One of the best examples of self-pity is the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5). Jesus knew his full condition and then asked the man if he wanted to be healed.
The man began to explain why he had not been and could not be healed. Jesus seemed to quit listening to his self-pity and healed him anyway.
We can easily lose sight of God’s promises when we are in difficult situations. This is often how we get off target in seeing God fulfill our prophetic destiny. Even though the body of Christ goes through great times of testing, we are not to grow fearful and be discouraged. The enemy takes advantage during our testing periods by using a strategy to discourage us. Discouragement breeds hope deferred, which makes the heart sick. When we have a measure of hopelessness within us, we lose our expectation of God.
“Future” and “expectation” are synonymous. Our future is linked with an expectation of God moving. This is a time for the church to have its expectation level renewed and raised to another level. Isaiah 59 and 60 are wonderful prayer guides for us to follow to see this happen in our lives. Hope must transcend and move into faith. Faith produces overcoming. Overcoming leads to a demonstration of God’s power and a manifestation of His promises.
The Cycle of Self-Pity
Prophecy unlocks our future, but when we get wounded or experience loss we can lose sight of our future. The biggest demonic force that we have to contend with is self-pity. Self-pity draws attention to our loss and keeps us from seeing God’s glory manifested in our life. Instead of our loss directing us to God’s continued perfect plan for our life, our self rises up and causes us to say, “Pity me for what I have lost.” Any time we experience loss, trauma, wounding or injustice we can choose either to live with a belief system that God can heal and forgive or to allow our mind-set to form rejection, self-defense and self-pity.
During times of loss and wounding, we have a tendency to accuse God for the trauma we are experiencing. The power of this accusation leads to a type of fatherlessness. Instead of experiencing the spirit of adoption, we feel abandoned and lost. From our self-defense, we actually form a rebellion to authority. We also become unteachable. We have a mind-set that says, “No one understands me or what I am going through.”
We also begin to think that there is no solution to our problem. We wake up thinking, There is no way out. We fall into apathy because we have no hope of healing or restoration. Since we know that we should be living a godly life, religious mechanisms become a solace to us. We may even gain a martyr complex and say: “Woe is me. This is my cross to bear. Look how heavy is my cross.” This type of thinking causes us not to fight when we need to fight. Instead of fighting and advancing, we become a slave to comfort and the status quo. We forget that we are called to fellowship with Christ’s sufferings—a type of fellowship that leads to His resurrection power manifesting in us.
Losing sight of the love of God causes us to turn to self. God’s love forces us to deal with these thoughts born of our self-pity. I have experienced enough freedom in my own life to know when I am not free. Faith works by love. When we experience God’s liberty and love, we will be able to resist that call from self to be pitied and will be able to overthrow hope deferred.
About the author: Chuck D. Pierce is the president of Glory of Zion International Ministries in Denton, Texas. He is known for his accurate prophetic gifting and has been used by God to mobilize prayer throughout the world. Pierce is also the author of many books, including his most recent, Worship As It Is in Heaven. For more information about his ministry or to purchase resources, visit his website at gloryofzion.org.
