VICTIM, TO SURVIVOR, TO OVERCOMER, TO LIBERATOR…
THESE ARE USUALLY THE 4 “SEASONS” IN OUR LIVES… SOME OF THEM SUFFERED, SOME OF THEM ENDURED, SOME OF THEM EMBRACED, SOME OF THEM CELEBRATED…
In 1992, at a Women’s Conference, I bought a book from the main speaker, Dr Daisy Osborne, and I stood in a long queue, waiting to pay and to have her inscribe the inner cover…
She peered at me, waiting, (I know now), for the Holy Spirit to give her the words to write…
The words were, “Now is the time, you are the woman, see yourself there!”
I was clueless… the very thought of this supernatural exchange was too huge for me to comprehend, but I have, over the years (30 years, in fact), begun to peel back the unbelief and to explore the absolute possibility that this WAS the Holy Spirit’s encouragement and instruction… His command, even…
And it’s a process… (so many processes, right!)
But the most “life~altering” words, that have taken the most time and effort, were…”See yourself there”…
So the process began, with…
“I was a victim…” NO longer… to…
“I survived!”… For what, and for what purpose? To…
“I AM an OVERCOMER!” Because Jesus said I am! To…
“I can now LIBERATE those who need to be encouraged!” What a privilege!!!
You see, if we choose to stay in the “Victim” stage, we lock ourselves into a padded cell of continuous blame and pain… making insane excuses, handcuffing our hearts to satan ‘s perverse, adverse plans, and playing the “blame game”, pointing our fingers at whoever we deem responsible for our self-imposed prison.
Victims ask “Why?” “Why me?”
Survivors ask “What?”
Overcomers ask “What can I do to get through this? What can I learn from this? What should I do differently?”
Surviving is good…it means that you weren’t defeated.
Then we face the “Overcomer” season.
This means to gain the victory, to win, to conquer… Romans 8:37 tells us “Yet amid all these things, we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loves us.”
How are you doing? Shed the Victim attitude yet? Moved to Survivor? Ready to be an Overcomer?
This is one of the MOST important journeys you and I will make!
Overcomers ask “Who?” and “How?” and “Who can I help?”
Overcomers see past their victimization! Past Surviving! They see others who need help!
Philippians 3:13 “…But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”
Forgetting closes the door to your past and reaching ahead opens the door to your future.
Let’s think…
As a Victim, you were in the dark.
As a Survivor, you see the light at the end of the tunnel… so you choose to get through.
As an Overcomer… you become the light for someone else.
Finally!!! The door opens to the Kingdom space of being His LIBERATOR!!!
Our job is to reach through the gates of hell and rescue people. As simple as that! Set the captives free! (Isaiah 61)…
There’s going to be a battle, but in reality, the Kingdom of God can only expand out of conflict with the kingdom of darkness. But 1 JOHN 4:4 assures us that “Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world!” Let us not forget that!
It is not about us at all… it’s about His Kingdom and His cause.
Just remember….GOD WASTES NOTHING!!! He was loving us when we were victims, He was encouraging our survivor choices, He was loving seeing us become overcomers, and He is most certainly celebrating with us as we partner with the Holy Spirit, bring liberty to others with our testimonies, with our gestures, with our sharing the Gospel, with our very lives that others are looking at for grasping the HOPE that there is in Jesus!!!
Let’s take hold of this journey with grateful hands… there is no shame in any of these 4 “seasons”, there is only progress, maturity, gratitude and JOY… let us join hands and hearts to extend the Kingdom of God, as His Liberators, together!