“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” JOHN 10:10
A thief will do whatever is necessary in order to get what he wants. A thief will take away what is yours and leave you with less than you had before.
Perhaps your faith, hope, and love, which once seemed to burn brightly, are now like a flickering candle. Water has been poured on the flame of your joy, and you find yourself saying, “Something within me has died.”
Here is a question that you can ask yourself (or another person): “Who stole what you had?” The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. So, “Who took what you had and destroyed it?”
How do you deal with thieves? Jesus said, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them” (John 10:8). If you listen to thieves, they will take away everything of value. They will steal, kill, and destroy.
If you have been robbed of faith, hope, and love, you will likely find that, somewhere along the way, you have been listening to the voice of a thief. And your recovery will begin when you listen to a different voice. The first step in recovering what you have lost is to listen to the voice of Jesus. And the first thing He says is that you must learn to recognise the voices of thieves.
You might be able to say to someone you love, “I remember when you had great joy in serving the Lord. There seemed to be a bright flame of faith burning in you. But someone has taken that away from you. Who was it?” Or as Scripture says, “You were running well. Who hindered you?” (Gal. 5:7).
Do you need to ask yourself this question? Or is there someone in your life you could ask?
Written by Colin Smith
Read by Sue McLeish
www.openthebible.org.uk
