A Culture in Identity Crisis
Most of us have heard people say they were going through an identity crisis.
In my younger years when a person said he or she was going through an identity crisis, it typically meant the individual could be unsure about something as insignificant as a hairstyle change. Or it could have been something more significant, like a career choice.
But in today’s society it can have a much more serious meaning. Never has a generation been more confused about its identity. In my opinion, we are living in one of the most—if not the most—severe ages of deception of all times. And I’m afraid that identity has become a serious topic that we as Christians too often shy away from.
So many people are searching for their identities within the parameters of this imperfect world! That opens the door to Satan’s deception, and yielding to it leads to serious consequences.
It should be clear to Bible-believing Christians that such powerful deception can end only when deceived hearts are willing to recognize falsehood, let go of the deceptions they hold, and yield to God’s will for their lives. And that process can begin only when people understand and accept that their identities are meant to come from the Perfect One—the one and only God Almighty—who breathed life into our lungs.
Our enemy is masquerading—pretending to have the answers to all of our problems. And he provides deceptive, false answers to people’s questions.
We must not only accept Christ as our savior but also surrender to His will and let Him begin to transform us into whom He has truly called us to be. In Christ alone, we find our identity.
We all have different temptations to overcome, and Satan is very creative in taking advantage of those temptations and leading people astray. But now it’s time to take off the mask, reject the enemy’s masquerade, and leave deception behind. And as we do, we also must be willing to lead as many others as possible out of deception when we go.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)
