Identity Theft - Part 2

This Sunday at church, we continued with the identity theft series. Remember, the main idea is that we have an enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy our identity in Christ by lying to us and hoping we will believe those lies. Because, a lie believed as truth will affect you as if it were true. If we buy into those lies, the enemy knows we will perceive those lies as truth.

This week, we talked about the lie that says "this is just the way I am." The enemy loves to convince us that we can't change. We've tried and failed, so he will try to make us believe that's just who we are and change is not possible. But the truth is, according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, "the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world......they have divine power to demolish strongholds." That word "stronghold" means to be a prisoner by deception. There is no lock and key, but a stronghold will keep you locked up by deception. In other words, we will self-imprison ourselves because we are deceived and trapped by the enemy's lies.

There are many kinds of strongholds: financial, relational, habitual, mental, spiritual, and physical. For example, a habitual stronghold would be if you are addicted to something and the lie is that you can't break that addiction. A mental stronghold would be like the "Debbie Downer" lady that never has anything positive to say. A spiritual stronghold would be that you see what real faith looks like, but don't believe you can get there.

Regardless of what stronghold you have, the enemy wants you to believe that you can't change. But, it's an insult to tell God that you don't believe He can change you. The truth is, He is the only one who has the power to change you!

There is a strategy to follow to diminish those strongholds in your life. The first thing is that you have to capture those wrong thoughts, which are any thoughts that are inconsistent with the truth. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says "we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We have to grab the stuff that's outside of God's truth. The enemy will plant lies in your head and you must capture those. Because if you don't, those lies will become your words and actions. When Paul was in prison in Rome, he wrote in Philippians 4:8 that we should think about those things that are excellent or praiseworthy.

The next thing we have to do is to release the right words. Proverbs 18:21 says that "the tongue has the power of life and death." Our words have the power to give life or the power to cause death. They have the power to build up or destroy, encourage or break down. Our words carry power to others and to ourselves. We can be our own worst critic. We have to remember to speak words of life to ourselves. Then Psalm 19:14 will become true to us: "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

Sometimes, we don't want that kind of change. God created everything about you. He knows how to get you to that John 10:10 life (to live abundant life). But, sometimes we don't want to do those things to get there. God knows what will make you complete in this life. We have to trust him.

The last strategy is to attack and win. We can't just pray, not do our part, and expect something to happen. We can't do it all by ourselves either. We have to work together with Him, His power in us, working together. Just trying and praying doesn't work. Trying and surrendering does work. That means that we put effort into it, but allow Him to work, doing it under His authority.

Here's what's required: everything you've got and everything you don't have. What you have is always enough when you come with Christ. Philippians 3:13 says, "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." We have to forget what is behind and not be paralyzed by our past. And we have to start today. Jesus says we don't have to be held in a self-imposed prison anymore.

What is the one thing God wants to change in you next? You won't find change in a book, a magical formula or program, or a motivational speech. Only in Christ is your power and opportunity for real change. God's purpose for you is His very best, but often we settle for just okay or good. We miss the opportunity because we think we can do it on our own. Know who you are in Christ!