Many are familiar with the Scripture of John 10:10 ... The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness (The Living Bible). We identify the thief as Satan, God and man's Enemy; and Jesus as the one who gives purpose to our lives. Now let's take a serious look at this from the perspective of our God-given identity.
We can all agree that in this modern age of technology, Identity Theft has serious and damaging ramifications. It happens when someone steals your personal information to commit fraud or deception. In the temporal world, it usually results in economic loss for the victim. But can you see the truth of applying the concept of Identity Theft to John 10:10? The devil comes to steal our God-given identity; to kill the life designed for us; and to destroy our purpose for being born. And he does it by defrauding [or cheating] us out of our inheritance through his deception and lies about who we are. The result is that so many Christians have no idea who they really are! When the devil is able to steal your true identity and give you a false one, you are not living the life you were meant to, and certainly not in the fullness you were designed to be living it!
So, let's pull back a little and look at the bigger picture from God's perspective. Just like the prophet Jeremiah, God knew us before He formed us in our mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5). Each one of us has a unique design, created by God, Himself, for a purpose all our own, to be executed in a remarkable and unmatched life. As the Bible tells us in Palm 139, we are marvelously made; sculpted from nothing into something; with all the stages of our life spread out before Him, and the days of our lives prepared before we'd even lived one day. God had a plan for each of us when He created us!
The devil knows we are made to glorify God! And he is jealous, wanting that glory for himself! So, he has a plan of his own; to lie and deceive us by stealing that identity so that we cannot carry out our purpose, glorify God, and receive the fullness of our inheritance. And here is the biggest deception of all ... the value of our identity is ultimately based on whose we are -- not on the particular design or the success of how we execute our life. We are valued by God because of the price Jesus was willing to pay for our redemption. And once we recognize that, we are free to step into our destiny and purpose as God designed it.
How full and fruitful would our lives be if we understood this dynamic? What if we understood that we each have an authentic and true identity woven into our DNA, and could recognize that the devil is real in this realm and looking to pull a dirty veil over our eyes so that we see a warped, corrupted view of ourselves? It's also important to know that the Enemy deceives us not only in this physical world by tempting us to sin, [or others to sin against us], but he is able to send spiritual rulers, authorities, and forces of wickedness from the spiritual realms to bring fraudulent charges against us by attacking our souls and spirits.
If we never know the gifts and roles God has ordained for us, then it's going to be hard to fit the puzzle pieces of our lives together to form a comprehensive picture of who we are. If we don't have the true, pure, accurate and legitimate knowledge and understanding of who we were made to be, then we can imagine how easily we are going to get off-track and go down the wrong paths in life, and never receive that abundant and full life Jesus came to give us! Can you see just how valuable our Identity is to us, and why it is such a prize worth plundering for Satan? If we never live in our true Identity, we will never become a threat to his kingdom of darkness. And while, as Christians, we are still ensured our place in Heaven, we will not be able to disciple and lead others to their genuine Identities.
We need to realize that Satan not only steals our Identities, he replaces them with counterfeit, false ones! He keeps us in bondage to his lies about who we are, and we are unable to fulfill our destinies in expanding the dominion of God's Kingdom on earth. And the impact of Identity Theft is felt for generations! It not only affects families, but entire societies, cultures, and nations. It infiltrates the earthly realms and the heavenly dimensions. It is felt in the spiritual atmosphere and we see a general degradation of both the material and spiritual lives of all humans.
The world tells us how to protect ourselves from the consequences of Identity Theft: protect accounts with strong passwords; avoid public wi-fi; don't share your information with unfamiliar sources. And, as co-heirs with Christ of the Kingdom of God, we need to understand that it is our responsibility to secure and protect our God-given Identities, as well. We are all created and designed for unique and specific purposes. It is important that we understand that Satan is looking for ways to invite sin into our lives that will disrupt that path God has written on our heavenly scroll.
Unfortunately, the Church has abandoned its responsibility to make this knowledge a part of every Christian's journey with the Lord. From the time we receive Christ as our Savior, we need to be equipped and trained in how to protect the new creation we have become. There should be intentional efforts to teach us how to put on our spiritual armor; to learn how to discern the difference in the voices of God and Satan; to be tutored in the various ways to defeat the devil's demons; and being taught how to build deep relationships with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in order to receive supernatural strategies to triumph over all the Enemy's attempts to steal, kill, and destroy all that we are meant to be. Our identity as God's unique creation is the most precious thing we possess. When we walk this earth in that Truth, we will execute the good works for the Kingdom that are our destiny. We are then truly able to glorify God and point to the excellencies of His Holy Character and Nature. Isn't that how we would all wish to spend our time on this planet?
#spiritualidentitytheft #satancomestosteal #identityinchrist #christianidentity
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
