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"The victimization aspects of prosperity come in slowly, sometimes over a lifetime. The results are harder to recognize and sometimes much more difficult to treat."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 100.
We talked about provision yesterday. It is when we are in times where provision is so hard to come by that victim thinking can sneak in in ways that God never intended. Prosperity is also a subject that can make victim thinking happen in our lives. The difference between the victim thinking ways of provision and prosperity has to do with time.
Where the victim thinking ways that come with provision happen quickly, the victim thinking tendencies that come with prosperity take time to establish. Because of this fact, victim thinking resulting from lack of provision don't have time to sink deep roots. That makes this kind of victim thinking much easier to eliminate from the victor's life.
Lacking what we think we need to be prosperous is something all together different. Because the victim thinking aspects that come with lack of prosperity takes time, the roots are afforded the opportunity to sink deep and wide in our lives. Victim thinking that comes from issues surrounding prosperity are difficult to get rid of - it takes concerted effort to eliminate them from the victor's life.
It all comes back to identity. Provision issues are immediate attacks on identity. Though these attacks can cause great damage in the life of a victor, they are much more easy to recognize and combat. Attacks on our identity through prosperity happen over long and drawn out periods of our lives. The enemy has plenty of time when it comes to attacking our identity through prosperity. He wisely uses that time in ways that can drive victim thinking deep down into our souls.
The only way to fight victim thinking that comes as a result of our believes on prosperity is through identity. Satan wants us to live in a place where we believe that who we are isn't good enough to be blessed by a good God. He wants us to doubt our worth before a God that is to be called good. If we doubt the goodness of God we are in a position where we will not follow and obey this God. In that place, victim thinking thrives and Satan wins.
Our difficulty in making prosperity happen in our lives in the manner and timing we demand is so evident in the following question. Today's Bible reading comes from a man fighting to understand the issues of prosperity that were thrust upon him. Job asks;
Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful? Job 21:7 (NLT)
Job is basically saying, "Why do those that don't follow you seem to have prosperity and those that do follow you don't?" This kind of universal thinking is such a victim thinking strategy. I guarantee that there are followers of God who never have issues with prosperity like Job had. The same can be said for the opposite situation. There are also those who don't follow God who see prosperity as something out of their reach as well. Universal statements do nothing for our victor status except make us feel less by comparison to the rest of the world. It didn't work for Job and comparison thinking won't work for you and for me either.
It is when we are so connected to our identities as God's Child that we can fight the issues of prosperity in our lives. If we know who we are, then times of prosperity won't make us overly proud and times of lack won't leave us in places of dejection. It is when we know who we are that victim thinking situations that come with provision and prosperity put us in a place where we can fight for our standing without needing our circumstances to be part of the proof of that standing.
That's what Satan can't stand in our lives. To be in a place where no matter how bad our circumstances are we are still willing and able to worship, love and serve the God that made us drives Satan insane! It is when we doubt the goodness of God that we place ourselves in a position where the power of who we are has no impact in this world.
Your status as a victor has no connection what so ever to how much you have in your life. Same goes when the lack in your life makes you think prosperity will never be something you will experience. Our situations always change. That's why connecting our situation to our identity is such a victim thinking proposition.
I don't know how you feel about prosperity right now in your life, however, I do know this. If you are allowing prosperity, or the lack there of, be part of how you view who you are, you are heading for difficult times filled with victim thinking strategies. Those strategies just don't work! They didn't work for Job. They haven't worked for me and they won't work for you either.
Today needs to be different when it comes to seeking prosperity in your life. Go after as much as you feel called to pursue. Go after the goodies of this world for any other reason except for allowing those goodies to prove who you are. God has spoken your identity out before you were even born. He has taken steps to give you that identity way before this day every came about. You are His Child and that makes you a victor no matter what you choose to use as a standard of prosperity in your life.
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