Spiritual Identity Theft

Identity Theft (Photo credit: Don Hankins)

~This post was written by my sister~ Sarah Letterman

In today's society, we are all too aware of the crime known as Identity Theft. Whether shopping online, using a credit card to pay for a meal at a restaurant, or even receiving a financial statement in the mail, we find ourselves vulnerable to crooks looking for access to our personal information. Once they have it in their grasp, these crooks, under the guise of you, open up bank accounts, apply for credit cards, and make purchases, leaving you holding the bag so to speak. The effects of this are devastating, and it can take several years for you to clear your name, remove the unmerited debt, and restore your credit.

As Christians, we must be aware of Spiritual Identity Theft. A quick comparison reveals that they are similar in nature to one another. Satan, our adversary, enjoys gathering personal information about us. He uses our weaknesses, past failures, current circumstances, and future goals. Not to convince others that he is us, (as secular crooks attempt to do) but rather to convince us that we are not who Christ Jesus says we are: Redeemed, a new creation, children of the promise, more than conquerors, beloved.... His ultimate aim is to separate our identity from that of one who is in Christ. Once our identity is successfully "stolen," we become filled with doubt and confusion, questioning who we are. The end result is spiritual blindness to the joy and peace that comes with knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior, and we are left vulnerable and broken, susceptible to further deceptions.

I must confess that I have fallen victim to this ploy on more than one occasion. In fact, many times in my walk with Christ, he has had to gently remind me of who I am in him. The scriptures, God's written word, are full of promises and pronouncements proclaiming his love for us and our identity in him.

Psalm 100:3 "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."

Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

I enjoy the above verses because they remind me that god made me for his pleasure to be my caretaker and my abundant and infinite resource as he leads me home.

Song of Solomon 2:4 "He brought me to his banqueting house and his banner over me was love."

John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."

These two verses remind me of my identity as Christ's beloved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

This verse always reminds me that my past failures, blunders, loyalties, and even successes are not where I find my worth, but rather in being born again by Christ's precious blood.

These are some of the scriptures that Christ has shown me during my walk with him to bring to remembrance my identity in him, and give me assurance of my place by his side. I encourage you, brothers and sisters in Christ, as I admonish myself, to remember who you are, and rejoice daily in the security of your identity in Jesus Christ our Lord. May Jesus bless you.

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True Life Is In The Blood Of Jesus

There have been times in my life when I've denied Christ. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was seven years old, but that didn't stop me from occasional self-destruction. Aren't we all guilty of denying Christ from time to time? I mean, I always hear people talk about whether or not they took the opportunity to witness. If we don't, isn't that denying Christ in a way? I have to say that in certain situations, I have not only failed to mention that there is life in the blood, but I have quickly agreed with words spoken against God just so I didn't have to stand up strong and witness for him. Isn't that how Peter felt when he denied Christ three times at the crucifixion?

There's an old Baptist hymn that I remember singing all the time called "Power in the Blood." Power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the lamb. Today is Good Friday, so I am sitting here thinking about the power in the blood. You know, my mother always says it a different way, and it is something that has stuck with me for years now. She says that there is "life in the blood," and I recently heard a sermon about that as well. The only true life available to us is in the blood, as everything else is but dust and ashes.

Many of us claim, including myself, that we would die for certain people. Regardless of whether we would be able to pull that off, Jesus died for everyone. There has never been a greater sacrifice, and there never will be one. On top of that, our dying for someone can't cover the person's sins because we are not without sin ourselves. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were made, and the blood of the clean animal was shed to atone for people's sins. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11 It is life that is in the blood substituted for the life of the sinner who deserves to die.

In order to permanently cover everyone's sins, Jesus took it upon himself to give his life so that the world might be saved. I'll be honest, I get angry when a Jehovah's Witness knocks on my door. I should take the opportunity to witness, but I just think about Satan's deceptive ways. This group of people can seem like they align with everything a Christian believes, until in different ways, they subtly drop the bombshell on you that Jesus isn't the Savior. That is just like Satan, blending in with the crowd, and then ever so gently trying to rip the life right out of your hands. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

I know that Satan is very deceptive, so I can understand and have been myself drawn away from the Lord by him. One of his favorite techniques is to distract us, blinding us to what is really going on. If he can distract us with impulsive pleasures, then he has won. Think about what that means. We are but useless droids without Jesus. We are inferior fools, running around indulging in instant gratification, failing to see the treasure that is before us. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Doesn't that make you want to tell Satan to shove it? We are not capable of fighting Satan alone. Try it! You will lose. There is life in the blood of Jesus, and it is through him that we "make up there come down here" as my pastor always says.

This is a weekend in which we celebrate both the sacrifice that Jesus made and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Christ can provide so many resurrections in the lives of those who are hurting. He paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and he is here today to show us a life that is truly worth living. "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:10-11

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