There is nothing worse than someone stealing from you. Especially something you have worked hard for. Today we hear about identity theft. It has wrecked people’s lives. More than ever we are warmed about scams and people hacking into our financial accounts. We are encouraged to use wisdom and apply safeguards and protections. Nobody likes a thief. The Word of God tells us that Satan, the Devil is a thief and a robber( John 10:1, John 10:10). He is a stranger, whose voice we do not follow. (John 10:5). He never enters the door of truth but enters through lies and deception. He is a hireling who works for His pride, the destruction of truth, and God’s glory. The Greek word for thief is kleptēs. It is from the Greek word Klepto . It is where we get Kleptomania which is a condition where a person feels an uncontrollable urge to steal things. Satan steals by fraud and in secret. It is all he knows to do. He is bent on robbing and stealing. Metaphorically, of false teachers or deceivers who steal men away from the truth. Satan is always trying to steal the truth from us. In the parable of the sower, his mission is to steal the Word of God. The Word of truth (John 17:17)( Mark 4:15). (Complete Word Study Dictionary, The – New Testament.).
What do you do with a thief?
Let’s look at John 2:13-17 (NKJV)-13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business.15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” In Matthew, it was called a den of thieves. Matthew 21:13 (NKJV)
13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “ Jesus was upset because they were charging people outrageous sums for purchasing items for sacrifices. They were taking advantage of people and committing usury and extortion.
What did Jesus do with thieves in the Temple? He made a whip and He drove them out! The King James Bible says He made a scourge—a Roman lash. When I was young my Father bought me a bullwhip. I loved that thing. I would spend hours practicing how to use it. I loved the cracking sound it makes when whipped into the air. Here we have sweet Jesus full of zeal and righteous anger. It must have taken some time for Jesus to make one and use it in the Temple. It was a different side of Jesus we don’t always think about. He is always about truth, justice, and equity. What do you do with a thief? If you don’t know it by now Satan wants to steal your peace and your joy. He wants to steal your finances and your health. He wants to discredit God and put Him on trial. He wants to steal your identity and place you in bondage.
When you had something stolen, how did you feel? What did you do? Were you angry and upset? Were you passive and threw up your arms in frustration? Did you resign to the fact that some things just happen and you can’t do anything about it? Did you feel powerless and confused? I believe that when it comes to Satan and His kingdom we have become too passive. We let Him steamroll right over us. Jesus drove the thieves out of the Temple! Did you know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?( 1 Cor 3:16, 1 Cor 6:19). Maybe we need to learn how to make a whip and drive the thieves out. In Congress, they have a majority and minority whip. A whip is a party leader who helps coordinate votes and strategy in the U.S. Congress. They are an enforcer. Did you know we are enforcers of the New Covenant? That God has given us authority in the Name of Jesus! ( Luke 10:19-20, Matt 28:18). That we have authority over Satan and His demons. Many times we are asking God to remove circumstances and situations from us. God, “Please take away this sickness or disease.” God, “Please deal with this demon attacking my life.” Did you know God has done everything that He is going to do about Satan? (Col 2:15, Heb 2:14, 1 John 3:8). We are to submit to God and resist the Devil. (James 4:7). It is time for us not to be passive when it comes to the Kingdom of Satan. It is not a time to be passive when it comes to the Kingdom of God. Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)-12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. We are to fight the good fight of faith!( 1Tim 6:12).
God has given us a whip. It is called our tongue! He has given us His Authority and His Word to use. “Death and life are in the power of our tongue!” ( Prov 18:21). 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NKJV)-13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. If you catch a thief you don’t say,” Come on in and take what you want.” or you don’t say, “What a nice thief, can we be friends?” No! You make a whip and drive him out. With your faith and the words of your mouth, you take authority! You accept what you tolerate. When it comes to Satan and his demons you use your righteous anger and you don’t tolerate him or his attacks. Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. You draw a line in the sand! Satan is a defeated foe. The only power He has is lies and deception. (John 8:44).
Here is a question we ask at times, “What if I opened the door to Satan?” Does that give him the legal right to attack me? “I have cancer because I smoked too much.” “I brought this disease upon myself because I sinned.” Yes, there are wages for sin. There are consequences for bad decisions and lifestyle. There is the law of sowing and reaping. What we need is an advocate. His Name is Jesus! ( 1 John 2:1-2). God encourages us not to sin. To not give place to the Devil.(Eph 4:27 John 5:14). God is not holding our sins against us! Jesus is our heavenly attorney. He never loses a case. Satan doesn’t have a legal right to steal from us even if we leave the door open. Why? because we are bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus! If I leave the doors or windows open a thief gets in and is later caught. he is still liable and comes under judgment. He can’t make the excuse that the door was left open. He does the crime and pays the time. This is so important to understand and it helps us come out from under condemnation and the accusations of the enemy. (1 Cor 6:19-20). It can keep us from being passive and surrendering to the enemy.
An open door does not negate your authority.
The good news is that we can shut the door through repentance. We can pray for a crop failure! We don’t give the Devil any more place. We thank God for His mercy and grace. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not even an open door. ( Rom 8:34-39). God doesn’t stop loving us when we sin! If God is for us who can be against us? The Temple is not a place for thieves. Jesus didn’t pray about what to do. He didn’t ask if it was God’s will. He made a whip and dealt with the thieves. He knew what the proper use of the Temple was. It was a house of prayer. (Luke 19:46). He took authority. Isaiah 42:13 (NKJV)-13 The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. What happened after Jesus did this? Matthew 21:14 (NKJV)-14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. Healing came as Jesus drove out the thieves! Adam’s sin opened the door to sickness and disease.
Jesus shut the door through His death, burial, and resurrection.
We mustn’t dwell on past mistakes. We don’t need to live with regrets. We have redemption through His blood. There is mercy and grace even when we have opened the door to the enemy. We can repent and receive God’s forgiveness. If we open any door it ought to be Jesus. Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)-20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. He is the right door for the sheep. ( John 10:7). I think too often we try to dissect things. We look for open doors to the enemy. We spend too much time trying to figure things out. We need to focus on Jesus our Advocate. ( Heb 12:1-2). Let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us. Take authority and drive the enemy out in the Name of Jesus! The Devil will try to take advantage of an open door but he doesn’t have the right to be there because of the blood of Jesus! We need to fight the good fight of faith, knowing that the Devil is already defeated! Your voice is your whip. God’s Word is your whip.
The Spirit of Christ within you is your whip.
In closing: Don’t be intimidated by a thief! Let not passivity be your attitude towards the enemy. Stand on the truth of God’s Word, hold your ground, and take your rightful authority. Let not sin, sickness, disease or poverty reign in your temple! ( Rom 6:12, Rom 6:14). Romans 5:17 (NKJV)-17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. The power of agreement in prayer is our whip. The laying of hands on the sick is our whip. The anointing with oil by the Elders and the prayer of faith is our whip. Hallelujah! The Name of Jesus is our whip. Finally, thanksgiving and worship is our whip! We know what to do with a thief!
P, S, You may be standing in faith for God’s provision, healing, someone’s salvation, etc for a long time. God is not slack concerning His promises. He is faithful. He watches over His Word to perform it. (Jer 1:12, Is 55:11). Through faith and patience, we inherit the promises of God (Heb 6:12). Don’t fall into the trap of blaming yourself, that something is wrong with you, or that God is withholding from you(Psalm 84:11). Keep your eyes on the promise. Keep your eyes on Jesus! Keep faith alive! (Mark 11:22, 2 Cor 5:7). Keep seeing it already done in Jesus’ Name!
In Christ’s love;
Brent and Lida Bushen
If this has blessed you in some way, please let us know and share it with a friend. If you need prayer you can email us and we will pray for you. ([email protected]).