Who Are You - In Him

Identity theft is a concern for everyone online, with accounts, passwords, credit card numbers, being used for family and friends. It is an issue that we have to deal with year-round.

Online identity-theft involves the bad guys learning enough of your information to take on your identity and steal your resources. They try to find and trick information from any source they can. You are left unaware, ignorant of what is going on, while they proceed to visit banks and merchants who have what the bad guys want. Once the merchants are convinced they are speaking with you, they can be persuaded, based on your reputation and credit report, there is no harm in sending merchandise and money to a different address.

God's people have to deal with His enemy convincing THEM that they are NOT who God declares them to be, and therefore have no right to all of the Spirit's richest resources of strength and power and love and forgiveness, the privileges of right-standing with God such as immediate access to His presence and the assurance of our requests being heard and answered, His anointing to save, heal, and deliver, the roadside benefits of legions of heaven's angels to rescue and defend us when attacked or needing help along our journey.

Psalm 143:2 Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before You.

God's enemy, our enemy, cannot use the riches that God has assigned and attributed to us; all he wants to do is keep us from using them for ourselves and for others, to further God's kingdom, and his only tools are lies and half-truths designed to generate fear, intimidation, doubt, condemnation. 

"You haven't felt God's presence yet today - " 
  perhaps true
"- because God is too busy for your little worries."  
  completely false, but matches our natural limits which we project on to God until the Word and Spirit reveal the depth of His love

"What right do you have to approach such a holy God?"
  never give attention to a question the enemy asks, for he frames it to his advantage

"That sin you committed cuts you off from God - "
  no one knows that better than the devil
" - so you should just give up and quit trying."
  as long as I get up one time more than I fall down, I have endured, and have God's victory.

Go to the Scriptures and study who you are, learn who you are, remember who you are. Not the the identity the world assigns you, not the caricature held up to you by God's enemy, not the patchwork crazy-quilt of memories you retain from childhood, but the truthful, honest, loving, eternal description in the Word of God that declares you are His beloved, for only God searches the heart, and only God does not lie.

Psalms 143
v.8 Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.
v.9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in You.
v.10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
v.11 For Your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in Your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
v.12 In Your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am Your servant.

Beloved and loving Lord, You speak truth to us, even when it is truth too wonderful for us to comprehend. You love us, and while we daily grow into a greater understanding of that, we accept it where we stand and let it soak into our hearts and let it echo back to You as we give voice to our thanks and praise of Your eternal lovingkindness. Thank You for helping us stand firm on Your word and fling off the attacks of the enemy. Thank You that You proclaim us priests and kings and assign us tasks in which we can serve. In You we have our identity, and in You we are useful and productive.

Zechariah 7
v.9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
v.10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.

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