1. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another:
2. condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is:
We all have an identity. We get our identity when we are born, when our parents give us a name and when we get a social security number. We are identified by our family, by how we act and what we look like. We are identified not only by the identification of being a human, but as a Christian.
Having an identity is important especially when it lies in Christ.
As being Christians we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of living. No more conforming to the ways of this world.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It's time for us as Christians to be stronger in our faith, to be stronger in our standards in life and to be stronger in how we carry ourselves. Why is it so easy for people to in our generation to conform to the ways of this world. Why is it that the generation behind me has already been dealing with struggles that I didn't have to face while I was growing up? Why is it so difficult for us to stand up for what is right. If we KNOW the truth and we HAVE the truth, why is it so foreign to walk down the street and witness to someone? Why is it that homosexuals can stand for what they believe in better than Christians can? If us Christians conform to everything the world throws at us, then we will have nothing to live for. It's not just about looking holy or acting like we know everything about being a Oneness Apostolic. It's about being able to put into ACTION what we know. Reading the Bible isn't about just being able to say you've checked it off of your "to do" list for the day, but it's about getting into the depths of the Bible and reaching down into your heart and gathering knowledge to use everyday.
Why is it that the world has such a major impact on us? Why can't we have a major impact on the world?
When we talk about identity theft, we think about someone stealing our name from us, taking what is ours because we weren't ready and protected and secured. This is also true with Christians today. I've seen it, and it's happened to me. Too many times young people get too carried away with life and social media that it warps our minds into thinking things that we shouldn't be thinking of. It also changes how we act and how we live. It's been said before "you are what you eat" "what is in your heart is evident by how you live". How true these words are! If we are demoralized by the world, it is shown by how we act. Why has the world taken our identities from us? Why have we ALLOWED the world to take our identities from us? If we say we want revival...but we do nothing about it and we continue to live how we've always lived, not reading the Bible and not praying, then the devil has won. But we have forgotten, the ultimate battle has already been won. Jesus conquered the grave, Jesus gave us life, he gave us the Holy Ghost and anointing to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Why have we taken this gift for granted and kept it to ourselves? Why have we ALLOWED the world to take our Christian Identity from us? Why have we allowed them to come and take the next generations identities from them?
My challenge for all Christians is to take back our identity that the world has stolen from us and help protect the identities of the next generation coming up after us.
