Jesus said this about Satan: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44, ESV) Most people are aware that Satan tempts us with obvious things like money, drugs, sex, etc. Certainly he uses these to tempt us, but the best weapons in his arsenal are more subtle & insidious, in particular the lies. Not obvious and blatant lies that are easy to spot, but rather subtle variations on the truth. His most destructive scheme: twisting our perspective on external events so we will accept the lie of self-pity as the truth. The "victim" mentality of self-pity can be summed up as follows: "My problems in life must be someone else's fault and there's nothing I can do about it." If Satan can get us to believe we are powerless, the rest of his job is easy.
The victim mentality seems to be particularly prevalent in America. Here are some examples:
(a) "My life/the country is going down the tubes because of Obama/people on welfare/the wealthiest 1%/the Democrats/the Republicans/white people/black people/illegal immigrants/etc." Didn't a guy name Hitler use that one on the Jews in Nazi Germany? Someone from a third world country would laugh out loud at an American who claimed the deck was stacked against them. The person you see in the mirror has the most influence on your life, to improve it or destroy it.
(b) "If you disagree with me that makes you a "bad" person. "Bad" people who don't have the "correct" point of view cause all the problems." Restated: "Freedom of speech is only for people who agree with me". So what if the truth isn't that simple or it gets lost in the shuffle - who cares about the truth? In politics, the far left and the far right are the worst offenders in that regard. They've been parroting the same tired rhetoric for so long that they never question the logic or truth of their own statements.
(c) "My kids/my ex-wife/my childhood/my friends are the reason my life is so messed up." This attitude is common with alcoholics/addicts. The real reason why they have so many bad relationships: their substance of choice. It's not just addicts that blame everyone else for their problems, though. Yes, sometimes people make bad choices. Their decisions can make your life more difficult, but you control how you react to their decisions. No one controls your life unless you let them.
A friend of mine spent the last years of his life bedridden in a nursing home. Were there times when he got depressed? Of course. Who wouldn't? His perspective on reality wasn't really all that twisted. He was stuck in a miserable situation. Sometimes he would tell me he wished he was dead. I understood why he felt that way, but my response was always the same. "Who would I come to visit if you weren't here anymore?" I would explain to him that yes, I know you're not happy, that you're in a really tough situation, but your life is not meaningless - it has meaning in my life. Feeling like a victim & focusing on everything that's wrong in your life is selfish and self-destructive. Ask yourself instead: "How can I add meaning to someone else's life?" That is the key to happiness. If even an invalid can add meaning to someone else's life, how much more the rest of us? Consider also the words of the Lord: "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28, ESV)
