The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy;  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  John 10:10 NIV

As a little girl, I remember my grandparents referring to the good old days when nobody locked their doors.  They may not have had wi-fi, much less indoor plumbing or air conditioning, but they had a sense of community.  Everybody knew everybody.  Everybody helped their neighbors as much as they could.  They visited and spent time with each other as opposed to emails and text messages.  They had actual conversations face to face and not on face time. They went to church on Sunday.  It wasn’t optional, it was expected.  They didn’t go only if they had nothing better to do.  It was not only a church service, but an opportunity to see family and friends.  But perhaps the best thing is that they felt safe.  They had a sense of security.  My grandparents grew up in the country, crime was unheard of.  I grew up in the country, but it has rapidly become the suburbs with all the new subdivisions that have been put in near my home.

I grew up without that sense of security.  My security came from locking our doors.  My daddy also felt the need to teach me how to handle a firearm by the time I was ten years old.  He always wanted me to be safety conscious.  He wanted me to be aware of my surroundings and taught me not to be too trusting.  My safety was a major concern for him.  Now for this reason, I felt secure when I was with my daddy.  I knew that he would die defending me.  I never had any fear as long as he was around.

In this scripture passage, Jesus is concerned about our safety.  Our heavenly father is just as concerned with keeping us safe and protected. He sent His Son to die on the cross that we might have safety in Him and eternal life. He wants us to be aware.  He wants us to know that the thief is lurking about.  His word tells us that the devil is walking around like a lion just looking for someone to devour.  In this particular passage, he refers to satan as a thief.  He warns us that the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.  Satan wants to steal our joy.  He wants to steal our sense of security that we find in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  He wants to kill our commitment to Christ.  He wants to kill our chances of spending eternity with our heavenly father in the place He has prepared for us.  He wants to destroy our hope.  He wants to destroy any chances of future happiness.  The bottom line here is that satan wants us to live miserable, hopeless lives.

Now we safeguard our homes from thieves with security systems, cameras, fences and gates, large dogs and locks on our gates and doors.  We know what to do to prevent thieves from coming into our homes and stealing our stuff.  How do we safeguard our hearts and souls from satan coming in and stealing our joy, peace, and happiness?  Well we lock up!

Just as we lock our homes against intruders, we lock our hearts and souls against satan and his minions.  First of all draw close to God.  The Bible tells us that he will protect us from anything that comes against us.  Secondly, immerse yourself in His word.  There are many, many verses in the Bible that speak of the protection that God provides for us.  Last, but not least, pray.  Pray God’s words of protection. Pray Psalm 91, an awesome Psalm that details how God protects us from whatever we face.  As we do these things, we will secure our hearts and our souls against the devil.

I am amazed by the people that never fail to lock their doors.  These people spend thousands of dollars on high tech security systems.  They lock and alarm their vehicles to prevent them from being stolen. No one can say they are not careful and safety conscious.  However, many of these same people see no need in going to church, reading their Bible, praying and spending time with God.  People, this should be our number one safety plan.  I’m not saying that it’s not important to lock our doors and take all these safety precautions.  Of course we should keep our homes and our family safe.  But, why do all that and leave your family open to satan’s attack.?  It just doesn’t make sense.

Jesus tells them what the devil plans to do and what his purpose is, but then he tells them what he has come to do.  He has come so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  Isn’t that awesome news?  If God has come to give us life, then this means that satan has no power over us.  What is the worst that could happen?  We could die a physical death. If we have accepted Christ as our savior, however, we know that this only means that we are taken up out of this miserable world we now live in and brought up to heaven to spend eternity in glory with God our Father.  As Christians we face a win/win situation.  In Christ, we can’t lose!  As long as we remember to lock up.

Satan is out there lurking around looking for any unlocked door that will allow him to gain access.  An unlocked door could come through unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, or any type of unrepentant sin.  Be very careful to avoid these things.  If you are having a problem with any of these, pray to God for his help in removing them from your life.  Failing to do so, is like leaving a door open.

Often times we go around our house at night checking to be sure that the doors and windows are locked.  We make sure that the alarm is set.  We make sure that our home is secure and safe.  We must remember to do the same for our hearts.  So as you go through this day, do a safety checklist.  Have you closed any doorways that satan might use?  Have you removed sin from your life as best you can.  Nobody is perfect, but we must strive to remove any ongoing or unrepentant sin.  Are you focusing on God and trying your best to do His will for your life?  Are you in close relationship with Him?  Do you talk to Him daily?  Do you listen to what He has to say to you through His word?  Do you spend time at His house with Him on a regular basis?  Do you make these things a priority?  By doing these things we close and lock openings that satan might slip into.  One thing I have noticed in my life is that if satan finds an unlocked door or window, he not only walks right on in, but he takes over.  He just makes himself at home and takes up residence.  Once this happens, it is very difficult to get rid of him.

So starting today, let’s be as careful about our hearts and our families hearts as we are about our homes.  Lock up! Do everything you can to keep satan, the thief, from invading your heart.

Keep him out of there and have a great day!