I think one of the greatest tactics of the enemy is to get us to believe that we’re less than what God says we are. If the devil can’t get us to not believe in God, he’ll do what he can to stop us from believing in ourselves.
“The thief comes only to steal..”
He’s looking to steal the confidence we have in God’s Word. To steal away the assurance that the Holy Spirit is working in and through us and has spoken to us and we’ve heard Him. In a nutshell, he’s looking to steal our faith away. He’s trying to keep us from believing that we are who God says we are, and to keep us from believing that we can demolish the strongholds that he looks to keep us chained up in.
“to kill…”
He’s looking to kill relationships. Kill marriages. Kill unity. Kill our health. Kill our energy. Kill our motivation. Kill us. If he can take us out in some way or another and can stop us from impacting others around us to move closer to Jesus and into relationship with the Holy Spirit, he’s happy.
“and destroy…”
He’s looking to destroy self-worth. To destroy the value we see in ourselves; the value we see in following God’s commands and promises; the value we see in others. Any accomplishments where God gets the glory, satan is on the lookout to destroy. The more glory people give God, the less satan has to gloat in himself.
BUT GOD
Jesus says “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” - John 10:10
As Jesus followers, we need to seek the Holy One to show us what life ‘to the full’ is supposed to look like. Instead, so often, we look to the world as to what a full life is supposed to look like, and it leaves us unfulfilled. Looking to the world for success or accomplishments, or what a full life looks like, traps us from truly seeing what God has planned for us. If we find ourselves kicking and screaming at God when things aren’t going according to the plan that we want, we need to check ourselves that we’re not caught up in a plan that’s based on things of this world…a plan that’s in contrast to what He has prepared for us.
So what does a ‘full life’ look like?
Jesus tells us in John 15:8, that “It is to My Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.” As followers of Jesus, we’re to bear fruit. Not fruit that the world produces… such as, popularity, success, money, accolades, things. We’re to bear fruit, as in, sharing the gospel with other, making disciples by meeting regularly with others and walking through life and faith with them. Our lives bear fruit when we take action out of love and show grace while not watering down the Truth of God’s word that we’re called to live by.
Life to the full is a life full of Jesus. A life that follows the heart of the Father by way of listening and heading to the voice of the Spirit.
“Holy God mark our lives to the full with the presence of Yourself… use these broken vessels of our lives to make much of You, and to bear much fruit in Your Name. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
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