Who do you say that you are on this Freedom weekend?

Special FREEDOM WEEKEND—Fresh Word Friday….Who are You??

My word for the Day is: Similitude

si·mil·i·tude [si-mil-i-tood, -tyood]  –noun

1.likeness; resemblance: a similitude of habits.

2.a person or thing that is like or the match or counterpart of another: This expression is a similitude of the other.

3.semblance; image: a similitude of the truth.

4.a likening or comparison in the form of a simile, parable, or allegory: He spoke by similitudes.

Or, a more familiar word that hits the mark a little harder=Identity:

i·den·ti·ty [ahy-den-ti-tee, ih-den-]  –noun

1.the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.

2.the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another: He doubted his own identity.

3.condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.

4.the state or fact of being the same one as described.

5.the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time and sometimes disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.

Identity theft is a big deal today. We have all been warned. Some reports claim IDENTITY THEFT to be one of the fastest growing crimes of the past few decades. Many of us have experienced it firsthand and have the scars, or bank messes to prove it. We are constantly warned to change our passwords frequently, keep copies of our credit cards in a safe place and not to give out personal information by phone or online.

The saddest thing about this crime is that we most often, hand over the “goods” without a fight. The thief doesn’t even have to rob us at gunpoint. In fact, no weapons are needed, just personal information. There is no evidence of breaking and entering. There are no damaged keyholes or broken glass.

It is all very covert and elusive.

Each night I go around my home before going to bed to be sure the doors are locked and everything is snug and in place. I lock my car doors when I park at the mall. I have “ask for ID” written on the back of my debit card. At the same time, sometimes I make statements on Twitter, Facebook or Emails that share a bit too much information.

Sometimes I freely give away things that might place me at risk of “Identity Theft”.

There is a similar crime that rages in the spirit realm. It is the invisible crime of “identity theft”. A greater crime that has gone on for more than a few decades and steals more than material goods is the crime of “giving away” our identity in Christ.

Satan is a liar and a thief.

He is always on the lookout for errors of omission, simple lack of knowledge or understanding of WHO WE ARE in Christ.

It is easy to tell when someone is a victim.

These are the “fingerprints” of Spiritual Identity theft:

“My life does not matter to God”

“God does not hear my prayers or care what I need”

“My past keeps me from being anybody in the Kingdom of God”

“I have always been a loser and will always be a loser”

“I have no spiritual gifts”

“I have messed my life up and there is no turning back”

“I am who —- (abbusive parent, boyfriend, boss, teacher) says I am”

God’s Word says that is a lie. It is IDENTITY THEFT in its most damaging form.

Spiritual Identity Theft steals your LIFE.

It steals your FREEDOM.

It steals your JOY.

It steals your PEACE.

It steals your HOPE.

It steals your PURPOSE.

It steals your KINGDOM ASSIGNMENT.

Is any of that missing for you? Are you truly FREE this weekend??

Has the enemy slipped in without your notice and stolen your God Given identity?

Jesus says in John 10:10 that HE CAME TO GIVE US LIFE….ABUNDANT LIFE!! In fact Jesus told us over and over who HE is to US. He has NO PROBLEM with Identity theft and stated very clearly 7 times in the book of John…..

“I AM”!!!!

Are you FREE from Identity theft this 4th of July Weekend?  Do you know Who HE is???

Check them out:

1)  John   6:35…….”I am the __________________________”.

2)  John   8:12…….”I am the __________________________”.

3)  John  10:7……..”I am the __________________________”.

4)  John  10:11…….”I am the __________________________”.

5)  John  11:25…….”I am the __________________________”.

6)  John  14:6………”I am the __________________________”.

7)  John  15:1………”I am the __________________________”.

Do You Know Who you are because of Him??

I challenge you today, as I have myself, on this FREEDOM WEEKEND, to run a background check and write beside each of those 7 things, what those words mean to you and to think about your own spiritual FREEDOM.

It may be time to change your PASSWORDS!!