Stolen, or Given Away..?

For the next several weeks, we will have guest authors for our Words for Wednesday. Today our guest author is Michael Jordan. Enjoy!

Stolen, or Given Away..?

There is a popular Christian song out now with these lyrics: “I’m calling the angels down, I’m storming the gates of hell, Tell the devil he don’t own my soul, I’m taking back what the enemy stole”. As I was pondering those words, I was drawn toward the last line: “I’m taking back what the enemy stole”. I asked myself this question: Does Satan actually steal anything from me? Is he capable of just sweeping in and taking something from me?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard phrases like ‘Satan has robbed you of your joy”, or he has “stolen your peace”, and if I am not careful, I can place the blame on him – just like the old saying “The devil made me do it”. But wait a minute, John 10:10 says “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal, kill and destroy…”, doesn’t that say that he can steal? Well, let’s examine the context of that verse.

Jesus was using sheep and a sheep’s pen to explain the only way of salvation….10:9 says ”I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved”. Just like there is only one correct way to enter a sheep’s pen (using the gate), there is only one correct way to enter the kingdom of God (through Jesus). He says in 10:1 – “..the man who does not enter by the gate, but climbs in by some other means is a thief and a robber”. The Greek word for thief is “one who steals”. He is trying to show the Pharisees that they are false teachers, or thieves. By teaching their rules based way of salvation, they are robbing people of the truth. That is exactly what Satan does…..tries to steal our ability to see the truth of the gospel.

So back to my original question: Can Satan actually steal anything from me….No he can’t. It is I who choose to believe his lies. I choose not to have joy because of a tough circumstance or painful trial. I choose not to have peace because I fail to trust in the promises of God. I choose to have a selfish attitude when I don’t get my way, and the list goes on. Satan will always try to lure me away from my faith in Christ…but he can never steal me away. Maybe a better line would be: “I’m taking back what I chose to give away”

These are your words for Wednesday.

In Christ,
Mike Jordan