The Attack on Our Identity

Last night I had a very weird set of dreams, that seemed to continue much of the night. In my dreams, I had taken a DNA test and found out that I was an almost perfect match to a guy living in Colorado, and wasn't 100% match with my own brothers and sisters. This was obviously shocking news. since I am the second oldest and have always been raised to believe our family was all from the same parents (which is true in reality).  In my dream, the more I puzzled on this, and the more I looked into our past life and my parent's past, the more I found out and the perfect family history started to unravel.  It turns out that somehow this guy was my older brother, and as I asked my Mom about it, she sat me down for a long talk.  That is where I woke up, and the sequence of related dreams ended.

As I was pondering these dreams, I felt like they related to identity.  I felt like they represented an attack on our core or true identity (our DNA) as sons and daughters of God. The question that was being raised in my dream was about who my real father was, and what he was like. This same questions is constantly being questioned as it relates to our Heavenly Father as well.  When we accept salvation we are adopted into God's family and become His sons and daughters.  Our whole identity changes, and from that point on we are His.  Nothing we can do changes His love and acceptance of us.

The enemy spends all his time trying to convince us of the following:

1) We are not God's sons and daughters
2) We are not loved by Him
3) He isn't a loving Father
4) Our life as we know it isn't real, or is too good to be true
5) Everything we thought we knew is wrong

The attacks of the enemy are all accusations, lies and deception.  We need to listen to the truth!  We need to think on the truth, and dig into the truth rather than into the lies.  We need to be proclaiming that truth to those around us, to those who struggle to understand their identities.  We are sons and daughters, and we need to hold tightly to that Identity!

If the main attack is about identity, than there is something critically important in that fact.  I heard a preacher once say that the thing about our enemy is that he always tips his hand (shows us what he is about) and one of the ways he does this is in his attacks.  The areas he tries to attack us in are always the areas he fears!  So if he attacks our identities, then He greatly fears us learning to embrace and walk in our true identities as God's sons and daughters.

The theme of adoption and identity were huge for Paul.  Here is what he wrote in his letter to the Romans 8:14-17 NIV:

[14] "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

- and again in His letter to the Galatians 4:4-7 NIV:

[4] "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

If we are God's child, then we are meant to walk in intimacy in His name, in His authority, and in His power, just as Jesus demonstrated.  This is the truth!  This is what the enemy fears!

My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit will speak truth to my heart, and through me to those who need to hear the truth!  We are God's sons and daughters and He loves us!  We are not an unacknowledged step-child, we are not like Cinderella, we are His dearly loved and cherished children!  We are His favorites!

Amen!