Do Not Be A Victim

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 18:16, But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

I want to focus on this verse because it is the end product of David’s refusal to be a victim. Saul has determined in his heart that he wants to kill David because of his growing popularity. We saw yesterday that Saul had already made two attempts on David’s life and failed. Saul clearly saw that God had forsaken him and was now working in David’s life. This caused him great fear, as we know from verses 12 and 15. As we continue to see Saul’s attempts at persecuting David, we see God frustrating Saul’s attempts and lifting up David more and more. This is a clear and perfect example of what James wrote in chapter 4, verse 6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In verse 10 of that same chapter, James also wrote, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Stop and think about what was happening in David’s life. Saul, who once loved David, now hates him. In order to get him away from the palace and throne, he put him in charge over a thousand men; probably in hopes that he would be killed in battle. David was not ignorant of the fact that Saul wanted him dead, as he escaped Saul’s two attempts to kill him with a spear (verse 11). This was certainly a great opportunity for David to get discouraged and give in to a “victim mentality”. “Woe is me! Here I am trying to do that right thing before God and this man is trying to kill me!” “Oh woe is me! Does God not care that this is happening? Will no one feel sorry for me and my circumstances?” How often have we met, or been, this person? Instead of making himself a victim, or allowing Saul to victimize him, David chose to behave wisely (verses 14-15). Although Saul tried to manipulate circumstances to persecute David and make life difficult for him, David’s choice to live wisely and not feed into a victim mentality was used by God to frustrate Saul’s feeble attempts. Instead of causing fear and discouragement in David’s life, Saul’s plan backfired. Verse 15 tells us, “Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.” The fact of the matter is that no one can frustrate God’s plans for us if we choose to continue living a life that honors the Lord. Will there be moments of feeling discouraged, or moments of sorrow due to suffering? Yes, there will be. However, that should not overshadow the peace and joy we have in Christ Jesus. In John 16:33 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” When we find ourselves in the crosshairs of those who seek to do us harm because of their own insecurities, or jealousies, or who seek to derail us, remember Proverbs 26:27. It reads, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.” God had a plan for David’s life, and even though David would have to run for his life for many years before he would actually be crowned king, God protected him, and lifted him up in those dark days of discouragement. All along the way, David continued to faithfully serve God, and even remained faithful to King Saul. We may be tempted to take on a victim mentality when it seems like life is persecuting us, but for those of us who have Christ, we already have the victory. David may not have been “officially” crowned king, but he was already anointed by God to be king. We may not be where we should be, or need to be, but we are already a child of God. Eternity is already ours in Christ, and the devils have already been defeated. We have the Word of God and know the end of the Book. Let us live out our Christianity like we truly believe that we have victory in Jesus. We must not let the devils convince us to give in to the “woe is me” attitude or latch on to the “victim mentality”. In Christ, we have already won.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).