WHO AM I

As we were preparing for bed last night, the Lord gave me a revelation. A revelation I realized had been unfolding before me in the prior days.

As I was preparing the bed, the Lord revealed to me that one of the greatest attacks against man is the attack against our identity. At first glance, this seems "small" yet as he continued to bring to my remembrance, the scriptures, I began to see the depth of this serious truth.

He took me back to the Garden of Eden (The Book of Genesis) where the enemy tells Eve, "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5 KJV) Now this is where it gets a little deep, to me. The Lord showed me that there are multiple components of persuasion. I've heard the fall of man ministered with the focus of man's desire to know what was not for man to know. This focus in only a portion. The Lord reminded me of how children desire to be like their parents. A child hungers to identify with their parent(s). Eve was persuaded, not just by her desire to know, but her desire to be like (identify with) her Father (God)...she wanted to be "as a god". The problem is that she was already a part of the image of her Father (GOD) but clearly did not view herself as such.

Then the Lord took me to the wilderness where he was led into, by the Spirit, to be tempted of the devil. He drew my attention to how the devil addressed him. The tempter addressed Jesus with, "IF thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." After Jesus declines, the tempter tries again with, "IF thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down..." IF proposes the idea that Jesus is not the Son of God...or that he needs to prove himself to be the Son of God. His identity was questioned by the enemy.

The Lord took me further and reminded me of the Pharisees and Scribes. They hated him and questioned his authority (identity). The scripture says, "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18 KJV) They hated him because he identified himself with God!

The Lord took me to his crucifixion, where he reminded me of how they repeatedly asked him was he the Christ. He reminded me that they mocked him, just as the tempter, saying, "IF thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself." (Luke 23:37 KJV). He took me further..."And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written." (John 19:19-22 KJV) In this scripture, we can clearly see that they are questioning his identity.

Later the Lord also took me back to the scripture that reads, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11). He was rejected by his own because his own did not know who he was!

Lets go further. When Jesus went into his own country, teaching in their synagogue, look at what they said among themselves:

"Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" The scripture then reads. "And they were offended in him." (Matthew 13:54-57)

In simple terms, Jesus went back to his hometown to teach. Once he was finished, the people were so astonished by his Wisdom that they began to wonder and ask, "How does he know all of these things when he is like us...his father (Joseph) is a carpenter, his mother is Mary and we know all of his siblings." They too questioned his identity.

The worse deception is one that has confused your identity of who you are, what belongs to you, and what you can do. Our identity is wrapped up in Jesus Christ. His identity has been in question since his birth, unto his death, and even his resurrection. Still today, many do not believe that he is the only way back to the Father...they QUESTION his identity...thus questioning ours. Below are ways that the enemy has questioned and challenged our identity.

* Men trying to identify themselves as women

- The enemy will challenge a man's identity by stripping him of his self-esteem and convincing him to identify himself as a woman.

* Homosexual

* Feminism

* Stay-at home dads

* Men submitted to their wives leadership

* Women trying to identify themselves as men

- The enemy will challenge a woman's identity by trying to cause her to identify herself as a man.

* Homosexual

* Control freaks (refuse to submit)

* Single mothers (playing the father's role and theirs)

* Addictions

- The enemy tries to get you and others to identify you based upon your battle of addiction.

* Our failures

- The enemy will use your failures to question your identity.

* Ex: "You are not a Christian, because you did that."

* Ex: "You never finished college, so you'll never be anything."

* Our achievements

- The enemy will make you feel like you are righteous and more favored by the Lord because of your achievements.

- Ex: "You're wise because you've graduated college."

- Ex: "God is pleased with you because you own a home, your car is new, and you have money."

- Ex: "You are saved because you have your own ministry"

* Make up; Cosmetic Surgeries; Etc.

- The enemy will come and attack your identity by convincing you to cover up your natural beauty...(you are made in the image of God and he wants that hidden).

* Ex: "You're not pretty like the women on T.V"

* Ex: "You're smile is ugly."

* Ex: "You don't have enough hair."

* Ex: " You're skin is not light enough."

* Ex: You're too short

* Ex: You're too tall

* Ex: You're too fat

* Ex: You're too skinny

* Ex; Your skin is too dark

* Ex: Your skin is too pale

* Ex; Your hair is too short

* Ex: Your teeth are too crooked

* Our families

- The enemy will come and challenge your identity by comparing you to your family members.

* Ex: You're mom never lived her dream, neither will you.

* Ex: You're dad never lived his dream, neither will you

* Ex: This disease runs in your family, you will have it too

* Ex: This disease killed a lot of your family, it'll kill you too

* Ex: No one in your family has ever done anything like that, so you can't either

* Ex: You're dad was a drunk, you'll be a drunk too

* Our Pain

- The enemy will use your pain to challenge your identity

* Ex: Everyone cheats on your because no one wants you

* Ex: No one loves you

* Ex: God does not love you, that's why he allowed you to get hurt.

Our identities are always questioned and attacked by the enemy. It is so important that we learn and believe who God says we are. Here are some of the scriptures that help reveal who we are:

1. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepteth upon the earth.” [Genesis 1:26 KJV]

2. “But as many received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…” [John 1:12 KJV]

3. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: “ [ John:10-27 KJV]

4. “Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.” [John 15:14 KJV]

5. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” [John 15:5 KJV]

6. “The Spirit itself beareth withness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” [Romans 16-17 KJV]

7. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” [Ephesians 2:19 KJV]

8. “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” [1 Corinthians 11:7 KJV]

9. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” [1 Peter 2:9 KJV]

10. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” [Matthew 5:14 KJV]

11. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” [Matthew 5:13 KJV]

BE ENCOURAGED. FIND YOUR IDENTITY IN JESUS CHRIST.