Identity and Trust

I know this is a long one but it's worth it.

Here's something I am pushing through right now. It it probably the greatest battle that every man will ever face. It's actually two battles. Two issues. Identity and Trust.

Let's look back at Genesis. In the Garden of Eden, Satan didn't wage war against Adam. He didn't storm into the Garden and proclaim that he was going to overthrow Adam and rule over mankind. He didn't face it head on... if he would have faced Adam head on, it is more than likely the outcome would have been drastically different. [ In fact, most people when faced head on with a problem know what to do (especially if you understand Jesus)]. However, Satan decided to use a side-door tactic. Instead of flat out commanding Adam into giving him the authority over the earth, he tricked him into it. How did he do it? He got Adam (or, more specifically, Adam's wife) to question what God had said.

The first temptation was this: "Did God REALLY say that?" It had everything to do with trust in what God had said. God said, "Eat this and you'll die." Satan asked Eve, "Did God really say that?" Eve wasn't sure. She hadn't heard it from God, she heard it from Adam. And in the end, she fell to the very thing Satan wanted -- her trust in God was broken. Here enters sin.

Flash forward to the book of Matthew. In Chapter 3, we see Jesus being baptized. As he rises from the water the heavens open up and the Spirit of God decends on Him. Then a booming voice from heaven proclaims, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased!"

Immediately afterward, Jesus, "the second Adam," goes out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan again. Now, we assume that Satan was tempting Him with food, and authority, etc. etc. But if we leave it at that, we've missed the real temptation. What is it that Satan actually says? Let's read what it says -- Matt. 4 - "Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God...."

Stop right here. If You are the Son of God. What just happened before Jesus went into the wilderness? The heavens opened and God the Father proclaimed to Him, "This is My beloved Son."

Jesus' temptation wasn't really about food, or authority (well, to be clear, it was... but there is more to the story). Jesus wasn't even hungry until AFTER the temptation ended. He already knew He had all the authority on earth! So what was His temptation? Identity. And, if you notice, His temptation was in His ability to trust in the fact that He was who God said He was.

The two temptations: Identity and Trust. If we miss these, we've missed everything.

Here's what happens -- we come into a situation, and we don't know who we are, and so we don't know how to respond. Say we screw up, for example. Lets say we commit some sort of sin and we feel really guilty about it -- but what we don't realize is that our IDENTITY isn't in the things that we do... it's in Christ Jesus, who paid for all our sins and declared us righteous and in right relationship to God the Father. But we don't know that. I mean, we've heard it, but we don't really believe it because we continue to walk in shame and condemnation. We don't really trust that He forgave us, so we'll spend our lives looking for ways to prove ourselves to God. We think, "How could God love me like this?" and we try to make it better with our own works. And we run away from God instead of towards Him, thinking He's mad at us -- when really, we just don't realize that there's no condemnation in Jesus. He called us clean.

Or something like this will happen. The Lord will tell you something, like, "I'm going to heal you of this disease." You think, "Great! Amen! Hallelujah!" But then if time passes and nothing happens, here comes that battle inside your head... "Did I hear that right? Maybe God meant heal me partially. No, I'm pretty sure He meant heal me completely.... Did God really say that?" The seed that gets sown is stolen by the devil. We don't know that God has called us to walk in divine health, and when the word comes we don't trust Him. Therefore we throw off everything and we live under the confusion of the devil.

Or say you're around a group of friends, and the Lord tells you to go and pray for one of them... but suddenly you get scared, because what if they think you're funny for asking? So you wage that familiar war again, "Well, did God mean to pray for them now? Did He mean I should pray with them or for them? Did God really say that?" And in the end, we'll miss our chance.

Pick any situation... I can almost guarantee you that every problem or doubt you will ever face in your life has something (if not everything) to do with either who the Lord has said you are or what He's told to you, and whether or not you believed Him and did something about it. It all comes down to trust and identity.

I'm giving these examples and saying all this because these are the very things (and situations!) that I'm running into in my life. In fact, I had a breakdown today and I didn't even realize why I was so messed up until somebody helped me work it through... and what do you think I was having issues about? "Did God really tell me that this is who I am?" Bingo.

God has told me who I am, but I haven't believed Him. I'm telling you, it's a struggle. And as I'm looking back at all the situations in my life that are causing me to struggle or doubt, I'm seeing the same old temptation... It's "Who am I?" and "Did God really say that?" These are big issues!

I'm wanting to share what I've learned about it so that other people don't have to struggle in this area... because I'm finding out that these two area's of your life will affect EVERY decision you make. When the Bible talks about giving the devil a foothold, man this is it. Letting him talk you out of receiving from the Lord about what to do and who you are... that's a big foothold.

For me personally, I'm wanting to spend the time pursuing these -- because if the word of the Lord comes again, I don't want to fight it, I want to obey it! So this is where I am. I'm fighting the greatest temptation faced by both Adam, and Jesus, and all of mankind before and after: my identity, and my trust in His.

** also one last point: Remember how Eve was easily deceived because she heard the news from Adam and not from God? Make sure the words you are getting about your identity are from GOD and not from other people. One thing I've learned is that other people will always put their own spin on things. So, if the LORD has told you something, believe it! If someone else tells you something, and it's not a confirmation (i.e. already a word given to you by God), then seek God and get Him to tell you the real deal.