John 10:9-11 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
There is a thief from the spiritual realm that, though Jesus Christ defeated on the Cross at Calvary, is still tempting, lying and deceiving weak, prone to sin humanity in their fallen flesh desires and prideful egotism. He is Satan, the adversary, the arch-enemy of good. Because of “original sin” in the Garden of Eden and our sin-nature ever since, Romans 3:11-12 makes clear, “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” This is why the Apostle Paul states that all have rebelled, sinned against their Maker and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death and the default is eternal separation in Hell. We have no way to reconcile ourselves to their just and holy Almighty Creator to be saved. Look how people disobey the Word of God today and willfully practice that which the Lord identifies as sin needing paid for.
Ephesians 2:1-3 confirms that we are dead in trespasses and sins, in which we walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as all the others. The prince of the power of the air is the devil and he wants to take as many as he can with him to eternal damnation in the “Lake of Fire” [the reality of Revelation 20]. 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
John 8:44 “He [the devil] 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.” But, God is never displaced or cancelled in His world. And, the Creator of Heaven and the universe created a way to forgiveness and salvation by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world to those who believe, repent and receive this free gift by grace alone through faith alone, by resurrecting from the dead after three days to defeat death once and for all, then ascending to the right hand of the Father to intercede for us until He comes again in glory. 2 Kings 18:32b says, “Choose life and not death!” Choose Christ, walk in the Spirit and do not gratify the sinful desires of the flesh.
Ephesians 6:11 tells us to, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Be wise, be aware and beware of the temptations, lies and deceptions of the evil one because the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Believe God, follow Jesus and live the abundant life the Lord meant for you
Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
In Christ, Brian
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