THE HIDDEN ENEMY
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
Some people don’t think Satan exists. Uh, he’s very real, and his effects are seen throughout the world. Jesus called him a “thief” because he stole the authority God gave to Adam (people) to rule the world. So Jesus had to come to earth as one of us to represent us, take back our authority and destroy the Devil’s work (I John 3:8) - a work that Jesus summarized as a three-pronged attack to…
Satan only has authority (power) over us when we give it to him.
STEAL OUR IDENTITY…
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27
If we are not sure who we are, then we won’t have any clue why we’re here on earth. From this confusion many people (animals too) become aimless, restless and reckless. When a person (animal) is reckless they are a danger to themselves and everyone else. The “thief” wants us wandering through life with no purpose. But when we know who we are, we’ll know why we’re here, and how to live.
…KILL OUR DIGNITY…
“…We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
Uncertainty with who we are leads us to doubt ourselves and ultimately to quit - whatever we were made by God to do. With no divine purpose we have no dreams and as a result there is no use trying. This is the ultimate plan of the thief - for us to quit, especially on God and then on ourselves. When people quit, they hate themselves. As a result, what they were created for (to love) is over.
…DESTROY OUR ETERNITY.
“…My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life…” John 6:40
Some people do not believe in an after-life. Others think there is no hell, only a Heaven, because God is too loving to send anyone there. The truth is, God is loving, which is why He created heaven for us, but He is also the righteous Judge we will stand before. The Devil doesn’t want you to know this - just do as you please and it’ll be OK. But God wants us to know the reality of both so we can prepare our hearts for the eventuality of the after-life.
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