No one likes a thief! The thief may have friends that he allows to enjoy his bounty, but if your friend is a thief, you must always be on guard. If he desires what you have, soon he will figure out how to steal it. A thief doesn’t work for what he has, he waits until someone else has gone through the work process, and he takes what he wants. One morning while enjoying the beauty of the lake we live on, I watched a thief seeking to feed himself from the work of another. This battle was between a heron and a fox. The heron stood and watched, waiting until a fish came into view. I’ve seen them wait for an hour or more with still no success, but this morning he was remarkably successful. He caught a fish that was a nice size. It was so big he would need to pull it apart to swallow it. As he stood there with it in his mouth waiting for it to die, he was unaware of the fox lurking behind him, waiting for his opportunity to steal the morning bounty of the heron. Just as the heron was about to turn and lay his fish on the sand, he caught a glimpse of the fox. He would give the fox no opportunity to have a free breakfast this morning. He quickly flew away with the labor of his hunt in his mouth.
As I saw this scene play out before my eyes I thought of the greatest of all thieves, Satan. He is the thief of souls. He comes to roam the earth and deceive all those he can entice in any way. He is compared to a roaring lion in II Peter 5:8. He is like a lion lurking in the bushes, he stalks his prey, waiting for the perfect moment when he can attack and successfully conquer those who are unaware. He is our adversary, but too many times we don’t recognize him as such. We let our guard down and he inches his way into our lives.
Michael Hodge moved to South Africa because he loved lions and wanted to live with them. He found a cub and raised it on a bottle. After 10 years of playing with the lion and treating it as a pet, the lion turned on Hodge and dragged him into the bushes to devour him as prey. The only thing that saved Hodge’s life was someone who shot the lion. Although he lived, he spent many days in the hospital, and he has scars that will last a lifetime.
I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
Just like the lion, Satan seeks to destroy us. He can disguise himself as something fun and harmless while all the time he is a lurking lion. This thief comes to steal our souls. His desire is to destroy us one temptation at a time. He will seek to convince us that we can have the world and Jesus too. When we have allowed sin to permeate our lives to the point of pain, we may look up and seek Christ. We may turn back to God and repent. If so, God will forgive and we will be restored, but just like Michael Hodge, there will be many scars and disabilities within us. These scars are tools Satan will use to discourage us from moving forward for Christ. He will try to convince us that we cannot live a victorious Christian life. He will remind us of the fun things we left behind. Satan is clever and by our past actions, he knows our weaknesses.
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.”
While Satan is determined to capture us and destroy us, there is hope. In John 10:10 Jesus talks about how this thief comes to destroy us, but He then turns the corner to show what He offers. He does not seek to kill us, He offers life, not just life, but abundant life. He offers us victory while still here fighting our battles. In I John 4:4, once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are His. When we are His, His Spirit dwells within us, and He is greater than Satan. We have Jesus to fight for us. It is His strength and grace that enables us to achieve victory.
I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
The best way to keep a thief from plundering and stealing is to deny him entry. To protect our physical bodies and things, we spend a lot of money on weapons, security systems, and locks. We move away from areas where there is a high crime rate. However, these tools are of no value unless we use them. When used properly we are prepared to thwart the thief’s attempts. We must do the same spiritually to protect our souls. We must be ready by knowing the word. We must be ready by staying in close connection with the one who is greater, that dwells within us. We must deny Satan’s entry into any area of our lives. We must be as diligent to keep him out as he is to get in. We cannot do this on our own, we must depend on Jesus and follow His lead.
