Don’t Let The Enemy Rob You! 5-19–24

Welcome to the word for the week. The title this week literally says it all. For a biblical background we will be using John 10:10. To paraphrase it Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus is literally saying that the devil comes to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. Even when he attacks things around us that is the sole motive of his purpose. Once you understand that the enemy has three motives then you can also better understand what you are fighting and how to counter it. To put it another way, the enemy is trying to take the very things from you that God has given you. The question is will you let him?

The enemy does not rob us in the normal ways we think of a robbery. Contrary to popular belief, the enemy can rob us in broad daylight while standing directly in front of us if we are not spiritually aware of how he works. The enemy does not just attack you through things. He attacks our mind, our will, our emotions, our families, our health, our jobs, our peace, our joy, our love, and the long list goes on and on. All of these attacks are not always behind our backs. The evil spirit threw the man’s son down in front of Jesus. It cannot be any more plain than that example which shows us some of those attacks are not hidden. When he is messing with your family members or your health that is not a secret attack. You have to recognize that and be prepared to fight back in the spirit. You do not win these battles in your flesh.

When you look the other way in things you are already looking away from the points of attack. Unfortunately, most people do not realize that. When you see your child doing something and you only say they will learn one day, you are leaving them open to attacks. When you see someone in need of prayer but your anger won’t let you pray for them, you are right on schedule with the enemy. His plan is to stop you from seeing what you need to see. He does this by manipulation. He knew the consequences of Eve eating that fruit and yet he told her she would not die. How does he actually tell her the penalty and yet she does not see it? It is because when you are focused on the bait you never see the trap. All she saw was the fruit but she never saw the sin that would follow it. There were countless trees in that garden and yet the enemy lured her to the only one that was forbidden. Sound familiar?

We need a wake up call. Who is losing their battle and at what cost when you will not open your eyes? One of the  easiest thing you can do in life is place blame on others. It takes no effort to do that. All you have to say is someone else should have done something. What happens when “you” are that someone else God chose? What happens when you do not realize that God put you in the midst of whatever to change things? What happens when you do not know your role in the things going on around you? The bible talks about how the enemy comes in to first bind up the strong man so that he can attack everything else. What happens when the strong man does not realize that is his identity? What happens when the strong man thinks that title is for someone else other than themself? This robbery is not accomplished with a weapon. It is accomplished when we have eyes but cannot see and ears but we cannot hear. Again, wake up before it is too late!

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in His grace,
Bishop Carlos J. Lennon