A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.  John 10:10 HCSB

To read this passage in context, Jesus is speaking in verse 9 about how He is the door and those who enter by Him will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. In verse 11, Jesus describes Himself as the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.

But nestled in between these two verses, Jesus mentions the thief. The thief comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy. If you have ever had anything stolen from you, you know that theft comes with a host of emotions. You feel violated and victimized. And of course, there is the sense of loss you have suffered. That is usually accompanied by anger.

Jesus is speaking of the devil here. The devil comes to rob us. One of the things the devil most wants to steal from us is our joy. Our former pastor did his last sermon speaking on how a grumpy Christian is an oxymoron. When our joy is in Christ it is never ending. Joy found in anything else is subject to being stolen or destroyed by circumstances beyond our control. But when our hope and joy is found in Christ, that can’t be taken from us regardless of our circumstances.

And like any other thief, they will kill if you get in their way. The devil wants to kill your witness. If he can steal your joy, he can kill your witness. We witness not only by our words, but by the joy in our hearts. If you are a grumpy grouch, no one wants what you have. But if you are filled with joy that is not determined by your circumstances, everybody wants some of that.

The devil wants to rob us of hope and joy. He wants to kill our witness and our enthusiasm for the Lord. As baby Christians, we are often excited about our salvation. We want to share it. We are thrilled to be a part of God’s kingdom. The devil will do all he can to kill that enthusiasm.

The thief will destroy. If you have ever been burglarized, you know that vandalism is a part of it. The thief doesn’t mind destroying doors or windows to make entry. He doesn’t mind destroying whatever he has to destroy to get to or to get what he wants.

We face destruction when we turn away from God. The devil wants us to turn from God. He wants us to be filled with things like pride so that we will face certain destruction.

Jesus very plainly told us that the devil wants to steal from us, kill us and destroy us. Don’t let him do that. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

My friend, you can be as sure that the devil is coming for you as you are of your own name. If we are trying to live for the Lord and imitate Christ, we can be sure that the devil wants to stop us.

Don’t let him do it. Jesus goes on to say in John chapter 10, verses 27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish-ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

There is only one way to conquer the thief. This is to be in Christ. This means we must accept Him as our Savior. We must surrender our lives to Him and trust in Him. Only He can defeat the devil. He defeated the devil at Calvary and if we trust in Him, we will be saved.

You can choose to let the thief come in and steal, kill and destroy or you can choose to live your life surrendered to Christ. The choice is yours. I pray that you choose wisely.

Have a great day!