CRAZY WALMART CLERK
Imagine we’re shopping together at Walmart. As I pay for my purchases, I hand the clerk a check, along with my driver’s license. Perusing my ID, she frowns and hands it back to me. “I’m sorry,” she says. “This isn’t you. Your license says that you’re a male, born in 1953, living in Santa Rosa, California. In reality, you’re a female, born in 1971, living in Nashville. In fact, there’s a warrant for your arrest, and I’m calling the cops!”
How do you suppose I’d reply? I would call for the manager, and in no uncertain terms, inform him that he has a psycho working for him.
Could you imagine any possible scenario where I reply to the clerk, "Oh wow! All this time, I believed I was Barney Cargile, from Santa Rosa, CA. I'm not at all who I thought I was." Of course not! I know who I am, and nothing can change that, no matter what anyone else says. In fact, a recognized authority (the state of California) has certified my identity. If a crazy Walmart clerk disputes it, I know without a doubt that she is wrong!
But here’s something amazing. We allow Satan to do this all the time. As followers of Jesus, God has established and certified our identity. The Creator of the universe declares that we are his “delightful children... one with Christ...holy in His eyes with an unstained innocence.” He further adds that he “selected and ordained us to be His own inheritance” (Ephesians 1:3-14, TPT). As believers, the Creator of the universe has clearly established our identity, and he is the only one who has the right to define us. He designed us, created us, and knows us.
Then along comes the enemy and, like a crazy Walmart clerk, he attempts to undermining our identity. He whispers his lies—that we're failures, unlovable, and we've done too many bad things for God to forgive us. Then we’re off and running, believing his lies, instead of who God declares us to be. Why in the world would we listen to Satan’s lies, rather than embracing our identity? The next time the enemy tries to convince us that we're not who God says we are, let’s remind him, “I am God's delightful child.” Remember, he’s nothing more than a crazy Walmart clerk.
Principle: Only God has the right to define us, and no one, including Satan, can change that.
Ponder:
Of all the ways God defines you in scripture (who he declares you to be), which is the most meaningful?
What steps can you take to negate Satan’s lies about your identity?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Ephesians 1:3-14.
Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for the new identity you’ve given me. Help me focus on who you’ve declared me to be, rather than the “crazy Walmart clerks” of our world.
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