Hey friend,
Have you considered how far phones have come? They have certainly come a long way; from phones where you had to share lines with the community to now you can use your watch as a phone. One of my first experiences with a portable phone was the one in my pastor’s car when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I remember it was huge and had a carry-on style bag to transport it. My friends and I thought it was just so cool to call someone from a moving car! Fast forward to today and we can stick our cell phones in our pockets, take pictures, get on the internet, play games, and so much more. We had no clue what was in store for us!
The other day I downloaded an app on my phone which required a code. They sent a code to my phone and one in an email. I waited too long to respond to the email, so they sent another code. Once I clicked on it, I was led to a page where I had to confirm my identity. “Confirm My Identity,” hmmm… interesting.
I would like to share with you a story from the Bible about a woman named Tamar. You can find her story tucked in between two chapters that are all about Joseph in the book of Genesis. Tamar married Judah’s eldest son, but he died prior to any children being born. Judah then tells his second son to do the right thing by his brother, by being with Tamar and producing an heir for him. He decided that he didn’t like that idea, so he did what he could to not get Tamar pregnant. He ends up dead too! Judah does have a third son, but he is young, and Judah would rather not have another son end up dead.
Judah tells Tamar to go back to her parents and wait until the youngest son is old enough to marry. She did as he said and began wearing widow garments. Years go by and Tamar realizes that Judah isn’t going to stick to his end of the bargain. By this time, Judah’s wife died as well. A friend of Tamar’s lets her know that her father-in-law was planning a trip to shear his sheep. Tamar then decides that she’s going to dress like a prostitute, taking off her widow’s clothing, and putting on a veil. She goes down to one of the cities that Judah would pass through and sits there waiting for him.
Of course, he notices her and decides that he would like to be with her, thinking that she was a prostitute. Tamar asks what he will give her as payment. He tells her that he will give her a young goat. She then wants to know what he will give to her as a pledge until the goat arrives. He then decides to ask her what she wants as a pledge. She tells him that she wants his seal with its cord and the staff in his hand. He gives it to her!
Not long after he was with her, he sends his friend to give her the young goat, but she isn’t anywhere to be found. Anyone they ask within that city has no idea who they are talking about. So, to not look like fools, Judah decides that they will no longer look for the prostitute and just count it as a loss.
About three months later Judah finds out that Tamar, his daughter-in-law, is pregnant because she took up prostitution. On the way to her death sentence by fire, she sent a message to Judah: the man who owns these items, the seal with the cord and the staff, is the man who I am pregnant by. Do they look familiar? This is his response, “Judah recognized them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not sleep with her again,” Genesis 38:26 NIV. She ends up having twins, Perez and Zerah.
Tamar wore a veil to hide her identity. In fact, she isn’t the only one who had to hide their identity in order to save their life. There were many women mentioned in the Bible whose identity was hidden until the Spirit of the Lord encouraged them it was time to reveal who they were.
Many of you may be wearing a veil and the Spirit of the Lord is encouraging you to unveil. You no longer have to wear it to hide your identity or protect yourself. The Lord wants to reveal you to the world. You might be afraid of the exposure because the exposure that comes with the removal of the veil creates vulnerability. Your exposure to the Lord is the catalyst for the plan to begin. We can then expect, based on Scripture, that because of this many will be saved. You see, Tamar is in the lineage of Christ through her son Perez.
The enemy knew that Christ would come through a woman, and so he would do all that he could to attack the seed of the woman, so that Christ couldn’t come. It was a futile attempt though. The enemy will try to convince you of lies and attack your mind as an attempt to distort the plan of God in your life. You must remember, sister, that God has given you the tools to confirm your identity. Just like the code was needed to download the app on my phone, use God’s Word to confirm who you are, so that the Holy Spirit can download what you need in your life.
The world is fighting for your intimacy. Once your veil is removed you are declaring that you desire to become intimate with your Maker! Become intimate with the Word of God through meditating on it, memorizing it, praying it, and sharing it. This intimacy creates trust on both ends of the relationship. You are now transforming instead of conforming. The world will see Jesus in you! This is what true identity is!
Mary and her husband, Anthony, have been married for 20 years. She is a mother of 4, foster mom to 15 children in 4 years, and has served within children’s ministry at her church for 7 years. She enjoys playing games with her kids, watching movies, traveling, and hanging out with her friends. Mary is passionate about sharing the truth of God’s Word mixed with a little bit of wit and humor.