The Victim Addiction
We have a serious addiction problem in America. It has infiltrated every part of society, corrupting the brightest minds and stealing their futures. This addiction has reached such epic proportions that the fate of our nation literally hangs in the balance.
What is this addiction?
It’s an addiction to being a victim. Whether it’s transgenderism, critical race theory, or some other buzzworthy cultural designation, being a victim is where it’s at.
If you want to be noticed, choose your favorite label, and you’ll jump up the charts in status!
The pull of victimhood is so intoxicating, and its immediate rewards so gratifying, that few can resist. And why not? With the exception of a few parts of society, we are living in a world where it is more advantageous, even celebrated, to be a victim. The cultural gatekeepers have elevated victim status to a cult-like obsession.
As the church, we see all of this happening and are rightly upset. We post our concerns on Facebook and talk about them in our sermons and prayer meetings, or over Sunday lunch with friends.
But there’s a reality that we must face before we can see a change in the world around us.
We have to face the reality that we have our own victim addiction.
Too many Christians would rather complain about their rights being taken away, or society falling deeper into the abyss than to stand up and fight for the world around them. Much like we see today’s conservative politicians who are all talk and no action, the church has spent decades complaining loudly about the state of our culture without ever putting up a decent fight.
Why do we do this?
Because it’s easier to be a victim.
It’s easier to be a righteous victim, clutching your pearls and feigning indignation than to stand up and take back the culture.
It’s easier to stay poor and talk about what you would do if you only had the money than to learn how to create wealth that impacts the kingdom.
It’s easier to go to a million training meetings, always asking the same questions than to actually do the things you’ve been taught.
It’s easier to complain about the government taking your rights than to run for city council or the local school board.
It’s easier to say you’re all alone than to be a leader, rallying people to join you in the fight.
It’s easier to complain about spiritual warfare than to move on the offense, forcing the enemy to back off.
Most Christians don’t understand the authority they possess, let alone use it. If they did, the world would be a very different place. In Deuteronomy 28, the Father lays out how the church is supposed to be positioned in the modern world, saying we should “always be at the top, never at the bottom.” He promises abundant blessings, an authority that sends our enemies fleeing, and a stationing as the cultural gatekeepers of our communities.
The key to all of this: obedience.
The church should be an unstoppable force in the culture wars. But today too many are just hoping that if they keep their heads down, maybe they will be left alone. They’ve decided that it’s easier to be the tail than to be the head.
I wonder if that isn’t why we’re in the mess we’re in today. We chose to be victims because it was easier and invited a spirit of victimhood to take over the world around us.
If that’s true, then the only way forward is to deal with our victim addiction. It’s time to stop talking and start taking action in our families, our communities, and our nation. We need to repent for the disobedience that comes from pursuing safety and ask God what He requires of us at this moment in history.
It’s time to stop being a victim.