[Notes from Senior High Camp with guest speaker Chet Caudill]

An identity crisis is a time of intensive analysis on oneself with the main thought of “I am confused”. In Romans 7:15-19, Paul was very conflicted in who he really was. He was honest with his struggles yet also with his desire to honor God. A perfect example of someone who could have had an identity crisis is that of Joseph [Genesis 37]. Joseph had a dream, is betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime, and then imprisoned. Yet he remained faithful to God. Because of his faithfulness, he then became second in command in all of Egypt. He very easy could have given up and been caught up in those various identities. But those situations he was in and the circumstances he was faced with did not define him.

How can we get a hold of this? The devil is attempting identity theft against all mankind and will do whatever he can to convince you that you are someone you are not. We often define ourselves on what we have done. “I am…what I’ve done.” Successes and failures. Those are the very things so many people use to define who they are but in reality those things are temporal. The past is not necessarily an indicator of the future. The incredible thing is that God does not consult with our past [mistakes, failures, etc.] in order to write our futures. The reason Satan reminds you of your past is to keep you from who God wants you to be. Another area is that Satan will try to convince us to define ourselves based off our successes. When those talents, abilities, etc. are lost and no longer a part of our lives, we then have no idea how to think. We become insecure. Our insecurity arises when we really have no idea who we are. What do you see when you look in the mirror? What do you think of yourself when you fail or succeed? You ask the question often, I am sure of this: Who am I? …what I do? …what I’ve done?

Above all else you need to realize that regardless of what your past looks like and regardless of the good or the bad, you need to define yourself in the eyes of God. WHOSE I AM. God loves you, cares for you, and his son died for you. Check out some of these verses:

Genesis 1:26-27 –> Man is made in the likeness and image of God
Genesis 2:7 –> God created Man and gave breath