Identity thieves stink!

My Pastor started a new message series yesterday and once again, it is just too good not to share. I have learned so much under his leadership and teaching the past four years. I am very grateful and just want the world to learn this stuff too. 

Once we become Christians, our identity comes from God. He alone, gives us value, has a plan for our lives, and tries to guide us. 

Life can be hard. I know I talk about that a lot, but it is the truth. I understand it with the things I have lived through and just feel like someone needs to hear how to deal with the bad things that happen.

We experience a supernatural heart change when we give our lives to God. We need to find our identity in Him and allow Him to make the changes in us. The fruits of the spirit will help us know if we are growing. (In Galatians 5:22)

The peace that comes from God is something we can dig into. The opposite of peace is anxiety. Anxiety means "not normal care", "torn up", or "pieces". We let things steal our inner calm. We need to start fighting against these thieves. Jesus can put our pieces back together.

The three thieves are:
1.The world, mindset, world view - the world is not the people, it is a mind set. Remember Scripture says we fight against principalities not flesh and blood.

2. Flesh - selfish part of us. The part that desires to be in control of everything.

3. The devil - the lying prosecutor. If we over estimate the enemy we get overwhelmed. If we under estimate we cower.

We can not reduce our issues to just one of these three. Most of the time, they work together. 

What these thieves are trying to do is get your focus off of your Savior, and on to your circumstances or situation. But Jesus is the One who can keep you afloat when life gets crazy! 

Worrying is listening to your heart. Peace comes from talking to your heart. Even David had times in the Psalms where he talked to his heart about the trouble it was going through.

The way to fight these thieves is with Scripture. Find your identity in Christ. Know what He says about you and how much you are dearly loved.