Dharius Daniels - Identity Theft

So during a national version, John chapter 8, verse 10 says, «Jesus straightened up and asked the woman, ‘Where are they? Has no one condemned you? ’ ‘No one, sir, ’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you, ’ Jesus declared. ‘Now go and leave your life of sin.’» I want to talk from this subject in our time together: Identity Theft. Identity theft! Clap your hands if you’re ready for God to speak to us through His Word.

A couple of years ago, I had an interesting experience. I received some mail at my home from a credit card company informing me that I had been denied a credit card because it was a card I already possessed. My family and I take a very conservative approach to credit cards. We take an approach that we don’t advise people to take unless they have the kind of discipline we have. We use them in a way that’s similar to debit cards, so it always has a zero balance. We use it, we pay it off; we use it, we pay it off. We never pay interest. We earn points, and since we fly a lot, we get the flights and buy stuff; it’s great! But if you don’t have the discipline, don’t do it, because a credit card can become a demon.

Because I already possessed the card, I thought, «Okay, maybe this was a glitch, an error, or something along those lines.» However, a month later, I received a letter in the mail from a telephone company letting me know that the cellphone I possessed was being cut off as it was being investigated for fraud. With that kind of consistency, I did some investigation and, lo and behold, I discovered that somehow, someway, someone had stolen my identity.

Some of you may be wondering what the significance of that story is for this sermon. I’m not trying to get your sympathy; I’m trying to help you see the similarity, because I’m not the only one who has had my identity stolen. I’m not talking about natural identity theft; I’m talking about spiritual identity theft. The sad part of my story is I didn’t even know how long my identity had been stolen. Just as it was for me naturally, so it is for us spiritually. It’s possible to have our identity stolen and not even know it.

Jesus puts it this way in John 10:10. He says something very interesting: «The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.» Notice this—to steal, kill, and destroy. He says, «But I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.» Can I just pause and pray and speak this over your life real quick? This summer is a summer for full life! See, you can be existing and not living. Just because you’re existing doesn’t mean you’re living; you can be full of life, zest, zeal, and vitality. You can be walking dead! I’m just praying, believing, and declaring over our lives by faith that this is going to be a year—a summer, a season, a decade—where we are ready to live! I want to live, not just exist; I want to live!

But I want you to notice what’s going on in the text. Jesus calls the enemy a thief; it is the first adjective he uses to describe him. We are able to see the activity of the enemy through the names of the enemy, and Jesus calls the enemy a thief. Somebody say «thief.» Come on, say it again—“thief.» He’s a strategic thief! He doesn’t just steal everything; he steals certain things. He’s strategic in what he attempts to steal, and one of the areas he attempts to rob us in is the area of our identity. The enemy knows we will always behave in a way that is consistent with the way we see ourselves. I cannot live right if I see myself wrong, so he comes after our identity.

Can I tell you something? Just because we know our name doesn’t mean we know who we are. Does that make sense? Just because we know where we were born, when we were born, and who we were born to, does not mean we know who we are. The only person who can accurately articulate who we are is the person who created us, and I came to tell you that the enemy wants to rob us of our God-given identity. Listen to this: the way he does that is not by giving us no identity; the way he does it is by giving us the wrong identity. See, just because I’m not thinking lowly of myself doesn’t mean I’m thinking right about myself. Just because I’m not thinking wrong about myself doesn’t mean I’m thinking right about myself.

One of the ways the enemy gives us a misplaced identity is by causing us to draw our identity from the wrong places. I want to share with you four places and spaces the enemy uses to steal people’s identity—to get people to operate with a misplaced identity. Here it is: number one, the enemy uses our issues. And everybody who’s honest enough to admit they have some issues, just say «Amen!» Your neighbor didn’t say anything, so this part of the sermon is not for them, but for the rest of us who know that God is still working on us, sanctifying us, developing us, and preparing us. We’re honest enough to say, «I love Jesus, and I have Jesus, but I also still have issues”—plural, with an „s.“