Tuesday, January 16, 2024

John 10:10
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

So who is this thief, and how does he steal, kill, and destroy? He is God’s enemy, and if you are a Christ follower, he’s your enemy too.

As the enemy of God, his sole purpose is to do the one thing that hurts God most—steal away his children. Yes, the thief is very active in all our lives today and every day. His goal is to manipulate and convince us that we are not worthy to be a child of God, nor should we want to be.

To understand the way he works, we first have to remember that we are born slaves to sin until we accept Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior and allow him to take control. We must believe that Jesus' life, suffering, and death were all done out of love for us, because we couldn’t do it on our own. Unfortunately, simply confessing this doesn't guarantee us a perfect life. That is where the thief comes in—he uses lies to prey upon us.

John 8:44b
“He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The thief, Satan, uses how we view ourselves against us by lying and thus convincing us that sin won’t hurt anything. He uses our egos to make us believe we deserve it for one reason or another. He then comes back around and crushes us with guilt and shame, leaving us feeling like we are unworthy of anything God has to offer. He is so adept at this process that we don’t even realize it’s happening until we succumb to depression, anxiety, self-loathing, or worse.

The good news is that as we follow Jesus, learn to lean into God’s word, and trust that it is the truth, we’ll discover our identity in Christ. Our mistakes/sins don’t define us—nor does our past, nor what Satan tries to tell us about ourselves.

What defines us is our unwavering faith in Jesus and who God says we are—his beloved children.

That, my friend, is your true identity. Believe it, trust in it, and don’t let the thief steal it away from you.

Questions:
What does your inner voice say about you?

Do you sometimes let the thief put doubt in your mind about who you are?

Next Steps:
Memorize the series theme verse 2 Peter 1:3 and know it to be true.

The next time you feel sad, inadequate, or unworthy, listen to the song, “Jesus Paid it All.”

21 Days of Prayer - Day 9—Confidence
Today’s Prayer Focus: To Live Confidently  (1 John 4:16-17)

Prayer:
Father in heaven, thank you for loving me. I know I can trust you with all I am. I am confident in the salvation you have given me. Help me to abide in you, to become more like your Son every day. Show me how to live like him, according to your will, and working for your kingdom in all I do. May my love for you and others be perfected through your love for me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

2 Peter 1:3
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.

This post was written by Ned Miller, a regular contributor of the Living it Out.