The phone calls, texts and emails via Facebook suddenly came pouring in.

“Are you alright?”

“We’re praying; let us know that everything’s okay”

“Where are you?? Please respond!”

Armed with only my iPhone, as we were enjoying Labor Day with my brother’s family at the lake, I quickly tried to log-in to Facebook, to no avail. My sister-in-law brought up her Facebook account and there it was…my FB “status” in all caps: Melinda REALLY NEEDS HELP!!

What?!

Scrolling back through my email, I noticed one I hadn’t seen before, confirming my Facebook email address change…that I didn’t authorize. I followed the instructions to let them know of this mistake, was able to log in quickly enough to post an explanation of my own, then, shortly after, my account was suspended as a precaution. “Cyber-criminals” were suspected of hacking in for the likely purpose of gaining access to my email accounts to pose as me and ask for money.

Lovely. Identity theft.

As I set about the task of following the security tips that were suggested and changing passwords, etc., I thought about the term “identity theft.” Theft of any kind is a violating experience, but to have your identity stolen…well, that’s just almost too much. Your identity; the very essence of who you are. Not only the way others identify you, but the way you identify yourself.

Cyber-criminals are not the only ones after our identities. There is one whose whole agenda is to “steal, kill and destroy.” What better place to start, than to attack our identities, stealing away the good that we think about ourselves and replacing it, ever so subtly, with lies. Instead of a woman with the countenance of a co-heir with Christ, what’s left is an impostor.

Sadly (and I speak from experience), we’re not any more careful with protecting our real-life identities, than we are with protecting the online version of the same. Just as we get lax with changing our passwords and security questions, we forget to fill ourselves up with who God says we are and allow the Thief’s version to take over.

Take it from me today. Take a few minutes and change your passwords and security questions. And then do it often. Even more important, learn who you are in Christ. THAT’S your TRUE IDENTITY that NO ONE – not even the ultimate Thief – can take away. It’s just up to you to read it often, believe it fully, and live it out.

It’s up to you to be on guard against identity theft.