Matthew 4:3 - "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."
LifeLock, an identity theft protection company, makes this promise to its customers, "At LifeLock, we help protect you against more than just credit fraud and identity theft, we alert you whenever we detect that your personal information is being used. If you become a victim of identity theft while you are a LifeLock member, we will spend up to $1 million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and whoever else it takes to help you recover".
Identity theft is a major crime today in the US and all around the world. Several years ago, we received a text from a good friend saying that he was in London and someone stole his wallet and phone. He was asking for $5,000 to help him pay his hotel bill and for a flight home. As suspected, it wasn't him. Yes, his phone was stolen and someone was accessing his contacts, but he was safe at home while all this was happening.
In Matthew 4:3, as Jesus was beginning His ministry on earth, we see an important principle that our enemy, the "tempter", Satan, uses. He is forever trying to steal our identity, or who we really are…he's the original identity thief! Why? Because if he can confuse us, or defraud us out of our identity, or make us question who God says we are in Christ, he can strip us from our true purpose in life.
When he tried this on Jesus, He did not take the bait and try to prove who He was. Jesus knew who He was. But what is more powerful here is what Satan gives away. When Satan questioned Jesus if He really was the Son of God in Matthew 4:3, he was quoting Matthew 3:17, which says, "And lo, a voice from heaven saying, this is My beloved Son, in Whom I a well pleased". But he misquoted it, purposefully leaving out "My beloved Son". Why?
Because he knows your identity is wrapped up knowing that you are God's beloved! He knows you are the object of HIS love, you are the "disciple that Jesus loves" (John 21:7). God's love for you is His LifeLock, your protection against identity theft. His promise to you is in 1 John 4:17, "As He is [present tense], so are we [you and me] in this world." Is Jesus sick? No. As He is so are we! Is Jesus broke? No. As He is so are we!
Your identity is in Christ, do not allow the thief to steal your identity. Know who you are in Christ so that you can respond to his claims like Jesus did, "It is written"!!!!!