Beware the Thief
By Keneesha Saunders-Liddie
The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
When I was a little girl, someone chose to steal from my family in the middle of the night. When I woke up the next morning my dad, who loves storytelling, told me and my siblings what happened. My sense of security was lost for the moment because the person passed right next to my window.
When the thief came that night to steal some of my dad’s wood, he didn’t know that my dad was looking at him taking his belongings. My dad saw him face to face without him even knowing he was being watched. It was in the dead of the night, the time when everyone is in their most vulnerable state.
The wood that the person stole was necessary for my dad to continue the repairs on our house, but the person didn’t know or care, he was only seeking his benefit. My dad watched him leave and return for more and this time, he said out loud as he stood by the window, “Why are you stealing my wood?”
According to my dad, he had never seen someone run so fast in his entire life. He said the young man leaped over the wall and never stumbled - he ran as though a wild animal was chasing him.
We laughed about it and my dad never confronted the individual, even though he knew who it was.
There are some thieves in our midst here on earth. Many pretenders walk around in sheep clothing trying to blend in, in our churches.
Many pastors who we listen to are fake and have no good intentions for you. All they care about is money and fame. Once we are followers of Christ, we know that his enemy is out to get us. This is why Paul admonished us to be sober and vigilant. If we allow false prophets to get into our heads, destruction won’t come right away. It will be a slow falling away where we wake up one day and realize how far from God we’ve run.
Jesus has come so we can have life and not just to live but to live abundantly, richly, and lavishly. He already made the way for you to experience this wonderful life.
The thief is none other than Satan and as he desired to sift Peter as wheat, he desires to do the same thing to us. Usually, when someone breaks into your home to steal, they never have the intention to kill you, however, if you happen to see who they are they feel as though they have no other choice but to take your life. This is because you can identify them, you know who they are, and you can turn them in.
Satan isn’t coming to us himself; he uses others to get to us. He uses our own habits and desires to lure us in. His end is destruction and torment and he wants as many of us to go with him. He accuses us daily before God and is constantly coming up with new tactics to steal, kill and destroy.
There is one thing that I want you to remember and this is that Jesus came so we can have life. Not just a mediocre life but abundant life. A life that celebrates the victory, Jesus has already won the battle. He also will not leave us to fend for ourselves against the wiles of the devil but will be praying for us as he told Peter that our faith would hold and we would come forth as gold. Put God first, serve him wholeheartedly and live life abundantly through his grace.
Keneesha is a wife, mom and writer. She is an avid reader of wholesome romance novels and a lover of writing. She is hoping to one day add author to her list of accomplishments. As a pastor’s kid, she fell in love with the way Jesus loved her at an early age and want to encourage others to live for him through her words. You can find more musings from her here https://womenlovinggodsway.com
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Thursday, 23 March 2023.
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