In our society today, we believe in protection. We have security cameras, burglar alarms, and locks on our doors. We pay for security systems to alert us if our house is broken into. We can even get alerts on our cell phones. The obvious reason is that we don’t want to be stolen from, vandalized, or especially harmed physically or emotionally. ( Internet–In 2020, there were approximately 1.1 million reported burglaries. The burglary rate has been declining over the past decade. About 60% of burglaries occur during the day when homes are often unoccupied. Residential properties are the most common targets for burglars. The average loss per burglary is around $2,661. Many burglaries are preventable with proper security measures.
Bible teacher Barry Bennett from Charis Bible College taught on “Don’t live with a thief“. Here are some of his notes and along with mine, as I studied with him.
- Proverbs 29:24 (PassionNTPsa)-24You are your own worst enemy when you partner with a thief, for a curse of guilt will come upon you when you fail to report a crime.
- John 10:10-The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
- John 10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
- John 8:44-You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Satan is a thief and a robber. He is a liar; his demons are voices of lies and deception. He cannot be trusted; there is no truth in him! He has committed crimes against humanity! He is public enemy number one. The whole world lies under the sway or the influence of the wicked one( 1 John 5:19). God is not the cause of all the tragedy and suffering in the world. We need to place the blame on the right person, and that is Satan, the thief! Is there a thief in your home? We need to stir ourselves up and remind ourselves of certain truths in the Bible! We need to identify “Identity theft”, who is the thief in our lives? We need to identify the thieves of darkness, religion, traditions of men, idols, carnal behavior and thinking, the hurts of the past, fear, hardness of heart, doubt, and unbelief. All of these things are stealing the abundant life Jesus came to give us. God wants us to live in the freedom that Christ brings! To live in the power of the Spirit.
Matthew 24:43 (NKJV)-43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. The thief tries to get into your house to steal your peace, health, provision, and your witness! Nobody wants a thief to break into your home and steal from you. Our body is a house, a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our mind houses our thoughts, imaginations, feelings, and emotions. Our home is not unoccupied, because the Spirit of God dwells there. The Word of God should fill our minds. We need to be aware, discerning, and learn to protect our house. The Holy Spirit is a burglar alarm, so to speak. What alarm is going off in your house? We have a built-in security system! We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. We can discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error( 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:6).
God gives us ways to guard our family, our hearts, and the truths of God’s Word to keep the enemy from stealing from us! Apostle Paul gives us this admonition: Galatians 5:1 stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage! We need to be proactive against the thief, who wants to keep us from walking in freedom. Proverbs 6:9-11 tells us what happens when we are passive, fatalistic, neglectful, and even lazy. It goes on to tell us what the consequences are. The door is open to a thief and a prowler who steals from us! Sometimes we are not even aware that we have been stolen from until it’s too late. Ephesians 4:27 (NKJV)27 nor give place to the devil. Don’t give him any foothold, any room, or opportunity. Otherwise, we are our own worst enemy. A thief will try to convince us that God is in control of our lives, that God is sovereign over everything. That everything happens for a reason, God gives and takes away, and there is nothing we can do. Whatever will be will be. This is a theological thief! A thief in concepts, perceptions, and rational that goes against the purposes and the Word of God.
What did Jesus do with a thief? Mark 11:15 (NKJV)-15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. What did he say? Mark 11:17 (NKJV)-17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “ It had become a religious market, a house of extortion, a money-making enterprise, overcharging people to purchase animals for sacrifices. It was to be a house of prayer. Jesus made a whip and drove the thieves out(John 2:15). Jesus was zealous to keep the house what it was meant to be. The living Word became a whip. As new covenant believers, what do we have? We have the Word of God, the Name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the sword of the Spirit, the armor of God, and all of God’s promises! What do you do with a thief? Apostle James tells us this: Submit to God and resist the devil! James 4:7. We are to resist wrong thinking and imaginations. Resist wrong feelings and emotions, and resist carnal behavior. Resisting is proactive, to stand against the thief. The fiery darts of the enemy! Anything that takes away from the Word of God is a thief. To steal your peace, your health, your destiny, purpose, and your provision. Anything that leads to fear, passivity, doubt, and unbelief is a thief!
We are called to reign in life. Rom. 5:17. We have the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness! The devil is a poison-filled snake that wants to be delivered to your front door. It would be a good idea not to sign for it. Don’t fall for the lie that God sent it! Disagree with the thief, the snake, his deception, and lies. The only way to overcome is to be in the truth. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil(1 John 3:8). He defeated Satan at the cross, spoiling and defeating demonic powers( Col. 2:15). You have authority as a believer in Christ( Luke 10:19-20). You can come against the thief and tell him to leave your house! Don’t let the thief of passivity, laziness, slumber, ignorance, and neglect keep you from the victory that God has for you!
Eph 6:10 — Eph 6:11-Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The operation of spiritual darkness is lies and deception. This is the mind of a thief. He tries to get away with it on unsuspecting people! Apostle Paul tells us in Corithians: 2 Corinthians 2:11-lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. One of his devices is wrong theology, doctrine, and teaching. This is a thief. The twisting of scriptures to condone and support ungodly lifestyles( 1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Peter 3:16). This is why we need to test the spirit. 1 John 4:1 (NKJV)-1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Is what we are hearing and reading lining up with the scriptures? Does it bear witness to our spirit? Does it exalt Christ? Is it the spirit of truth or the spirit of error?
In closing, they tell us: “If you see something, say something!” Thank God we don’t have to put up with a thief. I have found liars are always thieves! Devil, demons, don’t you think about coming into this house and stealing anything from my family and me in Jesus’ Name! If I see anything, I’m going to report a crime! I’m calling 911! I won’t be found guilty of not doing anything. Psalm 91:1-3 (NKJV)-1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. God gives us righteous anger towards the enemy and sin! To draw a line in the sand! Today, put up a sign: “Keep Out!! Devil, you can’t solicit your merchandise at this house!
In Christ’s love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
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