Stolen Identity

Last night I received the phone call that nobody wants to receive...  The Fraud Department from my bank was calling about suspicious transactions that were run on my debit card.  The agent started listing the charges which were near $1000 each!  One of the transactions was for a purchase made in the United Arab Emirates and another in Washington D.C.!   But the transaction that most disturbed me was one made to the World Food Organization which to me sounds like a charity.  The reason I find this concerning - it would appear this person had access to my bank account and was trying to mimic my activity of past donations to charitable organizations.  When I shared that concern with the agent from the Fraud Department, he stated that people who steel debit card information will try to make a "safe transaction" to see how far they can get.  It could be that they felt a charity would be safe no matter who the person was and would not raise suspicion.  As a matter of fact,  my bank did "approve" that charge, but once the pattern of fraudulent charges became more evident, my bank filed a claim to remove the fraudulent debit charge from my account.  Thankfully, they "hot carded" my debit card so that it could not be used anymore.

A thought did cross my mind,  what if my whole identity was stolen?...  My bank feels fairly confident that was not the case and that what happened to me is very common.  The branch manager of the bank informed me that there are actually organized credit card thieves who sit in offices together and literally plug in different sequences of numbers until they get "lucky" and find a credit card number that works.  Even still, I will take further precautions to guard the security of my debit card.

Needless to say this was a very unnerving experience, one of which I thankfully had never gone through before,  and hope never to again.  I am also thankful that my bank has such a good fraud detection and intervention program.

After these events, I found myself pondering, "Do I have a good fraud detection and intervention program within my own spiritual life.

Christians were rocked recently by the news that Josh Duggar, from 19 Kids and Counting, was a patron of Ashley Madison.  Just a few short months ago, before his past offenses against his sisters were reported, he held a position with the Family Research Council.  While in that role, he was a very vocal proponent of pro-life and family values, attending rallies all over the country.  Josh Duggar is the oldest son of the very devout, Christian family whose lives where shared on the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting which had been on the air for nine years.  I very much enjoyed watching this show and have also read several of Michelle and Jim  Bob Duggar's books.  This is a family that is immersed in the Word, truly living out the Gospel day to day.  The Duggars saw 19 Kids and Counting as a ministry to humbly witness what love and obedience to Christ looks like, and I believe they had succeeded.   Until... the very publicized actions of their son Josh, both past and present, essentially tarnished the Duggar's own witness, when they themselves had done nothing wrong...

My heart grieves for Michelle, Jim Bob, Josh's precious wife and children, and all the siblings as they try to wrap their heads around the fact that the person they thought they knew, the one who studied the Bible with them, prayed with them, ministered next to them, and was the voice of  morality for the Family Research Council, was apparently a fraud.

I want to make clear here that I am not sitting in judgment of Josh Duggar, of whether he is a believer or not.  I don't know his heart or why he acted the way he did.  I don't know if he intentionally set out to deceive or did he struggle with a sexual addiction that consumed him.   

My point is more about how our actions as Christians can scream fraud to an unbelieving world who is just waiting for us to mess up. 

And just as the church, is a body made up of many parts all working together to show the light of Christ, when one part of the body behaves in a worldly sinful fashion, it devastates the entire body and drags Christ's name through the mud.  The very people who watch us, ready to point a finger to condemn us as soon as we act in a sinful way, are also the very ones who find license for themselves through our sinful actions to behave in the same way... "Well since Suzie Christian does it, it must be okay...  What a horrible Christian witness.

Unfortunately, in the modern church today, we see a leniency toward behaviors that years ago would have been strongly regarded as needing to come under church discipline.   With the trend of more and more churches watering down teaching, rarely mentioning sin and the virtual extinction of church discipline, the church pews will be filled with frauds.

Then he said, "You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?

Acts 13:10

Of course, even as believers,  we will still ALL sin and fall short of the Glory of God, Romans 3:23, and I certainly realize that when we become Christians we cannot expect to be perfect.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, 

but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:15

But this should not give us license to continue in sin.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 

May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Romans 6:1-2

I've heard it said that Sunday mornings before church a spiritual battle ensues where many Christians succumb to impatience, lost tempers or unChrist-like behavior as they get ready for church.  Many ride in the car to Sunday service sitting in silence with their spouses or children, mad about whatever occurred earlier in the morning, not apologizing for their offenses.  Yet once they walk through the church doors, everyone is all sweetness and light, putting on their best church faces, wishing cheerful Good Mornings and Wonderful Lord's Day isn't its, looking like the quintessential Christian family...
I know this because I've been there done that...

Sure, nobody knows the ugliness that took place before the service, but our spouse does or our children do ...  It won't be lost on them that we acted in an offensive manner at home, but at church we are suddenly the epitome of Godliness to those we greet and interact with.

And bad behavior isn't just reserved for Sunday mornings.   Many of us act in a manner of disobedience or self-will throughout the week, but Sunday morning service rolls around and we put our game face on, acting the part of the perfect Christian.  I am guilty of this as well...

One of the definitions of fraud is, "a person who makes deceitful pretenses"  

The definition of pretense, "an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true"

It might seem harsh to describe the scenes above as fitting the definition of fraud, but is it really a stretch when it comes right down to it?...  

Of course,  the means for avoiding acting like a fraud in the settings described above certainly wouldn't be by continuing with sour faces and angry looks to innocent congregants.

The intervention for our own  fraudulent activity should have taken place once the offence occurred, going to the person we have offended and asking for forgiveness.  The motivation for our intervention is not just because we will be attending church either later that day or during the week, but because we are showing the love of Christ to our spouse, our children, the friend or co-worker we offended, and anyone that was a witness to our bad behavior, especially in a family setting, will see that we have sought to reconcile in a Christ-like manner testifying to our ultimate desire to obey God in all things.   

Even if we have had a bad week or a rough start before Sunday morning service and haven't sought forgiveness from the Lord or from the person we have offended, the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts as the service begins or the sermon is preached and we will hear Him say, "this is the way, walk in it".  It is up to us to do so...  Most of us will feel the sting and humble ourselves to the offended party once the service is over.

Our struggle with sin doesn't just end there...  It is a daily battle...

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

James 1:14-16

Unfortunately, Believers can have secret sins that no one knows about, but we certainly do... yet we continue in that sin because we think we are getting away with it...   becoming desensitized to the fact that God knows and sees.

When we continue in any type of sin, we are essentially stealing our own identity in Christ, an identity that was bought with a dear price by the shedding of Christ's blood at the cross.   In our unrepentance, we have assumed the identity of the world, acting the fraud in Christ's name...

A further consequence of besetting sins is that it blocks the calls from our own Fraud Detection and Intervention Agent, the Holy Spirit.  We are no longer convicted by the sin we are entangled in and instead become hardened to it.  Do we really want to put ourselves in such a vulnerable state and tarnish the name of our Lord and Savior by being a fraud?

Thanks be to God, He has sent us the Holy Spirit to intervene by teaching us in all things, especially the way out of temptation...

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, 

that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

And how does the Lord provide the way of escape?...  God's commands and His promises which we are to daily cling to and live by...

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 5:30

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galations 5:16

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

For because He himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:18

Those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, our salvation is secure.  

Let us live in that security as Children of God so that the world will see our true identity in Christ.  When we fall into temptation, let us quickly repent knowing that

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Maybe the whole reason the Lord allowed my debit card information to be stolen was so that I would learn a lesson about my own duplicity...  As I prayerfully sought Him when writing this post transactions of my own spiritual fraud came to light, sinful behaviors that need intervention and a heart that needs to be guarded against the schemes of the devil.

The Bible instructs us in the best way to guarantee spiritual fraud protection.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, 

against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,

 against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 

and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, 

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness...

Ephesians 6:10-18

May we daily be identified with Christ in all that we say and do...

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