Here we are on Part 2 of Identity Theft and if you haven’t checked out our last blog, we discussed more broad ways we have lost our identity with pop culture and society changes. Today, we are going a little more personal on ways we tend to lose our identity and how we find our identity in the One Who created us!

We all have asked ourselves the question “Who am I?” But, where does that answer come from? Most define themselves by jobs, success, race, religion, appearance…the list goes on. We also identify by life’s experiences, whether good or bad. It could be a relationship, a loss, culture and media. We all are searching and looking for a sense of belonging.

The problem with defining and finding our identity in these things is that none of them are stable. At any moment temporal things can change or be lost and then we are searching and trying to identify ourselves through something else. It’s unstable to put our identity in anything besides Christ!

The world is constantly throwing their ideas of what we should be or look like. For us as women, we see billboards, magazine covers of what the world defines as beautiful and we think, “oh that’s what is could look like” but it’s a distorted view. We can’t look to the current pop culture, to a magazine cover, opinions of others, but to the Bible. What God says and thinks about us is the ONLY way we need to redirect our focus on defining who we are!

So today we are going to take a look at the truth of our identity in Christ. What does that mean? We are going to go to a lot of scriptures today, so pull out your Bibles!

Galatians 2:20 says, “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”

Our natural understanding says we feel sick, we feel betrayed, we feel offended, we feel angry. Those are all natural things to feel. The problem is when we let those things marinate from our head to our hearts and they transform the way we see ourselves. If we are crucified with Christ and have risen with Christ, we are essentially little gods, Christ-men… I know that sounds very blatant too say, but I think we water down the truth of who we are in fear of people thinking we are calling ourselves God. In doing this, we have created a people who don’t truly live up to the power, authority and calling of who we were created to be!

We live less than. We as Christians live in poverty, sickness, fear, anxiety, depression. We name it and claim it as if it defines us! What about our past? How many of us have had tragic events in our past, things a loved one said or did to us and over the years it has defined us, prohibited us from doing things or moving forward? I bet most of us can say, we have had things said or done to us that have shaped the way we see things. And it should! But bot to the detriment of compromising the gospel and using that for the good of other’s healing!

My sister and I are reading a book, our Spiritual mama and Mentor, Cheryl Salem is reading with us on the Ministry of John G. Lakes. We have to say, this has truly opened our eyes to how we have become so lazed in our understanding of who we are over decades and why the Church as a whole is suffering. The bottom line – we don’t know who we are! To know God is to study God. To know who He is, is to understand who WE are! We have to be hungry for it! We have to be in our Word! We have to take off the old and put on the new – take off that fear, anxiety, past events and confusion and put on the robes of righteousness, because we were called to live a lot holier than we are!

Ephesians 4:24– “And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.”

It’s not about DOING, but BEING the reflection of Jesus. He left us with all He had and we take some of it, but not all of it! We have to want ALL of it! If we take some, we identify with some and some of our identity is still left in the world.

I want to quote John G. Lakes here. He said, “We have come down out of the heavenlies into the natural, and we are trying to live a heavenly life in a natural state, overburdened by the weights and cares of the flesh and life is all about us.”

Isn’t that so true? It’s all about what WE feel is right! It’s about what satisfies OUR flesh, what our political or personal view is that we HAVE to post on social media and get across! When do we stop and make sure what we are saying is lining up with the Word of God and not what we think? That’s when we will learn how to live in the Spirit and not the flesh. Until then, we will have no clue who we are because we are trying to identify ourselves by what’s around us, not who’s IN us! We allow too many outside influences to penetrate our hearts and minds more than we do Christ.

Another quote from Lakes states that, “The power of God, the Holy Ghost, is the Spirit of dominion. It makes on a god. It makes one not subject to the forces of the world, or the flesh, or the devil. These are under the Christian’s feet.” John said in 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God.”

I mean do we get that, Church?? Do we truly get the power and authority we have? We are not subject to the forces of evil on this earth, whether it be sickness in the body or mind, our past, the devil – nothing!! WE are of a higher authority and have the ammunition and the victory, yet we jump to the end where Jesus got the victory and we do nothing in between! We are still on this earth, but if we are going to act like natural beings on this earth, natural consequences will prevail.

Lakes also said something profound about our identity, “Blessed is he whose interest in life, whose interest in the world is only used to extend the interest of the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed is he who has lost his own identity as an individual and has become a citizen of the Kingdom.”

Again, if our focus is on ourselves and what has happened to us, we will only continue to fulfill and feed the desires of the flesh. We have supernatural power to overcome. We were supernaturally created that way.

That’s not to say we have to forget what’s happened or move on just like that. God can heal. God can restore! But you have to be willing. Your mess will be a message to the next person.

Losing our Identity goes way back to the garden. In Genesis, Eve sacrificed her identity to the enemy and from there; it has been a struggle for us all. Deception will creep in and if we are not on guard, we are not exempt from falling, too.

Genesis 3:1-7 – Read this passage…

But we have the choice to look to God, our hope and redeemer to follow and align our beings up with. Our past may have held us back, but once we are enlightened to the truth, it is our responsibility to change.

2 Corinthians 5:17– “Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.”

We need to mirror God and reflect His image, not our own fears and insecurities and definitely not what the world says is right, even if it’s the majority!

1 Peter 2:9– “But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.”

Ephesians 2:10– “We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works-we would do to fulfill it!”

We want to end with one more quote from John G. Lakes because I think the essence of it sums up the dispute between our past and who we truly are…

“Do you know that it is only as your mind settles back into the humiliation and suffering and the weakness and the fear and the doubting of the dispensation that is past, that you grow weak and sickly, and sinful? But as your soul looks forward and possesses in the present the glorious victory that Jesus acquired and exhibits and enjoys, does it rise out of its sorrows, out of its sins, into that glorious triumph of the children of God?”

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Did you know that every 2 seconds, someone is a victim of Identity Theft? Thieves are on the prowl hunting down their next victim who isn’t on guard or prepared, who doesn’t seem confident or steadfast. They are watching you, studying your moves and ready to take on your identity and all that you have worked for.

We hear commercials all the time for Life lock and companies who guarantee to protect your credit and identity. But what happens when your inner identity, your soul is stolen and you don’t even know it? You become someone you never thought you would. You say and do things that follow the norms of your society and deception takes over until YOU are a victim of a whole different kind of Identity Theft!

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The thief comes to STEAL!!! That’s his purpose – that’s his goal. Don’t think he doesn’t know your weaknesses. He studies you!

There are several things that can cause us to lose our identity as Christians including anxiety, depression, allowing our past to define us, as well as a variety cultural and political agendas being pushed in our faces today!

My sister and I were just talking about how mental illness and depression seem to be at an all-time high. We look at the state of our nation and our culture and see things un-Godly that have become a norm for us. Many of us don’t even realize the sin around us because it is so covered up by political correctness and acceptance.

In this blog in particular, we are briefly discussing how we have lost our identity in the political campaigns being pushed at us today. Three of the biggest issues dividing our Nation right now seem to be homosexuality, abortion and political leadership. Now, these are HUGE issues we can’t obviously address in full context in 1 blog, but just to identify how we have lost our identity in social issues and turned from the ways of God, we will simply state them.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For the time is coming when they will no longer listen and respond to the healing words of truth because they will become selfish and proud. They will seek out teachers with soothing words that line up with their desires, saying just what they want to hear. They will close their ears to the truth and believe nothing but fables and myths.”

We shouldn’t be surprised that these things are happening…

2 Timothy 3:1-7– “But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce and difficult for the people of God.People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families, They will be ungrateful and ungodly.

They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander, Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God.

They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these! For they are the ones who worm their way into the hearts of vulnerable women, spending the night with those who are captured by their lusts and steeped in sin.They are always learning but never discover the revelation-knowledge of truth.”

Homosexuality

One issue my sister and I realized was that we just came off the heels of Pride Month and couldn’t take our kids to a Mall, ATM or restaurant without seeing rainbow advertising and even your favorite brands were sending out e-mails with sales and advertising the Pride Collection. Some of these things are so shoved in our faces that we begin to think it’s normal, it’s ok. Our culture claims if we don’t agree, we are hateful. Did you lose your identity in identifying as someone God did not create you to be? Did you lose your identity in fitting in or allowing the subtle lies of the masses condition the truth you use to know?

The Bible clearly states in 1 Corinthians 6:9-13, “Surely you must know that people who practice evil cannot possess God’s kingdom realm. Stop being deceived! People who continue to engage in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual perversion, homosexuality, fraud, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, or extortion—these will not inherit God’s kingdom realm.It’s true that some of you once lived in those lifestyles, but now you have been purified from sin, made holy, and given a perfect standing before God—all because of the power of the name of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and through our union with the Spirit of our God. It’s true that our freedom allows us to do anything, but that doesn’t mean that everything we do is good for us. I’m free to do as I choose, but I choose to never be enslaved to anything. Some have said, “I eat to live and I live to eat!” But God will do away with it all. The body was not created for illicit sex, but to serve and worship our Lord Jesus, who can fill the body with himself.”

We have to be very careful in this day and age to guard our minds and hearts and not be swayed by the majority around us if we know the majority around us is wrong. Jesus was mocked and ridiculed. He hung out with sinners, yet never sinned. He called sin out and knew how to perfectly balance boldness with grace and love. We need to look more like Jesus and less like the world. We cannot allow the redefinition of sexuality, marriage and life to characterize this Nation. It’s truly time for Christians to stand up and take our place in the gap between God and mankind.

Thank you to our sweet friend Barbara Copeland – she posted an article from Grace to You, titled Unleashing God’s Truth and I really think everyone needs to read it.(Link will be at bottom of this blog) But it talks very candidly about why God condemns homosexuality – it overturns God’s fundamental design for human relationship and multiplying. There are so many scriptures on this we could go into, but let’s move on.

Abortion

Everett Koop, M.D., formerly the Surgeon General, states that during his 35-plus years of practicing medicine, “Never once did a case come across my practice where abortion was necessary to save a mother’s life.” 

Percentage of women who chose an abortion because having a baby “would; change their life (job, school)”: 76. Percentage who chose an abortion because of rape or incest: 1.

I never thought we’d live in a society where we were debating the life of unborn children, yet here we are, a nation divided. It’s not about abortion they say. It’s about women’s rights. Have we lost compassion for life and God’s plan for lives, no matter how little? Have we lost our identity in identifying with the masses? I definitely see a rise in our generation of Christians compromising the truth of God for the lies of the world.

Who are we to end life? There are no circumstances in the Bible where it is ever ok for mankind to determine the days we have. Yet, we have all these reasons why it’s justifiable to tweak God’s plan to fit our ideologies and beliefs.

Job 14:5– “Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You [in Your control], And You have made his limits so he cannot pass [his allotted time].”

Have we again compromised the FULL Word of God to fit the masses and identify with the world and the world’s views? It’s so easy to lose our identity in the majority. It’s so easy to lose our identity in the scope of what seems the “right” thing to do, but it’s not about the “right” thing or the Politically Correct thing to do, it’s about what God says, not in part, but in FULL!

Politics

We are divided over Presidency, politics, so much so that hate is all we see when watching the news in anything political. God called us to respect our Leadership, not if we agreed or not. The best thing we can do as a nation to unify is to pray together for our leaders, not divide and spew out hate and ugliness. Have we lost our Identity in hate and acceptance of things we know is wrong because everyone else is doing it? We talk about change. We talk about what we want and don’t want and yes, we live in a democracy where we do have a vote! But that doesn’t give us the right to be sore losers and spew hate and ridicule on the opposition, especially if they are put in to power.

There are so many examples of submissiveness that God tries to teach us –submissiveness to God, submissiveness to husbands, submissiveness to presidential and leadership authority, yet when we dishonor that, we are dishonoring God who put those powers in authority!

Romans 13:1-2– “Every person must submit to and support the authorities over him. For there can be no authority in the universe except by God’s appointment, which means that every authority that exists has been instituted by God. So to resist authority is to resist the divine order of God, which results in severe consequences.”

We are to submit and pray – not only if we agree or feel like it…We have the power as children of God to change the way this nation is going if we stand up for His principles and simply pray – not bash or gossip or spread hate. It’s not our job to change the world, but to pray and intercede in the gap on behalf of our nation and allow the hand of God back in.

Ezekiel 22:30– “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

2 Chronicles 7:14– “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Have we truly humbled ourselves in prayer? We want the nation to change and if we spent more time on our knees instead of creating and posting harsh memes on Facebook bashing our President and leadership, maybe we would see a difference in our culture!

These are just a few of the things that have swayed us into slowly and subtly losing our identity in Christ. In the next blog, we will talk more about how we find our way back, how the only way to truly identify and know who we are is by knowing who HE is!

https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A170

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Our last couple of blogs discussed the power in our words and how to renounce that power that may have negatively affected you from words you have spoken over yourself or words that others may have spoken over you! Today, right now, we can break that curse! You may not feel anything at first, but keep meditating on scripture and prayer and little by little, you will see yourself differently, the way God has always seen you!

Here is a prayer to help you along the way, taken from Expect A Miracle Ministries online!

Father, Your word says in Isaiah 54:17 that “No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue which rises up against me in judgment shall be condemned,” and that this is my inheritance in the Lord. Right now I condemn every negative word that has been spoken over myself, my family and my future in Jesus name. I condemn every negative word I have spoken over myself, my family, and our future. I repent for vows made silently or spoken and I ask that You release me and all those affected by those things to be released from any ungodly vows. I repent for speaking any words that are contrary to Your will, O God, and I break the power of them now in the name and authority of Jesus Christ. I also break the power of negative words of others spoken out of their own fear, anger, criticisms, offense, malice, ill will, envy, jealousy, unforgiveness and bitterness. I break the power of physicians, parents, ministers, teachers, peers, and authority figures in our lives that had power to negatively influence us, create fear or harm our self image, self esteem or belief system. I call our belief system back into alignment with God and His Word. I break the power of negative words, including those that have evil spirits associated with them through the use of conjuring, spells, incantations, potions, and all forms of magic and witchcraft; words and spirit associations that have been assigned to us in order to perpetuate a curse must now be broken and all curses made void. I command in the name of Jesus Christ that all evil spirits associated with these curses to leave me, my family, and all that pertains to our lives, and be sent back to hell immediately. I command all open doors to the enemy that originated with these harmful words to be closed now and the blood of Jesus applied to those doorways. I forbid the enemy from crossing through the blood. I declare that those negative words will no longer ring in my ears, nor in those that have heard or repeated negative, condemning words. I declare that words that have beenused as a weapon will no longer ring in the ears of my loved ones and hinder their faith or their future.From this day forward, I declare their ears shall be deaf to condemning words laced with a spirit of death. All shame, insecurity, inferiority, fear,failure, unworthiness, rejection, loathing, rebellion, lawlessness, idolatry and perversity that originated from these ungodly words and their effects is now broken off of myself and all my family members. I declare only faith, peace, joy, love, and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ shall prosper in their heart, mind and spirit in Jesus name. Let the love of Your Holy Spirit, of Your mercy and acceptance be shed abroad in our hearts. Let there be revelation, truth and understanding be released into our hearts and minds. Let the counsel of Your Holy Spirit unravel every lie and bring us back to the truth that sets us free. Father God, I thank You and Holy Spirit for releasing blessing into my life and that of my loved ones and enabling us to walk with our heads held high. Thank You for breaking every ungodly yoke of bondage and oppression that came as a result of condemning words. In Jesus name, I thank you for a fresh start. Amen

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In our last blog, we began to talk about the power that lies in our words. Now, we are going into how words that have been spoken over us have affected us in life, whether for good or bad. We all have experienced negative words spoken to us or about us. Some have grown up always hearing words that have torn us down and crushed our spirits.

We have all heard the saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is such a false statement because words do hurt deeply. They cause so much damage. In Proverbs 12:18, it says, “Reckless words are like thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.”

For some of us, we have been damaged by the words of others and even by the words we have spoken about ourselves. We need to renounce the negative words that have been spoken over us and break their power over our lives.

How do we do that? How do we renounce and break their power?

First, go before God and repent for the negative words you have spoken over yourself and over others. Repent for speaking contrary to Gods word and break that power. Ask God to renew your mind according to Romans 12:2. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person changing the way you think.”

Secondly, forgive those who have spoken negative words over you. Break their power over you. Ask God to reverse every negative, evil word and any curses that have been spoken over you.

Third, renounce those words by speaking Gods truth over yourself. Find scriptures that feed what God says about you.  Some scriptures to begin with:

2 Corinthians(TPT)– Now if anyone is enfolded into Christ he has become an entirely       new creation. All that is related to the old order vanished. Behold everything is fresh and new.

Galatians 4:7(NLT)– Now you are no longer a slave but Gods own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Philippians 4:13– I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Psalms 139:14(NKJV) – I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very well.

Begin to be aware and cautious in what you speak; be intentional with your words. Make it a habit to speak life and Gods word over you. It will be a matter of time before the truth of Gods word you continue to speak over yourself will transform your heart and mind. You will begin to believe the truth of God’s word over yourself, just like the negative words we all once believed. Faith will arise the more you begin to speak it, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by he word of God.

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Did you know you can literally create the atmosphere around you just by the words you speak? The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Do we realize that our words have power to create? Think about that – our tongue has power!!!!

In the beginning, God created everything by speaking it into existence. You open up the Bible and the very first words are “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the deep waters,” Genesis 1:1-3. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

We see that from the beginning, everything that was created was spoken into existence. Our words are the very thing that create and bring things into existence.

We spout words out so quickly without realizing the long-term ramifications. God wants us to be cautious and aware of what is coming out of our mouth. In fact, He tells us “be slow to speak and swift to listen.”

Our words are like seeds. Once they are spoken, it’s a matter of time until those words come to fruition. Also, think of our tongue as a paintbrush and the words, the paint. What are you dipping your paintbrush in and what is the picture you are painting with the words you speak? Your tongue is like an instrument, what is the sound coming out? Is beautiful to the ear and others around you? We encourage you to read ALL of James, Chapter 3, but here are a few verses regarding the power in our words and how important it is t God and for our own well-being and growth as Christians.

James 3:1-6– “My dear brothers and sisters, don’t be so eager to become a teacher in the church since you know that we who teach are held to a higher standard of judgment.We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed. Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder at the direction of the person at the helm.

And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame. It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence.”

So what do our words have the power to do?

Our words have the power to build or tear down, to bring life or death, to bring blessings or cursing, to bring hope or discouragement. Do we even realize that a lot of the situations we find ourselves in are because of the words we have spoken?

Those who constantly speak negative about themselves saying, “I’m not good enough, I’m not smart enough, I’m broke…” That is what you will be and where you will stay. If you want to change your situation, then change your words!

The only words we should be speaking are truth and what God’s Word says! In Matthew 4:4,it tells us, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

The Word works! I mean, the world knows it. Look at all the motivational speakers, life coaches, Oprah. They take biblical principles and use them because it works. You hear motivational speakers say “speak those things you want and you will have them.” Well, they took that from the Bible!

Mark 11:23 tells us, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen.” Matthew tells us “Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.” Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “So shall my word that goes out from my mouth, it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

The world has taken Biblical principles and twisted them to fit their agendas. Christians, the world is taking the Word and working it. We see so many non-believers who are prospering and yet we complain and say why is it they are wealthy? Let’s stop complaining and begin to speak the Word until it settles in our heart and renews our mind and we believe it!!! Then we will se our world change, our situations change, our marriages and relationships change!

Here are a few scriptures to meditate on when praying for God’s power over your words!

Proverbs 12:18  (TPT) – Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.

Psalm 141:3 (NKJV)– Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 16:24 (TPT) – Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits.

Proverbs 18:21  (MSG)– Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

Matthew 15:11(TPT)– What truly contaminates a person is not what he puts into his mouth but what comes out of his mouth. That’s what makes people defiled.”

Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)– Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)– So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

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