Identity Crisis

Recently I wrote about having a crisis of faith and how we react in that moment. I also attributed the exodus of young adults to the Church not preparing them for these times when their faith would be questioned and examined. I heard a message from Andy Stanley recently in which he talked about this issue and his point boiled down to the ideology that some of our young adults are leaving religion because the God they believed in never really existed. I am looking through this as the means of another crisis: An “Identity Crisis” if you will. Normally, when we have an identity crisis it is over our own identity but this one is different this one is about the true identity of Jesus.

Have you ever held a high opinion of someone based on what others have told you, but the more you get to know that person the more that opinion dwindles until you have little respect for that person. I think we have all been there. Some unfortunately have had that experience with Jesus. They were raised with an image of Jesus that they held in high regard but the more they got out into the world the more they started to see through this identity for one reason or another. Now, there opinion is of little concern as they have turned away from Jesus and I believe this may be because they have had an “Identity Crisis” with the true identity of Christ.

I am not saying that God is not real or does not exist, oh He does. What I am saying is that in some ways we are building our faith on false truths and the picture of God that we have just isn’t accurate.

What I am saying or rather rephrasing from Mr. Stanley is that it is quite possible that many of our young adults who are leaving religion had their faith based in a God who was not real. There are a lot of hard truths in the Bible but in some areas Christians are being raised with these false ideas and then when they are faced with reality it crushes their faith.

In his message Andy laid out a few of these false God’s and one of them was the God of bad things not happening to good people. If you were raised believing this then the first time you saw a good person struggle or die then it brings your entire faith into question. The reality is that bad things do happen to good people. Jesus was perfect and died a brutal death on the cross. He suffered, bled, and died on that cross and had no sin. When Adam and Eve committed the first sin it opened the world to sin, disease, and death. The devil roams the Earth looking for those to devour. I cannot answer the question of why people suffer. There are some good resources out there on this topic and I would suggest further reading for anyone interested.

For some, it is the “easy-life” Jesus: Once I give my life to God then everything will be nice and easy. No more temptation, no more struggle, He will provide for my every need. When we become Christians I think it is important to realize that we are going to face more temptation, not less. Satan is on the prowl and there is nothing he wants to devour more than a young Christian who is eager to serve God. The Bible tells us the path of following Jesus is narrow and difficult and we will face opposition and obstacles along the way. So, if you are facing temptations and trials do not think that God has forsaken you, He is right there with you and will give you the strength to fight what you are going through.

The Bible says ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened. As Christians we have to realize that God answers prayers in 4 ways. He can say yes, He can say no, He can say not right now, or He can say let’s look at it another way. If we are praying with a Christian heart then we are going to be praying for God’s will in our lives and the things we are praying for will line up with His will and those things will be granted to us. This leads me to “Bless Me” Jesus. This is the Jesus who will answer your every prayer with yes and if He doesn’t it is because you have not prayed enough or had enough faith or have some hidden sin in your life. Are you and your spouse struggling to get pregnant and you keep praying month after month but those test keep coming up negative. Well I am sorry, you must have some hidden sin in your life or God would give you what you want. If that is the God you were raised to believe it is absolutely no wonder why you left religion behind when tragedy struck in your life. When the Bible says ask and you shall receive it is implied that you are asking with a heart for God and therefor will be asking in God’s will and those sincere request will never be denied. Trust me, I have been there on my knees praying over and over for something that was never meant to be. I don’t know why God doesn’t always say yes but I do know that sometimes He tells us no to protect us from our own fleshly desires.

I listed three here and I am sure there are other false identities out there but if you left religion over an “Identity Crisis” then I encourage you to take a look at Scripture or get involved in a local church or group that is scripturally based and take some time getting to know who Jesus really is. It may surprise you, heck you may even enjoy His Company.