Identity Theft: 3 More Reasons to Guard Your Identity in Christ
There’s nothing more important than our identity. Understanding who we are is crucial to comprehending who God is and what He ultimately did for us on the cross. In a previous post, we addressed two very important reasons to guard your identity against the enemy – the ultimate identity thief. The Bible tells us that he comes to “steal, kill, and destroy,” and as we’ve learned from our modern culture, identity theft is one of the most harmful crimes to commit.
The truth is that a criminal can do far more damage with your identity than he can with anything else you might own. He can cause years of damage before you even realize your identity has been stolen in the first place! And it can take years to unravel the mess.
The same is true of the enemy. If he can steal the truth about who you are in Christ, then he can keep you from living your full God-given potential. And if he can make you believe a lie about yourself, something that God never said about you, it can take years to unravel the mess.
So needless to say, your identity in Christ is important, and it needs to be protected.
Here are 3 more reasons why you should guard your identity in Christ:
- Knowing who we are in Christ helps us to define who God is and how much He loves us.
When we understand what Jesus truly did for us on the cross, it becomes clear how valuable we are in His eyes.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9
- Comprehending God’s plan for us helps us to unconditionally love and forgive others.
It’s easier to forgive others when we remember how much we’ve been forgiven.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. – 1 John 4:11-12
- Understanding our identity gives us the confidence we need to carry out God’s plan for our lives.
This is probably one of the main reasons the enemy lies to attack our identities. I truly believe that if every believer understood what the Bible really has to say about them and what they are capable of through Christ, we could literally move mountains. (And the enemy certainly doesn’t want us moving mountains!)
Not only that, but our trials would no longer hinder us the way that they so often do. Rather, we would learn to rejoice and thrive in them allowing the joy and peace of our Savior to sustain us.
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. – Romans 5:2-5 (NLT)
Can you think of any other reasons to guard your identity in Christ? (Share in the comment section below!)
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*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
