprise but never has the enemy been able to sneak up on God and say SURPRISE!
Take comfort to know that what you are going through right now is not a surprise to God. He knows exactly where you’re at and what your going through.
And his Holy Ghost chopper is hovering over your battlefield right now and He is waiting to step off but He will not step off the chopper until He knows that you are going to let Him do the leading because God is not into losing.
I believe that God steps off the chopper and onto the battlefield the moment we turn loose of our strength and pursue God and His strength.
Think about this.. the only time Israel was the victim was when they left God in the chopper. Every single time Israel pursued God before pursuing the enemy they came out the victor.
Why because as I said earlier dependence is in the pursuit.
We depend on what we pursue or else we would not pursue it.
The deer pursues the water-brook because he depends on it for his survival and without it he will die.
The same is true with us. We will die on the battlefield unless we pursue God.
David started off with
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
But concluded with vs. 46
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
He began with a confession of weakness and concluded with a shout of victory.
We can move from victim to victor when we confess our weakness and pursue God.
We don’t have much problem with confession but pursuit is a whole different issue.
The reason pursuit of God is so hard is true pursuit makes us focus on one remedy.
Because GOD refuses to be PART of the answer He will only settle for being THE ANSWER.
I must pursue Him and only Him. Just as the deer pursues the water-brooks because that is his only hope- so to must we conclude that Jesus Christ is our only hope.
In closing,
I want to ask you a question…When is the last time that you really pursued God…When is the last time that you pursued God as if your life depended on it.
You know why Jarius laid aside his position in life and pursued Christ and fell at His feet…because his daughters life depended on it.
You know why the lady with the issue of blood did not allow a crowd to crowd her out in her pursuit of Christ…because her healing depended on it.
You know why when told to shut his mouth blind Bartemeius cried even the louder Jesus thou Son of David have mercy on me…because his sight depended on it.
Do you know why you need to pursue God like never before in your life because YOUR life and your VICTORY depends on it.
I am convinced that God is attracted to pursuit. As you begin to move towards Him, He will begin to move towards you.
Are you tired of fighting a losing battle—then stop and instead start pursuing a victorious God.
You want God to step off the chopper onto your battlefield then tonight confess to Him your weakness and then possess His strength.
Are you ready for God to step off the chopper and onto your battlefield?
I want you to think about your battlefield.
Now I want you to make a statement of weakness by coming to the alter, and by coming you’re saying God I am pursuing you. I am confessing my weakness that I might possess your strength.
