Bible Stories with Legends: Val Kilmer as Simon Templar — “From Thief to Saint: The Identity God Gives You”
By David Brooks | Founder and CEO of Divine Timing Ministries
“To him that overcometh… I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
— Revelation 2:17 (KJV)
🎧 LISTEN NOW
Listen to this episode narrated by Val Kilmer (Simon Templar archetype). Perfect for headphones and deep reflection.
🎧 God doesn’t call you by your past. He calls you by your future.
Friends and watchmen of Divine Timing, due to popular demand, I was requested to come and talk about my role as Simon Templar in The Saint. So here I am. But I have to tell you, this isn’t just a story about a master thief. It’s a story about identity. About an orphan who rejected his birth name and spent his life stealing other people’s identities because he didn’t know who he was.
Simon Templar. “The Saint.” Ironic, isn’t it? Taking the names of Catholic saints while living as a criminal. I was good at what I did, disguises, infiltration, strategy. I could become anyone. Except myself. And deep down, I knew something was missing.
The Bible says in Revelation 2:17: “To him that overcometh… I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written.” That hit me hard. I spent my whole life running from my old name, trying on new ones like costumes. But God wasn’t asking me to steal an identity. He was offering me a new one. One He would give me.
THE ORPHAN SPIRIT VS. SONSHIP
I was literally orphaned as a child. And that orphan spirit followed me into adulthood. Orphans steal to survive. They take because they believe there’s not enough. They wear masks because they’re afraid of being seen.
But Scripture tells a different story. Romans 8:15 says: “Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Do you hear that? Adoption. Not orphan. Not castaway. Not defined by your past. Son. And if a son, then an heir. Orphans take. Sons inherit. That’s the gospel.
The Heartbeat: You’re not defined by your orphan status, your past mistakes, or what you’ve done. God calls you by your future. He’s not looking for your résumé. He’s looking for your willingness.
REDEMPTION: FROM THIEF TO STEWARD
In the movie, I fell in love with Dr. Emma Russell. And that love changed me. It’s a picture of Christ’s love for us. 2 Corinthians 5:14 says: “For the love of Christ constraineth us.”
Not guilt. Not shame. Love. Love is what transforms. When I encountered real love, I couldn’t keep living the old life. I left my life of crime to use my skills for good.
And that’s exactly what Ephesians 4:28 teaches: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
Did you catch that? Don’t just stop stealing. Start giving. God doesn’t waste your skills. He redeems them. The same abilities you used in darkness can be used for light. Your past doesn’t disqualify you—it prepares you.
COUNTERFEIT SAINTS VS. TRUE HOLINESS
I called myself “The Saint” while living as a thief. That’s religious hypocrisy. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 23:27: “Woe unto you… for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones.”
A name doesn’t make you holy. Only Christ does. I had to stop pretending. Stop wearing the mask. Stop stealing identities. And when I did, when I surrendered to love, God gave me what I’d been searching for all along: My true identity.
Not Simon the Thief. Not Simon the Orphan. Simon the Redeemed. Simon the Saint. Not because I earned it. Because He gave it.
⚡ YOUR 5-MINUTE ACTIVATION: CLAIM YOUR NEW NAME
What name are you living under? Orphan? Failure? Addict? Rejected? It’s time to claim the name God gives you. Take 5 minutes:
⚡ 5-MINUTE ACTIVATION: CLAIM YOUR NEW NAME
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
Step 1: IDENTIFY Your Old Name (60 sec)
What label have you been living under? (Orphan, rejected, failure, addict, unworthy?) Write it down.
Step 2: RENOUNCE It Aloud (30 sec)
Speak: “I renounce the spirit of orphan. I am not defined by my past. I am not my mistakes.”
Step 3: RECEIVE Your New Name (90 sec)
Read these Scriptures aloud:
- ✅ Revelation 2:17 – “I will give him a new name”
- ✅ Romans 8:15 – “Spirit of adoption, crying Abba, Father”
- ✅ 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “New creature in Christ”
Step 4: REDEEM Your Skills (60 sec)
What abilities has God given you? (Strategy, creativity, leadership, teaching?) Pray: “Lord, redeem my skills for Your glory. Show me how to use them for good.”
⏱️ TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES
You are not an orphan. You are a son/daughter of the King.
🔥 MARANATHA
Stop stealing identities. Start receiving your new name. The King is coming. And He’s calling you Saint.
“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
— Amos 3:7 (KJV)
Maranatha.
The King is coming. And He’s giving you a new name. 🙏
