Stealing Your Identity

A couple weeks ago I got an authentic looking e-mail from an e-mail supplier. It told me they were updating the files and purging old accounts. They needed some information to keep my account current. I was uncomfortable giving all they asked for, so I gave them what I hoped would be enough.

Soon after, I received another email thanking me for responding but telling me that they still needed my password. It was signed with what looked like a valid signature. Though I didn’t want my account closed, something held me back from giving it out. I wrote them and told them I was uncomfortable with their request. The e-mails stopped. That’s when I realized I’d been the target of an attempted identity theft. Though a failed mission, it left me feeling vulnerable.

The next couple of days I was hit with intense fear. What if they got on my account? What if they saw some of the e-mails I had on there; bank transfers, credit card payments, etc. Could they steal all that I had? Immediately, I changed my passwords on all accounts, deleted all e-mails with personal information, and contacted my bank and credit card companies, just in case. There was no evidence of any entry to my account, but it scared me enough to beef up with reinforcements.

The whole process left me thinking. This is what the enemy does to me on a regular basis. He sends his messages to me trying to steal my identity. He wants to distort who God made me to be in my mind.

How often do I give him access into my person? I hear the whispers and don’t even pay attention. In fact I often agree with what I hear. “You screw things up.” “You are so stupid.” “Nobody wants you.” “You are too much for everyone.”

How often do I go to the extra measure to protect my God-given identity? Do I guard over my heart, or do I open the door to a thief? I can spend more time guarding over my stuff, than my heart. How often do I take what I’m hearing to God to see if it’s true? One attempt after another is made to steal my identity and I don’t even notice.

I Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Am I alert to the attempts to rob me of my identity? Be watchful, it says, pay attention, there’s a thief lurking about.

When I called the bank to tell them about what happened, they told me something interesting. “People are closing down accounts and starting over all the time because they’ve given out too much information.” They are caught off guard. They are deceived into thinking that someone is helping them, while all the while they are setting them up to be robbed.

Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard over your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” How well do I guard? Am I more aware of the amount of money in my bank account than the state of my heart?

The heart is the center of man. It is the center of who we are. God bestows our identity on us. It is His image represented through us. It is not marked by our sins. Our sins do not define us. Who we are is who God designed us to be. He sees us in the original cut, before sin marred our lives, before the wounds dictated lies to us.

How well are you guarding over your identity? There is one who lurks about to steal, kill and destroy. Giving out your password will guarantee you will be a victim of identity theft. Agreeing with the enemy’s words to you will guarantee the same. Agree with God’s words. Silence the enemy once and for all by shutting down his attempts. Don’t respond. Renew your mind with God’s transforming revelations of who He says you are. He knows who you are. Do you?

Who’s dictating your identity?

Who are you agreeing with?

Do you know who God says you are? If not, ask Him. He can’t wait to tell you.

Papa, thank you that you bestowed our identity on us before we were created. Thank you that in your eyes it is intact. Take us to the revelations of that true identity. Shut down the attempts to rob us and show us where we are agreeing with the enemy. You are our identity.

This devo is also posted at Heart of the Matter Online:

JEWELZ

©copyrighed 2008 by Julie L. Todd