Arise, shine; for your light has come! The glory of the Lord
is risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1
Have you ever felt mistreated, used, lied to, manipulated, or even abused? Have you ever been betrayed or abandoned? Have you been neglected or rejected? Have you ever lost a loved one or a dream you cared about? Have you suffered with anxiety, depression, or feel like life hasn’t been fair? Have you ever felt like you just don’t matter? Have you ever made a wrong choice that ended in you feeling some level of shame, guilt, or fear? Have you ever tried to live life by your own strength, struggling with fully trusting God? Have you every caused someone else pain? Have you ever found yourself caught in addictive behaviors like substance abuse or eating disorders?
Most of us have experienced some of these things because we live in a fallen world, we deal with the flesh (the soul and body that have not been reborn like we are in spirit), or because we have a spiritual foe working against us.
Pain and trauma can have a negative effect on us, and one effect is a mentality where we continually see ourselves as a victim. It’s a self-perception as someone who can’t get rise up or be victorious because of what has happened to him or her. This victim mentality will warp how we think, feel, and behave, but God wants to give us a new mentality!
Part of what Jesus did for us was to identify with our sinful condition, remove the penalty of sin, and show us how we can now identify with Him as one recreated and renewed! Instead of shame, we are righteous. Instead of guilt, we are set free by His grace. Instead of fearful, we find courage in His love. Instead of condemned, we are saved. Instead of sickness, we have healing. Instead of bondage, we have liberty. Instead of lack, we have abundance, strength, and ability.
Jesus did His part, and we have our part. He made it possible to receive what He offers, and now we must receive it and rise up in faith and obedience. Through Christ, God wants us to rise up and be who He has called us to be, do what He’s called us to do, and attain everything He has given to us to possess. God wants us to shed the old mentality and grab ahold of a new one – to rise up as victors and experience His glory! When we see ourselves in Christ as overcomers, we will come up higher in how we think, feel, and act. He will reach down into the mud of a victim mentality, and lift us up to seat in heavenly places in Christ!
Application: Take some time and locate yourself. Spend time with God and ask Him to reveal any unhealthy thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. If He reveals something unhealthy, also ask Him to reveal where those things came from and ask Him to heal and restore those places.