Victim or Victor?
By Pastor Jim May
1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
It is hard to write a sermon based upon anything else but the disaster from hurricane Katrina right now. I don’t apologize for these messages though because I know that my God is alive and well and that He loves all men equally. I also know that God’s Word is a living Word and is always relevant to what is important to each of us right now. I know that the Spirit of the Lord is trying to minister to those who are hurting in every way possible, no matter whether they are here in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, or in a place that is far away from the disaster. It is my prayer that this message will be a blessing to not only our local congregation, but to those who may read it on the internet and use part, or all of it, to minister to other congregations. In the past 7 days there have been over 70 pastors who have indicated that the messages have helped them. I thank God for this chance to have the internet as a form of outreach ministry.
Being as close as we are to the source of the disaster, we have seen, and continue to see events as they unfold, in ways that people from other places may not see. My focus is always on trying to find something that God would have me to say to His people and as I have listened and watched those who have come through the recent disaster I am struck with the many different reactions that people have.
Some will walk about as zombies, with glassy eyes and a far away stare. They are on drugs or alcohol, at least that’s not what’s causing the look in their eyes. Their look is one of hopelessness, shock and just a feeling of being lost in a world where everything is out of control.
Some walk around with a chip on their shoulder acting as though the world, and everyone around them, owes them something. They shout for their rights to whatever they want. Though many have lost everything, does that give them the right to just take what they want? It’s the “welfare mentality” of generations of people who don’t believe in working on a job, but just sitting back and getting the hand-out. Their attitude is that what’s mine is gone so now, what’s yours in mine. You owe me.
Some walk around with an arrogant attitude that says, "You didn’t have to suffer like I did, so I’m better than you and I deserve to be treated special." They are the “aristocrats”; those who lived in a little higher strata of society. My friend, there’s nothing like a disaster to make the playing field level again. That same arrogance is why they are in the predicament that they are in.
Many of the poor couldn’t get out, or wouldn’t get out, because they were afraid to lose what little they had. Many of the upper class wouldn’t leave because that would be admitting that they can’t do it on their own. Many of the poorest of the poor simply were too caught up in the minute by minute struggle to survive to even give a thought to the warnings to leave.
I heard former First Lady, Barbara Bush say at one of the Texas shelters that many of those who are now the shelters feel like they have a better lifestyle there than they did at home and they don’t want to ever go back. After seeing how many of them lived, I don’t doubt that at all.
Then there are those whose head is held high, and whose spirit is strong, and though they may have lost everything, they still have hope and faith in God.
I met one such lady in a line at a local establishment. She was from Orleans Parish and had lost everything. She stood there, with a tear in her eye for having suffered through the ordeal and thinking of all she had lost, and the loved ones that she didn’t know how to find for now, and yet there was a strong faith and a confession of trust that God would see her through. I just wanted to stand and applaud her attitude and her spirit. She may have been a victim – but she was well on her way to becoming the victor.
What I have seen is that there are a lot of victims of the disaster. It’s not hard to find them because of the way they act. Victors are harder to find, and when you do, inevitably those who are victors, know the Lord Jesus Christ and have faith in God.
It isn’t surprising to me that this is true because the real victory can only be found through knowing and following Jesus Christ.
I watch the victims as they stand in long lines at the Social Security and Welfare offices. I watch them as they stand in lines at the government housing projects. I watch them as they fight, argue and shout to have what they want, and God help the person who tells them that they can’t have their way. They won’t accept the fact that there’s just no more room for them. They won’t accept the fact that everything can’t be done instantly.
If anyone in this melee really needs help, it’s the poor fellow who is doing all he can to serve them and help them. No matter how much he or she does, they are treated like a dirty dog because they can’t do everything for everyone.
I hear that from the cashiers at the stores, and from anyone in the service industry. They go home every night, worn out completely, and just crash because of the attitudes that they have had to face all day long. They can’t take another sob story. They can’t take another person screaming at them to do more, and give me everything. These dear folks are just as much a victim of the disaster as those who have been rescued from the flood waters. All of us feel sad for those who have lost so much, but the feelings turn to resentment when these kinds of attitudes are in your face all day long.
Thank God that not all the people who were rescued behave like that. There are some who are very thankful and grateful just to be alive and well. They know that worldly goods can be replaced with hard work.
If you get around someone who has faith, you will sense a different kind of Spirit that can only be the sweet presence of the Holy Ghost. They stand quietly; almost ashamed to be accepting the free help that they really need, because they are used to working hard for what they get. They understand that there really is no such thing as a “free lunch”. They wait patiently, knowing that somehow God will see them through and they will get what they need without all the pandemonium. These people have found a source of peace and victory that the vast majority of the world knows nothing about. They are in the palm of the Father’s hand and they feel secure in God’s care. That’s a clear sign that they have been born again of the Spirit and full of faith.
1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
It’s in troubled times like these that we will discover who has true faith. True faith will give you a calm assurance that all will be well, no matter what the circumstances you are facing. True faith will translate into a peace that world cannot understand. You can have peace though the world in raging because you know the Prince of Peace.
All of the doubt, fear and frustration that seems to so easily conquer those who are faithless, are nothing more than a stepping stone for those who love the Lord. If you stand around them a few minutes you can hear that testimony of faith in God coming from their heart, and that testimony is why they have the victory over their circumstances.
Revelation 12:11, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
What does it mean to be an “overcomer”? Does it mean that you won’t suffer grief, or loss, or frustration, or want, or need, or perhaps even some fear? No, while we live in this flesh we will all face those things from time to time. It’s all part of the human condition.
Being an overcomer means that after you have faced all of the emotions, all of the frustrations and every circumstance that Satan can throw at you, then you remember to lift your eyes toward Heaven and remember that your Heavenly Father is watching over you and that your life is in his hands. When we remember to look up rather than to look down and around at our circumstances, that’s when faith can come alive and the Holy Spirit can strengthen and encourage us to take another step, walk another mile, pray the next prayer and trust in God to see us through.
Those who fall prey to their fears and lose hope in the face of adversity become the victims. Those who lift up their eyes, pull themselves up by the bootstraps and allow God to do His work in them are the victors.
Now the question may arise, is it only those who are saved by the Blood of Jesus, that will be victors? If you are relating that question to the present disaster, the answer would have to be no, because there will be those whose character and courage will see them through and they will overcome this time to rebuild again. God has given all of us, even those who don’t serve Him, a measure of faith, and faith is such a powerful thing that it will work even for those who are lost.
If your question would pertain to life and eternity, then the answer would have to be a resounding “NO”! Not one person, who is not saved, no matter how much courage or faith they might have, will be the ultimate victor! Faith alone won’t save you anyone if that faith is not placed in the right place, or should I say, upon the person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith in their own ability to survive is misplaced faith for we are all destined to go by way of the grave should Jesus tarry. Faith in their government, in their finances or in anything besides Jesus is faith built on a foundation that will surely fall. So while they may appear to be temporary victors over their present circumstances, they are ultimately still victims to the deceitfulness of sin and the devil.
The last 10 days or so have been trying times for everyone. Many were made homeless in the floods, and many have had their lives disrupted greatly by the winds, waves and rain all across the Gulf Coast.
At the same time, there has been a ripple effect across the nation, and indeed, around the world. We, here in our area, are near the epicenter of what most sources are calling, “the greatest natural disaster to strike American soil in the history of our country”.
The further you go from New Orleans, the lesser the effects are felt. If we wanted to the count the victims of this disaster, we would have to take in account every man, woman and child, around the world, who has had to deal with feelings of frustration, fear and anger.
I wonder how many people at the gas pumps in other states are taking out their anger on the attendant behind the counter. I wonder how many are angry at the extra people who make life more difficult than it was a few days ago. I wonder how many are angry at what they perceive to be a slow reaction from the government to “meet their need” quicker than they did? I wonder how many will be filing lawsuits against everyone, including those who tried to help them? That’s the kind of world we live in. It’s a world that is filled with victims!
What we need is more “victors”! How much quicker could we recover if everyone would focus on recovery instead of trying to blame someone for their troubles!
I know that we have some problems to correct but can’t we understand that people are still people, no matter whether they are in Washington DC, sitting on a seat of honor in the halls of congress, or lying on a cot in a shelter somewhere. None of us are super-human and none of us knows everything. Let’s work on correcting the problems instead of pointing fingers. The damage done to our nation will only be increased, and more victims will be created with every passing day as more and more jump on the bandwagon of finger-pointing.
Whether you will be a victim or a victor is a matter of personal choice. Will we learn to adjust to the circumstances and place our lives and circumstances in the hand of God and let Him do the work, or will we try to do it our way? Will we trust the Savior and turn our lives over to Him, or will we reject the only source of peace and provision?
I choose to be a victor! I refuse to be caught up in the mindset of a victim. God is bigger than any disaster and I know that He is in control. I choose to be an over comer and a victor in Christ. I hope that you will too.
