Upgrading Your Spiritual Security

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 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.’” (John 10:7-10 NIV)

Everyday we take actions to prevent ourselves from being victims of thieves and robbers.  In restaurants or stores, women keep a close eye on their purses or handbags.  We lock our front doors, our windows, and our cars.  We have passwords and firewalls.  We live in a world full of thieves and robbers looking for opportunities to steal what does not belong to them.  Thus, we take precautions.  

Jesus tells us of a thief that wants to rob us of more than just our material possessions.  He wants to steal our hope, our joy, and our very souls.  Yet, how many precautions do we take against his schemes? We lock the doors to our apartments or our homes, but how often do we guard ourselves against falling to temptation?  

Working with students I am often amazed at how those in relationships talk about their physical struggles, but then I learn they are spending time on a bed, together, in the dark, watching a movie.  Talk about leaving the door wide open for the thief!  Or those who want to follow Jesus, but still feel it necessary to hang around their friends from their old life.  It’s the equivalent of putting a sign on your car saying, “Please Take This.”  

Satan is a liar and a thief.  Always has been; always will be.  And like a burglar, he is on the prowl looking for victims.  If we only guarded our souls like we daily guard our possessions, he would be much less a threat.  

Today, consider what precautions you are taking.  Is there a need for an upgrade in the spiritual security of your life?  If so, now is the time to make a plan and implement it.  The thief is working the neighborhood.

© Jim Musser 2016