I Am Come

Text: John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. And one specific reason why it is so special and important to me is, that it makes a very clear and positive distinction between God and the devil.

So this verse makes it very clear…

—God is good, the devil is bad.

—Jesus is life, the devil is death.

—Jesus heals, the devil makes sick.

—The devil binds with habits, addictions, etc. Jesus delivers from every yoke.

—The devil steals, Jesus restores.

—The devil kills, Jesus resurrects.

It is the thief who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: Of course there are many ways that the devil accomplishes this work, but the bottom line is, you can recognize the devil by his works. He is a liar, he is an accuser of the brethren, he is a murderer, and he is a thief.

Jesus said the thief comes for no other reason than chaos, confusion, loss, and ultimately destruction. He can and does use many tools to accomplish this. Usually there is some lying involved, and then some kind of bondage, habit, and addiction. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, lust, perversion, false accusations, evil imaginations, fear and anxiety just to name a few.

The goal is to strip you of your dignity, leave you in a state of hopelessness, shame, and guilt, under a heavy load of condemnation, feeling useless and unworthy.

This is how you identify the thief. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

He wants to destroy your self esteem, and your sense of worth and value. He wants to destroy relationships, he wants to kill your destiny, and ultimately he wants to kill you. He will use drugs and other things, as well as sickness and disease. He really doesn't care how he does it, he just wants you destroyed.

Your very existence is a threat to him. Just the thought that you might actually surrender your life completely to Jesus, and fulfill your destiny, is a thorn in his side.

I want you to understand this… the thief, meaning the devil, comes.

He is coming to every single person under the sound of my voice. If the devil came for Jesus, he is going to come for you as well. I'm not saying that to scare you, but to give you the advantage.

The Bible doesn't say he will kill, steal, and destroy everything and everyone, it just says… "that's his purpose for coming". But you can devil proof your life.

Yes the devil goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but you don't have to be one of his victims.

Yes there are those he has devoured and will devour, but you can decide, he won't devour you.

—Tell your neighbor, he won't devour me.

The Bible says that when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, there were those who fell behind, and became stragglers. And Amalek came upon them from behind and killed them all.

How could he do that? Because they slacked off. To make it relevant to today, they stopped reading their Bibles, they stopped praying, they fell out of fellowship with the church, they quit praising and worshipping God. They quit pursuing and chasing after God. Their hearts became cold and indifferent, and they lost their love for the presence of Jesus.

This is how the thief got the better of them and destroyed them. Not because they were destined to be destroyed, and not because the enemy was so much more powerful than them, but because they cooled off. They quit hungering and thirsting after God, and their hearts grew cold.

That's why I'm telling you, yes the thief will come, but you can devil proof your life. You can decide not to give him any access to your life.You can build a fortress around your heart, mind, and soul, that he cannot penetrate.

—Tell your neighbor, just call me devil proof.

Then Jesus said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. So both come to your life, and you're the one who has the power of choice.

You can have the Abundant life that Jesus gives, or you can be destroyed by the theif… And that's the only two choices you have.

So the point here is… You stand in the middle, and you have to decide who you are going to choose, the good shepherd Jesus, or the thief, the devil. And no one can make that choice for you.

And this is not just a one time choice, the theif is always coming by to see if he can get in. He is always looking for that break in the wall. That place where you let down your guard. That place where you become apathetic, and indifferent.