It’s October and that means bonfires, s’mores, pumpkin patches, and scary movies. I must admit, I’m not one for scary movies. I wind up watching the palms of my hands more than the action on the screen. But, I’ve seen enough of chilling thrillers to learn a few things.
1. If you are spending the night in a secluded cabin, deep in the woods, don’t opt for the late night swim in the nearby lake. It won’t end well.
2. If your boyfriend leaves said cabin in search of firewood and never comes back, don’t go looking for him. It won’t end well.
3. If you have very little clothing on, it won’t end well. Apparently, psychotic killers go for flesh-baring females before anyone else.
These are a few key strategies to avoid becoming the victim in most horror movies, but there are also a few key strategies to avoid becoming a victim in regular, everyday life. That’s what we’re talking about at Mountain Lake Church over the next 4 weeks. Although all of us will fall victim to sin in our lives – to failures, disappointments, wrong choices – we don’t have to have a victim mentality, believing we have no hope or ability to change. The apostle Paul dealt with this “victim mentality.”
Romans 7:22-25 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Paul found the balance between accepting his imperfections – sin is inevitable – while not succumbing to a life of sin. In other words, Paul got up when he fell down! He wasn’t a victim. He didn’t have a victim mentality. He didn’t excuse away his sin. He followed the model of Jesus and constantly sought to become more like Him. He didn’t allow his failures to define him; his passion for God defined him.
Want to hear more? Click here to watch the entire message. You don’t have to be a victim, either.
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