Identity Theft

One online reviewer commented on this book by writing: "Recently, a friend gave me a copy of the book, Identity Theft, by Kevin Avram and Wes Boldt. It is a small book, and I thought it would be another quick read. I soon discovered it was anything but that. The 166 pages of this little book are filled with some of the most profound and biblically solid truths about the identity of the human heart, and the road maps or paradigms determining human behavior.

"The underlying thesis of the book is the human heart responds to truth either with pride or with humility. If our heart's response to truth is pride, the paradigm or lens through which we see the world will be rooted in an attitude of self-sufficiency, and will give birth to one of three distinct "heart identities": the laborer, the orphan or the beggar.

"In simple terms, when a person's self-identity (heart identity) is derived from a source other than God, their identity is, essentially "stolen." And, if we live with that paradigm long enough, our attitudes and actions grow more and more like the attitudes and actions of people who do not profess to know God or serve Christ.

"On the other hand, when the human heart responds to truth with humility, it opens the door to becoming a child of the King --a divine royal heir in an honest and real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We abandon self-sufficiency, and embrace dependence upon the Father. It's not about working for God, but about being His child, and as His son or daughter He may choose to do His work through us! What difference it makes to live and serve through this paradigm! Do you know who you are?

"I encourage you to get this little book, and to dig deeper into the truth of our self-identity. God created us to be sons and daughters, not laborers, beggars or orphans. He wants you to be a royal heir!"
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There is a great difference between having an understanding in our heads and possessing a truth in our hearts. Using examples from Scripture, the authors explain the heart identity of an orphan, beggar, and laborer, and then contrast these with what it means not just to be a son or daughter, but to actually possess the heart identity of a son or daughter. The text then moves into a detailed description of the motivational gifts of Romans 12, carefully explaining how heart identity and motivational gifts shape our outlook.