The Thief and The Giver
Do you want the bad news or the good news first? I always say bad news first, then we can end on a positive note! John 10:10 is a perfect example of the bad news, good news dichotomy. Here we go…
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.”
John 10:10a
Do I ever know the truth behind that verse.
He stole my joy.
He killed my self-confidence.
He destroyed my peace.
The pilfering of my spirit came quietly and over time. A creeping thief in the night who works unnoticeably behind a mask.
He wants to steal our joy.
It began with exhaustion. I was just plumb tuckered-out. I wrote in my journal…
I’ve been so overwhelmed. I have no strength. No strength to put into our relationship. No strength to have a cheerful spirit.
The thief knows what we should know, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The last thing Satan wants is for us to be strong, joyous sons and daughters of the King spreading light to those around us.
The enemy moved stealthily, cloaked behind ministry and things that I loved. He started taking joy out of the things that meant the most to me. I began looking at the little things like they were a burden. Someone may ask me to do something, I’d agree yet thoughts like “great…one more thing” would squeeze their way in and kick the joy out.
If you’ve been feeling worn down, beaten up, exhausted, out of strength…watch your joy. He’s after it.
He wants to kill our self-confidence.
Ever felt kicked when you were already down? This is what it felt like to me. You start questioning yourself, your words, and choices. You doubt what you’re doing and the path you’re taking. Eventually you question who you are, feeling frail, small, and insignificant.
What a shame for the enemy to have more confidence in knowing who we are than ourselves. He knows what a formidable threat we are when we are confident. This is why he does not want us to believe in who we really are. If we truly know who we are and walk confidently in it, we cannot be beaten.
He wants to destroy our peace.
This was the final straw. Destroying my peace meant destroying my hope. I was not only questioning myself, but I was questioning God’s protection and care of me. Had he abandoned me? Without peace of mind or heart, hope shriveled. It felt like the end was closing in. Lack of peace is crippling, not feeling safe in your own mind and spirit. I’ll admit frankly that there were times it felt that not even God could save me from the panic. But let’s make something clear… you may not have control over the panic, but God still has control over the entirety of the universe. The enemy wants to steal peace so we doubt God’s ability to save us. It is his way of toying with our minds so we think we are helpless and hopeless.
Well, he’s taken enough and now his time is over. It’s time for the good news.
“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:10b
Jesus has promised that even in the midst of thievery, we can have an abundance of life and experience His goodness.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature…”
2 Peter 1:3-4a
He gives joy and love.
Even in the midst of great suffering we can experience the Father’s joy and love. God is still at work around us. He has still given us His spirit that fills us. Regardless of our circumstances (even if our circumstances are occurring within us). Can you see it? Can you feel it?
I won’t say I could feel His presence throughout this chapter of my life. I’d be lying if I did. However, there were moments when I so strongly could see the Lord working throughout my situation that I knew He was there. In those moments, I could see the Father’s love in kindness from friends. I felt the joy in laughter shared with my students. He has not and will not abandon us. Even in your pain, it is possible to see His joy, goodness, mercy, and love. It’s there, all you have to do is open yourself up to receiving it.
He gives grace, confidence, courage, and strength.
Sometimes I wonder if the enemy forgets that any time he thinks he is making us weaker, he is actually making us stronger. When we are at the end of ourselves, when we are at the end of our power and strength, God has a never-ending supply that restores us and makes us stronger than we were before.
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Let us not forget that the power of the one who spoke creation to be and rose men from the grave is living and breathing in us.
He gives peace and rest.
A miracle I experienced during my battle with anxiety, that I still have a hard time comprehending, is that I was able to rest. I would be absolutely terrified to go to sleep. I was scared that my dreams would not be any better than reality, yet I didn’t want to stay awake because of my tortured thoughts. Let me just tell you…I do not remember one single bad dream from this time. I thank God for allowing sleep to be a brief escape for me. In the middle of the mess I was in, He provided rest and peace. If the Father offers you time of rest in this season, take them. Let them be moments you can sink into and remember with gratitude.
Let us remember that everything we experience in this life, the good and the bad, can be used for our benefit and God’s glory.
Let us seek the Father and His goodness even in the darkness. His light is there. There is hope for us.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.”
Genesis 50:20
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:28
A final thought from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers...
Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against tribulation, suffering, and persecution—are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him” “in all these things”; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
*Also----don't forget to check out the new songs I've added to the Weapons page!*