Identity Theft -2

Subject – Know Your Identity by Knowing Your God

by Rick Welborne

Daniel 3:10-18 (NLT)
¹⁰  You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
¹¹  That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
¹²  But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
¹³  Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--Last week we looked at Identity Theft and how it has infiltrated so many areas of our everyday lives…today we will look at how we must fight against this enemy who is trying desperately to rob from us.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Most everyone in this room would do everything in your power to keep thieves out of your house and away from your possessions but we freely let in the thief into our hearts and minds.

--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are beautiful examples of how we do not have to let that happen and how we can take a stand against the onslaught of the enemy.

--We will look today at: they knew who their God was, they knew who their god wasn’t, and they knew 

they could trust Him even in the fire.

1. They knew Who their God was.

--At this time King Nebuchadnezzar has made a decision that universal idolatry would be carried out by a decree of the king and whoever would not honor it would be judged.

--This sounds so much like what is going on in America…a president can write an executive order about gender identity (former president) and expect everyone to just accept it as law.

--How ridiculous has it become when people want to choose which bathroom they want to use determined by whichever gender identity they feel that day.

--If I feel like a duck or a fish today, can I swim in your pool or pond? Pastor Rick, you are not showing much compassion or sympathy for these people who are struggling with this.

--Let’s think this thru…we may have a few thousand who are struggling with this…men who want to use the women’s restrooms and we want to change the laws in every state to make them feel comfortable.

--What about the millions of women and young girls who would be terribly uncomfortable with this crazy decision…what about their emotions and what about their rights.

--I can tell you, if I saw a man going in the restroom after my wife and daughter just went in…I would definitely feel that manly protection need kick into gear and go kick him in the rear.

--What am I saying…what I am saying is this, we should not and hopefully will not accept everything that this world tells us we have to comply to…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t feel that way.

--The apostles did not feel that way when they were told to stop speaking and preaching in the Name above every name and that is the Name of Jesus.

Acts 4:17-22 (NLT)
¹⁷  But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
¹⁸  So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
¹⁹  But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
²⁰  We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
²¹  The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
²²  for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years. 

--The three Hebrew young men and the apostles knew who their God was and they were not about to compromise what they knew in their hearts and had studied in the Pentateuch – first five books of the Bible.

--Another means of Identity Theft is the world telling us what we should believe and even accusing us of misrepresenting God…you’re God would not treat people that way…really?

--We, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must know Who our God is and we must know our identity is found in Him, not what people try to make Him into.

--Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our God is the Great I am, our God is consisting of the Trinity…Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Listen to these Names of God:

Almighty  - Alpha -  Amen - Angel of the Lord - Anointed One - Author and Perfecter of our Faith Beginning - Branch - Bread of Life - Bridegroom - Carpenter - Chief Shepherd - The Christ Comforter - Consolation of Israel - Cornerstone – Dayspring - Day Star - Deliverer - Desire of Nations - Emmanuel  - End - Everlasting Father - Faithful and True Witness - Foundation - Fountain - Friend of Sinners - Gate for the Sheep - Gift of God - Glory of God - Good Shepherd - Great Shepherd - Guide - Head of the Church - High Priest - Holy One of Israel - Horn of Salvation - I Am - Jehovah - Jesus - King of Israel - King of Kings - Lamb of God - Last Adam - Life - Light of the World - Lion of the Tribe of Judah - Lord of Lords - Master - Mediator - Messiah - Mighty God - Morning Star - Nazarene - Omega - Passover Lamb - Physician - Potentate - Priest - Prince of Peace - Prophet - Propitiation - Purifier - Rabbi - Ransom - Redeemer - Refiner - Refuge - Resurrection - Righteousness - Rock - Root of David - Rose of Sharon - Ruler of God's Creation - Sacrifice - Savior - Second Adam - Seed of Abraham - Seed of David - 

Seed of the Woman - Servant - Shepherd - Son of David - Son of God - Son of Man - Son of Mary - Son of the Most High - Stone - Sun of Righteousness - Teacher - Truth - Way - Wonderful Counselor - Word - Vine

--He is the One we better stay connected to. Do you know Who your God is?

Psalm 9:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
⁸  He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
⁹  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 

2. They knew who was not their God.

- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that King Nebuchadnezzar was not their god and he was not where they found their identity. Though they were slaves in a foreign land they knew God’s promises.

--Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon…though they were in captivity…listen to this promise:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NIV)
¹⁰  This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.
¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
¹⁴  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

--What was this saying to them and what is it saying to us? God will show up in the middle of what this cosmos is trying to force down our throats and we do not have to conform to their demands.

--Keeping your identity may mean a turning up of the heat, it may mean you are singled out to be the one targeted (like the lady who owned the bakery), it may mean your peers are against you.

--That’s ok if you understand “If God be for you, who can be against you?”

--These guys knew that serving God may cost them something, in their case it may cost them everything! They knew that whether by life or by death, they were not going to forget who they were in God.

--They knew that ultimately the One to Whom they would bow their knee would not be King Nebuchadnezzar but to the Lord God Almighty.

 Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
¹¹  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

--The earthly king could only affect their earthly life but many of us are looking for something better…we are looking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
²⁸  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew their identity was in God and not Nebuchadnezzar. Do not fear but stand in the courage of whose identity you bear…Christian…we bear Christ’s identity.

3. They knew they could trust God even in the fire.

--When you know Who your God is and you know who your god is not…you are in a better place to trust God no matter what you are facing.

--I am sure we are in agreement about this, and I pray that our faith increases more and more, that we will see the hand of God heal, deliver, provide, and basically answer all our prayers right now.

--After serving God for such a long time and studying the Word for all those years I have concluded that God does not always answer the way we want Him to or as quickly as we want Him to.

--By many standards and by the recycling of an erroneous doctrine that tries to make us believe that we can have whatever we want whenever we ask…we are totaling missing God.

--People tell me that all we have to do is believe and receive. Many today would say these Hebrew young men did not have faith by their response to the king:

Daniel 3:14-18 (NLT)
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--When they said “but even if He doesn’t” they were not speaking faith or were they…How many of their Hebrew friends had died because they refused to bow their knee…these boys just might die…die trusting God.

--Listen to Job and Jesus…they knew their identity in God and knew they could trust Him no matter what.

Job 13:15-16 (NIV)
¹⁵  Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
¹⁶  Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! 

Matthew 26:42 (NLT)
⁴²  Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Biblical Spiritual Warfare

Subject: Preparing to Fight the Good Fight

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

--Tonight, we will start a new series on Biblical Spiritual Warfare…obviously, we will look at what the Bible has to say about the subject and how that applies to us as believers.

--We will look at many aspects of spiritual warfare and how many of the modern day conceptions are based on people’s experiences not on the Word of God.

--Also, we will lead into putting on the full armor of God…I almost did not choose to do this because I really thought it had only been a couple of years since I taught on it but saw it was 2011. Thanks Sister Browne!

--I truly believe the reason it seemed to only be a short time ago is because since Sister Browne challenged us to put the armor of God on…I have done that every day for six years. Tonight this is an introduction.

1. Spiritual warfare re-cycles through the Church every few years.

--There are times that certain things come and go in the Body of Christ and spiritual warfare is definitely one of them. Many jump in wholehearted for a season until something new comes along.

--Some act as though it is some new revelation but the message has been around a very long time.

--The emphasis on spiritual warfare is good in the sense that it causes us to become familiar that we do have an adversary, the devil and how he operates.

--Once we understand better how he operates we can have better success in defeating him…we have said over and over his intentions.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--This is why Paul told the Corinthians what he did while dealing with church discipline.

 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)
¹¹   …for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

--On the other hand, when we overemphasize spiritual warfare it can have a bad effect on the church. If it is not taught biblically it has a unique way of captivating people’s attention…it is all they think about.

--What can happen is that believers begin to attribute to the devil more power than he has and to a greater degree than it deserves. The devil loves this because it is an open door for him.

Ephesians 4:27 (NIV)
²⁷  and do not give the devil a foothold.

--What happens to so many is that they get imbalanced in thinking that the enemy is behind everything that occurs and, therefore, they get paralyzed thinking there is a demon behind every bush.

--I heard one of the proponents of spiritual warfare to a destructive degree say…There is not a demon behind every bush, there are at least seven. It can get kooky! Deliverance seminar – Cocoa Puffs.

--When we go to an extreme (all extremes are dysfunctional) with spiritual warfare and step out into the non-

Biblical areas, the enemy has neutralized you for God’s Kingdom. The world thinks it is crazy! Masterpiece

--Do not misunderstand me…I am not saying spiritual warfare is not real and I am definitely not against us preparing ourselves for the battle…the scriptures give us certain instructions:

Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV)
¹⁷  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
¹⁸  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)
³  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
⁴  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
⁵  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
⁶  and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

--We have had to deal with those who have been bound by evil spirits here at Life Church (girl in youth) and I have seen times where the spiritual oppression was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

2. We have to agree that they are many who are being held hostage by the enemy.

--People have been held so captive especially in their minds to the enemy. In this point I want us to establish that Jesus came to deal with the devil’s influence.

1 John 3:5-8 (NIV)
⁵  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
⁶  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
⁷  Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
⁸  He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 

--The word “destroy” is taken from the Greek word luo, and it refers to the act of untying or unloosing something. It is the same word we would choose in someone untying their shoes. Matt.3:11 Not worthy…

--Therefore, we can conclude that Jesus came into the world to untie or unloose Satan’s binding power over us. At the cross, Jesus did away with Satan’s powers over us and we were liberated completely by His sacrifice.

--Also, when Peter was preaching to the house of Cornelius listen to what he said about Jesus:

Acts 10:38 (NIV)
³⁸  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 

--Since Jesus made it a big part of His ministry to set people free from the powers of darkness, we should be willing to do the same. 

Rick Renner: In order to free people from demonic oppression, we must learn how to recognize the work of the enemy and how to overcome his attacks against the mind, for the mind is the primary area he seeks to attack. Satan’s goal is to plant a stronghold of deception in some area of an individual’s mind. If he is successful, he can then begin to control and manipulate the person from that lofty position.

As we seek to engage in spiritual warfare, we must be very careful to walk in balance. We must realize we are dealing with more than just the devil. 

--We must keep under control of Holy Spirit the control of our own minds and be willing to crucify our flesh. The truth is the devil’s attacks against our lives would not work if our flesh and mind did not cooperate.

Colossians 3:5-6 (NCV)
⁵  So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed. This is really serving a false god.
⁶  These things make God angry.

Romans 6:2 (NKJV)
²  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

--Remember this: Dead men are incapable of responding to anything…this is how we walk out the crucified life. Hear this: Living the crucified life is a critical part of spiritual warfare.

--Let me explain, you can scream at, command, demand, cast out, tell him (I mean the devil) to come out or to stop his activity but if you have not submitted your life fully to the Lord it will be of none avail.

--If you are going to engage in spiritual warfare it is imperative that you make sure you are filled with Holy Spirit power and living a life that shows you have died to yourself.

--The point is this: if you go into spiritual warfare only thinking of taking authority over the enemy and you do not even have the spirit of self-control yourself…you could potentially be opening yourself up to danger.

3. We must understand that the real battle was won at the Cross and at the Resurrection of Christ.

--This same victorious power dwells inside of us and this is why the Apostle John tells that greater is He that dwells in us than he who dwells in the world.

Romans 8:10-14 (NKJV)
¹⁰  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
¹¹  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
¹²  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
¹³  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
¹⁴  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

--Our view of spiritual warfare must begin with a basic understanding of what Jesus has already accomplished over Satan. If we start with any other premise we will end with messed up conclusions.

--Hear me, since the victory has already been won; there is nothing we can add to the destructive work Jesus did to Satan’s domain when He was raised from the dead. The victory has been won!

Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

--Another translation of this verse: He completely stripped principalities and powers and left them utterly naked, with nothing left at their disposal to retaliate.

--Though the battle is real, we must be careful to rely totally on the Word of God for our weaponry and Holy Spirit for our power in this fight.                                 

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

--I encourage you from the very beginning of this teaching to go to Eph. 6 and read it and re-read it until you get it in your spirit…declare God’s weaponry (His armor) over you.

--We will get there and will go thru each of the parts of armor together learning how to do spiritual warfare:

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
¹⁵  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
¹⁷  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
¹⁸  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
¹⁹  and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰  for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Identity Theft - 1

Subject – Don’t let Them Steal Your Identity in Christ

--King Nebuchadnezzar is the king of Babylon and he has troubling dreams…no leader in his kingdom can interpret them…Daniel comes along and tells him what the dreams mean.

--Daniel is exalted by the king and he puts three Hebrew young men in charge with him…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  

--King N builds a 90 foot tall image of himself and requires everyone to bow down to his image at the sound of all the music being played…the Hebrews refuse…They served only one God.

--The other leaders are jealous of them, their leadership, and that they are not conforming to the mandates being put out so they tattle to King N.

Daniel 3:10-18 (NLT)
¹⁰  You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
¹¹  That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
¹²  But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
¹³  Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--What a powerful story of these Hebrew young men who have made a decision to be who God called them to be not what others tried to make them into.

--Today we are starting a new series which is called Identity Theft. I have thought about this and prayed about this for several weeks. 

--Identity theft just started out as the potential of someone stealing our SS# and credit card information and wreaking havoc with our finances…many have shared with me that they are going thru this.

--We gave a benevolence check to someone from Life Church years ago and they took the account number off the check and made their own checks…They were trying to steal what was not theirs. 

--The more I thought about this thing with Identity Theft and hearing junk on the news on a daily basis has opened my eyes to a more sinister plot of the enemy. Our Life Church verse:

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Remember this: Satan comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. We have witnessed this in our society for years with very little resistance especially from the faith community.

--Of course, another form of identity theft has been the world robbing the church of its true identity. They have convinced us that if we speak out against things that are anti-biblical that we are bigoted or racial.

--If we speak out against homosexuality, against the refugee crisis, against border security, against bathroom choice, or about gender identity that we are mean and without compassion.

--Which person is lacking in love and compassion…the guy who refuses to tell you the bridge is out and that you are headed for sure destruction or the person who does everything to warn you and stop you?

--I personally refuse to be identified or labelled by a liberal world system that says anything goes except Christianity…the Bible will be my manual to direct my path…it was true of the three Hebrew young men.

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)
¹⁰⁵  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 

1. My identity has been defined by God.

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
⁵  and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
⁶  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Family Research Council:  Virtually all people have a biological sex, identifiable at birth and immutable through life, which makes them either male or female. The transgender movement represents a denial of this physical reality.  

Genesis 5:2 (NCV)
²  He created them male and female, and on that day he blessed them and named them human beings. 

--News flash…God has already decided your identity when you were born male or female. Remember the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

--This stealing of identities is born out in the Family Research Council when it shares how those who try to have their sexual identity changed are among the highest on the list of suicides…they are so confused.

Family Research Council: While causality is difficult to determine, those who identify as transgender are more likely to have been victims of child sexual abuse or to have a history of trauma, loss, and family disruption.

--Let me say loud and clear…any form of sexual abuse is Identity Theft because of what it robs from its victims. Children and women were never intended to be targets of sick men abusing them. Thieves!

--Years ago I had to deal with one of the most difficult Identity Theft issues I had ever seen. We had a couple in our church (retired) who had three beautiful daughters (grown and gone).

--The man dies and the woman is hurt and broken at her loss. All three daughters sit down with mom…dad abused us all while we were growing up. Obviously the daughter’s identities were stolen…much pain.

--Now imagine the identity of the woman as a good mother and a faithful wife…her identity stolen by the lust and greed of this selfish husband and dad. Imagine the anger but how do you fix this…her peace was stolen.

2. When we question God about our identity we are headed for trouble.

--Many of us have been brain washed by the media and its constant bombarding of the worldly agenda. God please take us back to Andy and Barnie and Bonanza where right was right and wrong was wrong.

--Now, almost every sitcom has at least one homosexual couple and it is made to be cute and funny but it is neither cute nor funny when it goes against scripture. The three Hebrews knew who they were.

--That slow constant dripping is so messing with the minds of even those who claim Christ…I heard a believer say not too long ago about same sex relationships…what does it matter if they love each other? Mandeville La.

--You can accuse God all you want but you have a choice in the matter…The enemy comes to steal your identity but Jesus said He came so you could have life and have it more abundantly! Be steadfast! 

Isaiah 29:15-16 (NIV)
¹⁵  Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"
¹⁶  You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? 

Romans 9:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"

--Romans 1 tells of the downward spiral that we can go down if we are not careful…We do not give Him glory as God, we are unthankful, our thinking is foolish, our hearts are darkened, we exchange truth for a lie:

Romans 1:26-32 (NCV)
²⁶  Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women.
²⁷  In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.
²⁸  People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do.
²⁹  They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip
³⁰  and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents.
³¹  They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others.
³²  They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them. 

3. The answer: Turn back to God!

--If God created us, if he created us male and female, if He created us to be in the likeness of His image, shouldn’t we turn back to Him. Shadrack, Meshack. And Abednego chose not to turn away.

--If He knows the plans He has for us…plans to give us a hope and a future…shouldn’t we turn back to Him.

--If He is willing to heal the broken hearted and to set the captives free (from Identity Theft, from sexual abuse or whatever), shouldn’t we turn back to Him.

--Listen to what God did for people who had their identity stolen.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)
⁹  Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
¹⁰  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
¹¹  Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

--You were made right with God by calling on His name…maybe you have turned away for a season…maybe you have never turned to Him at all…shouldn’t you turn to Him today?

--Your identity is found in Christ…any other identity is superficial and deceiving…God looks at you as being His special people or person: Shadrack, Meshack. And Abednego chose to live different than the rest.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)
⁹  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
¹⁰  “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” 

Conclusion: Who do we trust when it comes to our identity, our gender identity, our lives going forward, who do we trust…Please choose to trust in God. Why? He created you the way you are for His purposes.

Psalm 139:13-17 (NIV)
¹³  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
¹⁵  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
¹⁶  your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
¹⁷  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 

--God was not confused when He formed you…He created you to have His true identity.