I was once at a Hibachi restaurant with some fiends and, while I don’t like seafood at all, I’ll try anything once. This is why I decided to share a sashimi plate (assorted raw fish) with a friend. It came with wasabi, a very spicy, green play dough-looking blob, to season the bland fish. I wanted to try it but had to have an accomplice. I pressed everyone at the table to try it with me and finally said I’d eat a large chunk if someone else would eat a small piece. After that, my meal was over for the evening as I fought nausea.
I’m a pusher. I press people into doing things a lot. I know the right buttons to push to validate myself… my false self, that is. The funny thing is, I was always on the other end growing up—the persuaded rather than the persuad-ee. I’ve recoiled because of that adolescent trial and perhaps you’re in the midst of that too.
Phase 2: Persuaded
After being threatened the enemy both persuades me and pushes me to persuade others to join me in me stolen identity. After all, if my fake identity is surrounded by others, temporarily, I’m comfortable. And that's what it wants us to believe—that that’s the goal.
The good thing is that at any point along this process we can resist it. He does not have power over you. But this is one of the hardest things to resist and here’s why: God built us with a strong desire for our true identity to be accepted. It goes wrong when we seek that acceptance in humans and not Him. If I can run to him at this point and cry “Do you accept me?” then the resounding embrace of “Yes!” will bring peace like nothing else.
Where do you feel pushed or persuaded?
Who have you persuaded people lately to make yourself feel accepted? Do those people deserve an apology?
Read Psalm 139 and be assured that you are accepted—the real true you—by the only one that matters
Bruce almighty is my favorite movie. Go watch it. Ok, now I can tell you one of my favorite lines. Bruce meets God and God is pressing him—making him uncomfortable. Bruce says “Wait, really. I'm warning you. When I'm backed into a corner, I'm like a wild animal!” to which God retorts “You haven't won a fight since the fifth grade and that was against a girl.”
When we are living with a false identity, which many of us are still in denial about, we will feel threatened when God attempts to reclaim our true identity for us. This begins the process of Identity theft. Discovering your identity is not a once and done kind of thing. As you are already discovering it, the enemy will continue to try to take it away. If we can recognize it’s tactics though we can prevent it.
Phase 1: Threatened
In Acts 6:8-10 we saw the religious leaders threatened by Stephen’s wisdom. It says “none of them could stand” against it.
Ever had that feeling that you were falling and unless you took the reigns there’d be catastrophic results? This is the enemy and his false you. God is asking you to let go. No matter who you are there is something that really excites you—sky diving, music, love stories. Notice that all of these (especially sky diving) have this sense of free falling.
Pray that God would challenge you in specific areas to let go of the reigns to your heart and future. Now… get ready to do it.
Read Acts 6:8-15 again and see the freedom that Stephen had through Christ—his true identity.
When was the last time you took some time just to reflect on the past? Often it is one of Satan’s greatest weapons against us. He says “Remember this failure and that one? You cannot succeed! You’re a fake and what lies beneath—the true you—is worthless!”. But that is not the way God sees it. If we spend some time looking back we will see God trying to unearth our true identity all along. This is what Stephen is about to do. The past of the Israelite nation has been misconstrued used to murder the Messiah.
Read Acts 7:1-50
Reflect over the past and ask God to show you where he has been working
The past day…
The past week…
The past year….
The past 5 years…
Stephen uses the past to put the present in perspective. Perhaps we should do the same. In light of what’s going on now in our lives, God is in control and lovingly trying to help us become us. Ask God to keep you aware of his movements in your life so that the process of finding your true identity can rely on Him alone.
I spill things a lot. I don’t know how it was for you growing up, but for my wife and I, spills incited family dinner table panic. I’ve determined though that, since I’m typically leading the way, spills in our house in should be seen the same way that we notice rain clouds coming in—”That’s unfortunate”. With four kids they are many, but we never wanted our kids to have an extreme reaction to something that was not extreme in light of our family values.
Stephen has just finished melting the faces of Jewish leaders and they have incited a riot because the theft of their identity was exposed. How do I condition my life to react the way that Stephen did?
Read Acts 6:11-15
The only way that Stephen had gained this quality of peace in the middle of slander is through his relationship with Christ. See how it mimics what Christ did on the Cross and how he reacted. Often our gut reaction is designed to cover up any exposure of the fakeness. If we were secure in who we were we would not react this way. However the only way to build this quality is to be with God.
Determine now before God to commit to be with Him daily. If you cannot, you might as well close the booklet now. All of this discovery is fed through His spirit and without him we will never be able to know truly who we are. The enemy is set against you—set a regiment in your schedule and find someone you can trust to hold you accountable
Wisdom is the often the one thing that is elusive to us in our Christian lives—we can know Christ, walk with him, but still not be making wise decisions. Perhaps it only feels like this because wisdom, like our knowledge of Christ, is never done growing (Proverbs 1:5). But the writer of Proverbs refers to it as a woman who “shouts in the streets” and “cries out in the public square”. It’s readily available to us. If we are going to expose the enemy for who he is in covering up our true identity, it must be something we seek after, look for, and long for. I’ve found it in the most awkward and weird places—embarrassing moments, restaurants, strangers. Stephen had it.
Read Acts 6:8-10
What was Stephen’s reaction to arguments?
What is yours typically?
We often feel a great need to puff the fakeness up in situations that threaten us, or the true “us” will be exposed. It’s the greatest cover up of the most beautiful thing. Wisdom is simply being able to discern the truth.
Ask God what decisions you’ve made recently were unwise and what would have been the wiser choice. Notice that the enemy will tell you that “wise” equals “boring” or “un-adventurous” while nothing could be further from the truth. The wise choice is often the most risky—either because it exposes your true identity in front of people, or forces you to not seek notoriety, as it is not part of your true identity.
You know that person that you look to for examples? The one that after watching them or being around them, you want to do things like them? Sometimes it’s it a parent. Sometimes it’s James Bond. Something awakens in us and sees, not bravery or beauty, but security. Let’s begin to unearth our true identities by looking at one who already had—Stephen.
Read Acts 6:1-7. Why was Stephen chosen?
What was the result of Stephen being part of the team? (v. 7)
List some characteristics you want people to notice in you.
These are things that God built into your heartbeat. Pray for the next few minutes that God would show you how to manifest these. Know this: God will never force things on you—even Godly characteristics—but only provide for you the awareness of the opportunities that are there for you to seize that will require that you rely on him to succeed. Through these, the details of your true identity are unearthed to build on.
We're in the middle of a series at Ignite that God's really been using in many aspects of my life called "Identity Theft". Bob Appleby, who led the Aid For The World aspect of our recent W.V. mission trip suggested something a little different after hearing the first message - a devotional to walk through the series. as I wrote it a few weeks ago the Spirit just poured out of me. So for the next month I thought I'd share it. Not to shine a light on me, but on The Word. I hope the transformation we're experiencing grabs you as well!
Identity Theft...
Point on map—a kingdom of comfort
Before you begin a journey you always must know where you are—the point on the map that you’re beginning from. We are beginning from a kingdom of comfort. Our world that swirls around us, as we walk seemingly untouched through it, has blinded us with this lie: “It’s all about your comfort.” But if it’s is all about being comfortable, then why am I continually searching for the next greatest thing to relieve the pain and discomfort?
It’s the lie. What if you could change the world by simply being who you are? I desire significance— people who know and remember me and a full funeral. What if the identity of comfort that I have been searching for is fake? What if I’ve been handed a stolen identity?
I have—we all have—had this sinking feeling, sometimes daily and moment by moment, that who I am is not real and that sooner or later someone will discover that and expose us.
This four week journey is only the first part of the trip. The trip to discovering our true identity in Jesus—The One who designed us. The only one who truly knows who we are. I’m tired of being scared that someone may expose me for a fake. Let us start this journey and discover security in The Everlasting. Faith is not believing. Faith is living the truth, not just knowing it.
As we walk, know that this is a spiritual battleground—the enemy has stolen your identity and will not let you recover it easily. Half way through writing this I had one of the worst days I’ve had in a long time. It was set to derail me for who knows how long. But these are not my words—it’s not The revelation of Tucker. It’s the revealing of God. Don’t run from the discomfort that the Holy Spirit will bring. Rather, embrace it. Discomfort is the solution that will wash the fake away exposing the depth of the theft. You are perfect the way you are.
Each week will be one Leg of the trip. It’s designed to go for 28 days straight. If you’re not ready, don’t start. But you are. Anything that tells you otherwise is not from God.
So when 100+ people descend on a few small towns just to clean and serve, things change. There’s a buzz – not just in the town of Welch but also in the surrounding communities. Mayors are thanking the team for making towns more visit-able. Neighbors are expressing gratitude for doing what the town could not or would not do. So clean up – simple trash and washing windows - has been the focus of the last few days with more and more to come. The projects are escalating though and getting more personal.
Today we’ll be cleaning up around a house that has a “bear problem” due to all the garbage surrounding it. We’ll be finishing half of one roof and repairing another. In the days to come the team with be repairing a retaining wall that is threatening to destroy a house and fortifying the dwelling of a local 80-year-old community servant.
The amazing thing (well, the thing that we really shouldn’t be amazed at) is that the spirits are extremely high for the entire team. Each night the teachers and worship keep in front of them their identity in Christ and our mission to follow the servant of all.
Despite a small out break of poison ivy/oak, everyone has been safe. It’s inspiring to see the body – in all it’s parts from all over the Northeast – working in community to change the lives of God-made people. Keep praying for strength. We take a half day today to relax in a park and revitalize in the middle of the week, and then hit it hard for the final two days of ministry here.
I'm not sure how often I'll be able to do this but I wanted to give you an update after our 1st day of work here.
I'll post some pictures when I get back but I'll do my best to describe it to you for a minute while the band practices for tonight. For the last 40 miles of our journey here we were on back winding roads that took us deep into the mountains to Welch. It's honestly picturesque - set deep in a canyon of wooded cliffs - a small little town with two roads but only one main one.
We spent today revitalizing the community through cleaning up. There was no complaining despite cleaning a river where 60% of the surrounding houses dump their sewage (of couse they were in protective gear). Spirits are great and the trip is going well. More of the same for the rest of the week. I'll be in touch when I can
