Identity Theft

The overall theme of the evening was Experiencing the love of Christ – a  love that is so great it cannot be explained only experienced.

In today’s culture, one of the frustrations and fears we face is Identity Theft.  A couple of years ago, I received a receipt in the mail for a bunch of make-up I had purchased on-line.  Except I had NOT purchased it!  Someone somehow had stolen my identity and used by credit card! 

Identity theft is not limited to on-line accounts and credit cards.  Addiction is a form of Identity theft.

For years I assumed a false identity because of the fact that I struggle with drugs and alcohol.  I was so ashamed of who I was, I hid from family and friends.  In fact, I almost came close to ruining any chance at a relationship with Dawn because:  1. I got drunk before I was supposed to hang out with her family, and 2.  I was so ashamed of my lack of self-control,  I didn’t think I could ever face her again. 

The false identity I knew in my heart was true was that I was a loser, an alcoholic, a drug user with a very “troubled” past.  

I was a victim of Identity Theft before I even knew what Identity Theft was!! 

Most addicts I know have had their identity stolen by their addiction. 

You are not your addiction.  As many times as I say that; as many times you are told that; as many times as we know that; there are an equal amount of times we don’t believe it.  We cannot seem to break the thought pattern that we are defined by our addiction!  While it is invaluable to recognize that we do have a problem that is NOT our identity.  While introducing oneself as an addict/alcoholic at an AA meeting in a previous life is acceptable in those circles, it is not acceptable at any Christ-centered recovery group! 

Why?  Because Christ has given you and I a new identity.  For holistic recovery to become a reality, we have to learn to separate our identity from our addiction – our behavior! 

1 Corinthians 6.9-11 list of behaviors that have potential to steal our ID

v’s 9&10. (read)

Those verses are an inclusive but certainly not an exhaustive list of behaviors that have the potential of robbing us of our true identity.

Two key words in these verses help us understand and apply them to our lives. 

  

One: Indulge means to give free rein to; to enjoy to excess

Two: Inherit means to become the owner of something in accordance with legal succession.

Kingdom of God is not a destination.  The Kingdom of God is the spiritual realm where God’s percepts and principles for life are manifest in our lives.

Luke 17:21 -  Jesus states, “You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. ”

Romans 14:17 – The apostle Paul writes,  “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 4:20 – Paul writes, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”

The Kingdom of God is when your heart connects with God’s heart; when you seek what God seeks; when your passion is to obey God’s precepts and principles; when you are totally surrendered to God. 

No one in human history has attained a 100% surrendering of their will to God.  Some come close while others, well, they suffer from that chosen blindness we talked about last week.  Often we chose to not see or refuse to see the areas of our lives that are contrary to the Kingdom of God. 

 And that’s where His grace kicks in… for we all sin and fall short of the glory of God; none of us “deserve” to inherit the Kingdom of God!  The ground is level at the foot of the cross! 

v. 11 (read)

BUT… a big word!  (So, I guess we’re supposed to have “big buts”!?)

God doesn’t just empower us to change our behavior, when we identify ourselves with Christ; we have a new identity!!  We’ll always remember that we are predisposed to a particular addiction but we no longer “indulge” ourselves in our addiction. And, honestly, our progress but not perfection mindset (NOT an all or nothing) grounds us in the fact that we may slip up. 

But we should no longer see our addiction as the definition of who we are. 

Ephesians 1.5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

You are part of God’s family.  You are a child of God.  That is your true identity. 

Let’s be honest, in the depths of our addiction, we WERE about as far away from the KOG as we could be.  And, yet, it states in Romans 5 that while we were still sinners, Christ died for the forgiveness of sin so we could be find “peace with God.” 

The love of Christ.  A love so deep, so high, so wide and so long it cannot be explained, only experienced!