Who do You Identify With?

 

Who do You Identify With?

I have heard people say, about their suffering loved one; “Oh if only it were me and not them, and how I wish I could take their place.”  The person was trying to identify with their loved one, but these type of words are not good, in fact this kind of thoughts are inspired by Satan himself - - Why?  Because words like this will open the door for sickness and pain to enter your very household. You cannot identify with someone with cancer, or someone in an addiction, you must turn them over to God.

Today we will partake of communion in a few minutes, and if you are able to join with us that would be great. Partaking of the Lord's Supper, at the communion table. is an act of Identifying with Jesus in his death. His body was torn with lashes, and the Bible tells us that by His stripes we are healed and saved. This means that his death paid for the healing of our spirit to bring us salvation, his death paid for the healing of our soul, (which is our mind, our will and our emotions) and his stripes paid for our physical healing.

We are so messed up before we come to Jesus, but he brings us into His family and we become a child of God. Our bodies and our souls will no doubt need some work. The Bible challenges us to renew our mind by the washing of the Word of God, and that is why it is so very important to daily read your Bible. Often we wonder if we are retaining much of what we read, but the truth is that our mind is being washed with every reading, and each day we learn to listen to the inward witness and to obey.

We will identify with Jesus as we take communion today.

There are way many people try to identify with God. I know a few who carry a big bible with them everywhere they go and I must say, it terrifies some people. Others will wear a cross, or a shirt with words or a picture of a lamb or a lion that will identify them as a believer in Jesus. Some communities will all wear identical clothing to identify themselves as a particular group of believers. There are hair styles that identify women of certain groups.

On the opposite side of the spectrum the devil has methods for his followers to identify with him. Again there is clothing - or the absence of clothes, there is jewelry that has symbols, there are words and pictures on clothing that are identification of devil worship. The hidden signature of the tattoo artist often plants a mark of Satan on those who offer their body in this way. I could go on, but there are other identifying marks that the worldly person exhibits or owns that identify with the occult, witches, and sorcery. God forbids his people to involve themselves in any such like as this. God says you are dabbling with death it's self when you mess with these kind of things. It is a good thing to search your home, look over your books, your magazines, pictures, artifacts and make decisions if they should stay or be discarded.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon, (or the world and it's ways).

What actually happened to Adam and Eve when they ate of the forbidden fruit. God had told them they would surely die, but nothing visible happened to them. What did occur was an inward darkness that overtook them in their spirits as they became dead spiritually. That very day they also began to die physically and passed death on to each of us.

Years ago, the tobacco industry wanted to increase their sales, and they knew that the public wanted to identify with popular people, like the movie stars. They were careful and sly and cunning with their advertisements having a woman gaze at a man as he smoked. Next they introduced a woman holding a cigarette in her fingers, until finally it was accepted for smoking and drinking to be in many of the movies of old. The popular candy cigarette was fun for children to play with. It seemed harmless !!

Now the brazen fact is the movies of today are more bold to portray actual scenes that would make your Great Grandmother blush. Our youth idolize and desire to identify with popular singers, actors and actresses and favorite talk show hosts. The movies and TV series that portray evil, witches, sorcery and darkness; are very popular with many.

You might think me weird or old fashioned to tell you that a person cannot partake of these kind of things and leave untarnished without the spirit of death attaching itself to them.

We know the Bible tells us that Satan is the master of murder, he is the father of lies, he is a liar and cannot be believed, and he carries death with him as he goes about tempting our citizens; He does not stop with only those who are not yet saved. Yes he is seeking to devour believers by innocent things at first, but be warned that we all must tune up the inward witness to not fall for his sly tactics.

Jesus prayed in John 17:15-21 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Jesus Identified with His Father, and then Jesus identified with us as we identify with Him.

I searched for the words Identification, identity, and identify in the Bible, and could not find them. What I did find were many scriptures that illustrated the fact that we were once in sin, but now we are righteous by the Blood of Jesus. We certain do identify with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:8 ESV For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Romans 8:15 ESV For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Colossians 3:3 ESV For your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Ephesians 1:4 ESV Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love.

Paul told us in Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every weight that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

There is a broad list for weights that hinder. For many it is habits that are not healthy including our food and drink. But we must also include our soulish realm where our thoughts , attitudes and emotions take us on activities of escape.

Our youth today listen to the words of songs that glorify drugs, sex and suicide; so is it any wonder that so many of our youth have overdosed and died. We cannot blame the parents. No each person who identifies with the world has first listened to Satan's lies inviting them to become wise, popular, accepted, and loved by partaking of what the world offers. They opened the door - - only a crack at first. It was so innocent and they did not intend to go so far. One step at a time; just a strong desire to identify and be a part of something.

God gave the order to burn the city of Jericho and everything in it including children and animals. Why? The reason was because of their identity with false gods, and the goods and items carried with them a curse of death. Only the vessels of silver, gold, bronze and iron were placed in the temple treasury. One of the men, Achan hid his bounty, but his sin was not hid from God. His thoughtless sin effected a great loss in the next battle, when many died because of his sin. The effect of his sin to take of the forbidden goods, resulted in death by stoning and fire, to him and his family including his children and their animals even his tent and belongings.

There are some things we allow in our lives thinking there is no harm, but they will spill over and damage our loved ones. Sometimes the repair is never the same as it was before. God is merciful and He gives time for repentance. He gently reveals His will and His voice is tender pleading to choose this day to serve Him only. His sweet wooing is calling each one of us to Identify with Him.

If we have been dabbling with the Worldly ways, it is time for us to renounce the world and it's invitation to partake of death, and instead to embrace Jesus Christ who is the Light and the Life and to identify with Him only.

Today as we take communion together, we will take a moment for the Holy spirit to examine our hearts. He will search for the hidden things that we thought no one knew about. He is asking us all to release them to His will. He continues to search our hearts, and he sees that we have been holding our children in bondage instead of letting them go and allowing God to work in their hearts. You must not identify yourself with their pain, but give permission to God for His will to be done in their lives.

We have played God long enough as we have tried to identify with the hurt of our children. Instead we must cut the strings to anything ungodly that bind us to our children, because it carries death that invades our households.

Jesus carried it all to the cross. Our causes, our concerns, our fears, our stress, our sin.

As Jesus sat at the table with his disciples, he identified his body and his blood. He took the bread and gave thanks as he broke it saying “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.… let us partake together. Amen

May each one of us Identify only with Jesus and remember His Words, I am He that was dead, but now I am alive, and I am coming again to receive you onto myself.