Identity Theft

Bill was buying a car. The dealership was offering an unbelievable rate, so he elected to finance it. He now says it was the worst decision he ever made.The finance assistant gave him the forms to fill out, and unbeknownst to the dealership, it included an extra form where he put all of his information: Social Security number, driver’s license, bank account information, and even a credit card number. Six months later his bank account had been emptied, fraudulent charges appeared on his credit card, and several notices came in the mail of loans that had been taken out in his name.After months of investigation, and thousands of dollars that went to a private investigator, the information leak was tracked to a girl who had worked for a short time at the dealership where he bought his last car. Yup, the assistant, who also pilfered several hundred thousand dollars from other victims. The money was never recovered and the dealership eventually filed for bankruptcy due to the number of lawsuits brought against it. The girl was part of a ring that either fled the country or somehow melded into the population, never to be found.Identity theft: It’s very real. Many of us have had our credit card number lifted at some point. My card was suspended when I supposedly bought a membership to a health club in Mozambique. Some of you have stories, however, of ruined credit and serious fraud. It’s a very real problem.You wouldn’t think it was in Jesus’ day, would you? After all, they didn’t even have credit cards! But Jesus said to His friend, Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! …. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."”What?" Jesus called the same man that He, Himself had named, Peter (meaning “Rock”) and referred to him as being a cornerstone of the church; He called him, “Satan” in Mark 8? Wow! Now that’s identity theft!It is a horrible thing when we allow Satan to take our Christian identity and use it to blaspheme our God! But every time a Christian man uses God’s name in vain at work, and every time a Christian woman compromises Biblical morality, when Christian couples turn their backs on their marriages or their kids, they turn their identity over to Satan, and do his bidding.This is also why Jesus warned Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). And Peter understood this full well, which is why he later wrote, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).There is a real God. And if you have repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, you are His child. You belong to Him.But there is also a real Devil. And as he did Peter, he would love to steal your identity and make it look to everyone else that you belong to him. Be watchful! Don’t let him do it!Let this world see who you really are and live like the child of God that He has called you to be!“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” – Philippians 1:27