A guy pretending to be a police officer has been arrested after he accidentally pulled over a real detective.
35-year-old Victor Alfaro-Marquez now faces impersonation charges and could go to jail. The irony is delicious. He tried to do a runner when he realized the guy was an undercover detective but was later arrested at his home where police found badges, handcuffs, a uniform and a fake pistol.
Victor thought he could pass as a legitimate police officer, but in the end was exposed as the fake that he really was. He tried to become someone with power and authority, but was caught by the ones who actually have it. This reminds me of our own impersonation. Our fake identity that we claim.
Pretending to be God
In Genesis we see that Adam and Eve are tempted into trying to be like God. Check out Genesis 3:1-5.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Adam and Eve, like all those who would come after them, were attracted to the idea of being like God. They wanted to know everything, to live life their own way, to impersonate God.
We all have made ourselves god of our own lives. Despite the fact that there IS a God and that HE is sovereign and all-powerful, we put ourselves in the centre and pretend to be in charge.
Things that take the place of God
We seek popularity and want everyone to like us, when really it’s God we should be praising.
We long for instant pleasure and fulfilment in sex and possessions, but really it’s God who has given us every spiritual blessing which will be 100% fulfilling and last forever.
We want that special person to be ours and have love and security in relationships, when its actually God who loves us SO MUCH in sacrificing His Son for us and He gives us the ultimate security.
Restoring God to number 1 in our lives
We impersonate God and the reality is that one day we will pull over and realize we’ve run into the real thing! We will all stand before God on Judgment Day and try to find an excuse for impersonating Him in our lives and like Victor, we can’t run or hide. Paul writes in Romans 14, quoting Isaiah:
For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Are you ready to give an account to God? Have you been impersonating God in your life? Let’s give God the position that is His! And give Him praise for He alone is worthy.
