Identity Theft: A Different Perspective

Someone wants to steal your identity. Yes, there are all kinds of people digging through dumpsters and hacking into websites for the express purpose of taking control of our financial identity, but they are not who I am thinking about. I am talking about the one who wants to do more than hurt our bank account. He wants to destroy our lives completely. Of course, this thief is satan.

John 10:10a tells us, "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy." If we have not received God's grace and mercy through salvation in Jesus Christ, his goal is to keep it that way. If we already have a relationship with Jesus, he wants to keep us from sharing that truth with others.

His tactics are not obvious...we'd see right through them if they were. He doesn't strike us down with heart attacks, take the lives of people close to us, or cause accidents...these events occur naturally as our lives unfold. We live in a fallen world and pain, death and disease are a sad consequence of the sin our fleshly nature introduced into the relational mix from the beginning. We were warned, "In this world you will have trouble..." (John 16:33) and that is certainly true! Instead, satan gives us reason to doubt our abilities, question our worthiness and point out reasons to be offended by our Christian siblings. These things serve to steal our identity. When we hear those whispers of doubt, we need to have the ammunition to fight back. In the wilderness, Jesus used scripture. We need to be able to do the same thing.

1. WE ARE ABLE! in Hebrews 30:20-21 Paul prays,

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

AMEN!

2. WE ARE WORTHY! Ephesians 1:13-16 tells us,

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."

God, through the grace of Jesus Christ, has deemed us worthy enough to be His possession!

3. WE ARE LOVING! As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit in us, which gives us the ability to behave and forgive in ways we could never accomplish on our own. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us,

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

That's only the tip of the bountiful iceberg left for our edification in God's Word. I began with John 10:10a, which tells us about satan's plan. Here's John 10:10b: "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." That is Jesus Himself talking there! He is speaking the truth God wants us to hold onto. Don't let satan steal your identity in Christ. God has a greater plan for you.

You are a Child of God! Live like it!