OVERCOMING FALSE IDENTITY

 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

I JOHN 1:5

In our study last night, a brother was sharing how he'd been ministering to a young lady who'd been caught up in the homeless life. He had been with her in some of the roughest patches of her walk. Tabitha knew well the message of the gospel, how Christ had died for her sins, and was giving her a new heart. But when she hit a rough spot, she reverted back to the street for comfort. As Proverbs 26:11 states, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again". How to understand this? Why do those who have heard the gospel, and have repented, still turn back to a destructive lifestyle when Satan turns the heat up? 

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life". Proverbs 4:23. I believe this verse is key to understanding why people turn back, even after coming to Christ. Yes, they have heard the message. They might well even be able to share a testimony about Him. But honestly, they don't yet believe that they are any different. They still believe the dark lies the enemy has imprinted on their hearts. They are still believing, deep in their most inward parts, that they are flawed. There is a false identity that traps them, casting them back into the old life. Perhaps this is like a computer program. One can certainly buy a new computer if the old one is no longer functional. It might have all the latest hardware. But if the software is transferred from the old computer, it too will sooner or later be as unusable as the old one. 

Well, then, what is missing? Even after hearing the message of the gospel, people revert to their old identity. If darkness has such a permeating cloak on their hearts, what must be different? LIGHT. Another testimony from last night was that of a five year old boy named Henry. Henry was visiting Maui with his grandma, and had signed up for Hope Chapel's sports camp. Yet having heard about what Christ had done for him, all he could say was, "this message is true for everyone else, but it's not true for Henry". Five years old, and so thick was the lie on his heart that he simply could not hear the truth. Two of the camp counselors took him into a dark room. Henry could certainly relate. Darkness was his world. But then they lit a match, and all of a sudden, light broke through the darkness. And Henry could see it! Not only was there light in the room, he now understood that there was light in his own heart, and he gladly received the LORD, and he was able to take a new identity back home to Florida with him. 

John is not telling us a story about a man who lived 2000 years ago. He is sharing the very Person of Jesus Christ, someone he knows intimately, and who is, indeed, the Light of the world. I am convinced this is the key. When we are sharing the Gospel, we are sharing the very same Light as John is sharing with us. We must listen to people's stories. Like Henry, they have been believing insidious lies about who they truly are. Like Henry, all they need is to see the Light. Saints, we most certainly are NOT that Light, but the Light certainly DOES live in us. By practicing the Presence of Christ, we are no longer sharing about Christ, but rather sharing the very Light that has come into the world. In Henry's case, a simple illustration from the natural world showed him the truth. Other times, with other people, He will show them other ways. John the Baptist insisted he was not the Christ, but was there to pave the way so that others could meet Him. Let this be our approach in ministering Light to those bound in darkness.