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Program D-7278

Identity theft is not new!  You see, there is a thief and a robber who has been trying to steal your identity in Christ since the day you became a new creation in Christ—a Christ-follower.  He does not want you to know the truth of who you are, because who you are in Christ is a threat to his evil kingdom.

How does Satan try to steal our identity?  Well, one way is by keeping us mired in who we used to be before Jesus changed us.  We all have a past; we all were a mess before Jesus transformed us; we all have baggage.  And much of our baggage is mired in shame.  You may be filled with shame over who you used to be, and when that is true, the enemy is stealing your new identity in Christ.

We know that our enemy is the father of lies, and he lies to us through our thoughts, as well as other ways.  So, we need to keep close watch on our thoughts and simply not allow our thoughts to take us back into the shame of our past.  The Bible says we are to bring every thought into captivity and make it obedient to Christ, so when your thoughts are dwelling on the shame and guilt of your past, you need to stop in your tracks, rebuke those thoughts, and replace them with the truth of who you are in Christ.

Repeat that you are a new creation, you belong to Jesus, you are the one Jesus loves, God gave you to Jesus and nothing can ever separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  That is truth, and truth sets you free.

Remember, you don’t have to feel truth in order for it to be truth.  Your feelings may still try to dwell in the past, but simply keep replacing those wrong thoughts with truth, and eventually the enemy will flee from you.  He cannot abide the truth.

Isaiah 43:18 tells us:  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”  None of us can change our past; it is what it is, as we say.  But we can put it behind us and refuse to dwell on it.  If you’ve forsaken the sins of your past and been forgiven by God, then believe me, God wants you to live in the newness of who you are in Christ, and not let the enemy steal your identity by keeping you mired in the past, in the old you.  You are a new creation and your identity is rooted in what God says about you, not in who you used to be.