This is to open your eyes to the things that the devil whom the Bible calls “the thief” can do to you as an individual, in your homes, work places, schools etc. I want you to read everything for your own good because, there are some things you are going to discover in this message that will set you free forever.
The Bible says the “thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). The aim and the purpose of the devil in this world is all about these three things mentioned in this passage otherwise, he has no purpose at all.
Who is a thief? A thief is one who takes dishonestly and secretly. This is the exact qualification of the devil, he is dishonest and secretive. That is why everything about his kingdom is very dishonest and very secretive.
There are three things the Bible talks about concerning the thief and they are, to rob, to kill, and to destroy
A. W HAT ARE THE THINGS HE COMES TO ROB YOU OFF?:
1. He comes to rob you of your joy: The opposite of joy is sorrow and there are so many things the enemy brings into your life that cause you pain and sorrow. Try and overcome your pains by trusting and believing in the promises of God for your life. (Ps. 145:18) “The Lord is near to all who call on Him and to all who call on Him in truth. Know that the devil is in to steal your joy through the various pain you are going through. Some of these pains should come in order for you to grow in the Lord so do not give the chance to the devil to rob you off that joy. (Ps. 21:6) “Surely, you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence”
t is the presence of God that brings you the joy and that is the only way you can defeat the thief who is robing you of that joy. Begin to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you His fruits which one of them is joy. Joy as the fruit from the Holy Spirit lasts forever but the worldly joy is temporal. The eternal joy is only given by the Holy Spirit. In that case what ever comes your way, whether bad or good, the joy will remain in your heart. In the absence of joy comes stress, frustration, and depression. (Isa. 43:2) “When you pass through the waters, l will be with you, and when you pass trough the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” Keep this promise in mind and look up to God in your testing moments, and in that way you will not be robed by the thief.
2. He also comes to rob you of peace: The devil has taken away peace from the world, and just look at the way evil is so rampant and there is no peace any where in this world except those who trust in God and believe in His word and go according to His word. You cannot have peace if you still obey the principles of this world, because in this world there is no peace and the brain behind it is the thief as the Bible calls him. (Rom. 8:6-8) “The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Holy Spirit is life and peace.
The sinful mind is hostile to God, it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. So you see you can only have peace from God. (Eph. 2:14) For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroy the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” Jesus is described in Isaiah 9:6 that He is the prince of peace so if you notice that you are running out of peace or you have no peace in your life, know the thief is around, knock him down by inviting the prince of peace into your life to take over your situation.
3. He also comes to rob you of your time: Most of you misuse your time for something that may not be very important at that particular time. The thief steals or robs you:
a. When you use the time you are supposed to be in church, prayers, Bible teaching, Sunday school classes etc for something else.
b. You are supposed to spend quality time with your family, but if that time is used for something else, then know the thief is around and he will make sure there will be problems in the family because of that. Many families are going through divorce because, spouses no longer spend time with each other and their children. Begin to ask the devil out of your family and ask The Holy Spirit to take over completely.
c. You are supposed to go to work at certain period, but because you enjoy your sleep more, you are always late and that can cause your dismissal and gradually poverty takes over your life. The moment you are using the time for something to another thing which is not called for, then know the enemy is around to mess you up. Begin to pray for God’s grace upon your life and l know if you do that genuinely, The Holy Spirit will take over your life and rearrange everything for your favor.
4. He also comes to rob you of the word: Pay particular attention to this very point.
a. There are many believers or Christians who don’ t even read their bibles because they cannot understand it. The Bible says, those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. You cannot understand the things of God with the flesh. This is why you need to ask the Holly spirit to help you understand the word each time you are going to read or study it.
b. The word of God or the preaching or teaching done in church, crusades, seminars etc, are forgotten as soon as one is out of the place, they can only remember how powerful the message was but cannot remember the preaching itself or any quotation. (Matt. 13:19) The seed that fell on the roadside and the birds picked them and ate them, is interpreted as, when anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart, So what must be done is, be determined in your heart that every message you hear you will write some important points down and ask the Holy Spirit to help you in doing that and after church take your time and go through so you can read through the key points. The word is there to guide us in this life so do not allow the thief to steal it away from you.
c. There are people who cannot memorize the word because a lot is going on in their minds due to the problems of this world. (Ps. 119:97), “Oh how l love your word! I meditate on it all day long. One way of preventing the the devil from robbing you of the word of God is meditating on it all day long. If you cannot memorize the word how can you meditate on it. (Ps 1:2) “The blessed man’s delight is the Law of the Lord, he meditates on it day and night” When you memorize the word, that is when you can use it to defeat the enemy, the thief. When the same thief wanted to rob Jesus, Jesus only used the word to defeat him. If you have problem in any of the above, begin to ask the Holy Spirit to help you in any area you lack. The Bible says, whatever we ask for His glory sake, He will do it.
d. Another way the devil robs you off the word is, attacking the one who speaks the word to you. The Holy Spirit knows everybody and at times when a man of God preaches, you think somebody gives him information about you. That is the time the enemy will make you take offense at the preacher. God wants you to change, but if you are offended by the word of the preacher and take offense, the thief robs you of your repentance and also gives you the spirit of hatred toward the preacher or any suspect. If you are in this category, begin to ask God for forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit to baptize you immediately. He is there for you all the time, just talk to Him and He will help you.
I have two more to discuss, which is the, the thief comes to kill and to destroy. What are the things he has come to kill and destroy in your life? Don’t miss it. There are hidden things that you do not know yet. God bless you mightily as you receive these words.