by Rod Marshall
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:6-9 (ESV)
We have a new phenomenon in our vicinity: Identity theft. Thieves can raid our bins left out for the refuse collectors to remove. They scavenge for paperwork that might give away your personal account details. They set up mobile phone or credit accounts on the Internet with these particulars, and purchase products in your name, with your details as collateral, until the money or your credit is all used up!
Similarly, we know the Devil is on a quest to catch us out when we fall, become proud, willful, or reckless. Maybe it is because we have not been wholehearted in prayer or careful enough with the gifts we have been given? Anyway, I believe he wants to steal our potential as Christians, given half a chance.
Yes, specifically Christians, because they are at a premium as spiritual prey. Put simply he desires to pervert and quench our spirit long enough to bring sorrow to our Savior. If the Devil can use unwary Christians as pawns to bring harm to The Church as the body of Christ, he will. When we are sidelined into worldly preoccupations we become rendered useless, just like the five foolish virgins that were unprepared when it mattered (Matthew 25:2). At worst, we might cause real harm and destruction to others around us, like a Judas.
If we test our thoughts and attitudes against biblical standards, before we bring anything into public view, we might just stop our identity from being misused!
If we do get it wrong, let us be honest and go to our Savior, kneel and ask His forgiveness. Maybe someone else might need to be involved in the process too? Anyway, He will in return restore to us, by Grace, a new Kingdom identity that He has kept safe in heaven.
PRAYER: LORD, we ask today for You to repair our broken-down defenses and return to us our true identity kept safe in You. Please grant us the confidence to use the weapons of spiritual warfare You have prepared for us, to be able to stand up for Jesus once more today.
Then may we dismiss with a shout of declaration and praise, the evil that preys around our streets seeking to trick and rob us of Your eternal Love. Amen.
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https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/04/24/rm_identity/