The word ‘besieged’ is a military term that means to be surrounded by enemy forces. In old days cities were besieged in order to attack and conquer them. That is why they would say things like: ‘The army besieged the castle’. It involves surrounding and attacking a fortified place in order to isolate it from help and force surrender. It is any persistent effort to overcome resistance or long period of trouble. The danger is that during a siege, the besieged can destroy themselves. The besiege mentality is a feeling of victimization and defensiveness. It is a state of mind where we think we are constantly under attack. In the same way sometimes we can live with a besieged mentality. We begin to believe that we are under attack on every side. We can even develop an ‘us against them’ mentality. To break besiege mentality, we must get rid of victimization, change how we talk, choose joy, and get out of the trenches. This is not to say that we do not face attack, but it is not always an attack. It could be the result of choices we have made, it could just be things that happen in the course of life, and it could be something God is allowing in our lives to set us up for the next great plan he has for us. Just think of the life of Joseph. If he was not thrown into the pit, he would never have been sold into slavery. If he was not sold into slavery, he would never have ended up in Egypt. If he was not falsely accused, he would never have ended up in prison. If he had not ended up in prison, he would not have made the connection to Pharaoh. If he had not made the connection to Pharaoh, he would not have been in a position to save the Egyptian nation and ultimately his own family and nation.
Genesis 41:57 “All the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain.”
If anyone could have felt like he was besieged it was Joseph. He went from bad to worse and yet today his story is one of the remarkable stories that inspire and encourage us. I believe he won the battle by choosing the right attitude at each turn on the journey of his life and ultimately he emerged as one of the great people that God used. Let us not live with a besieged mentality. Living with a besieged mentality is like living life with your foot on the brake. This attitude or mindset can rob us and undermine God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Let us move beyond this way of thinking.
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