07.05.04

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. - John 10:10.

In Versailles, Illinois Gordon Bryant ran into a problem gaining access to a bank. The Farmers State Bank now has a system to remotely control and open their door to allow customers in after a previous robbery. Gordon had a problem because bank employees were a little suspicious of the stocking, which he had pulled over his head. Brown County Sheriff Jerry Kempf said, “When you’re going into a bank, you usually don’t wear those in there. It’s not Halloween.” Bryant did get away but a Sheriff’s deputy caught up with him and was able to arrest the man. Bryant had served time in prison for bank robbery in the past.

The employees of the Farmers State Bank did what many people do not do spiritually. If a man looks like a robber than he may be a robber and you ought to take precautions. I was once at a convenience store during the summer and saw two men sitting in a vehicle next to me pull ski masks down over their heads. I didn’t wait for them to get out of their car - I left as fast as I could and called the police from a phone booth nearby. Spiritually we know that we have spiritual enemies and that they only want to destroy us. These spiritual enemies want to kill, steal, and destroy.

When we see those spiritual enemies knocking at our door - we do not have to open the door. Some of those enemies are obvious such as substance abuse and, sexual immorality. The apostle Paul warns us to “…walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy (Romans 13:14).”

Instead of opening up the door and letting in these obvious enemies of all that is good what should we do? Paul tells us to, “…cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12b).” Paul also says we should, “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:14).” Another translation says to “clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus.”

So we see what we need to do when the devil comes knocking at our door. We need to keep that door closed and call for help. Put on the armor of light and clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ. When the thief comes to the door go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help to overcome the evil that is before you. Instead of thinking about how you can gratify your flesh instead think about how you can please your Lord by walking “properly”. Instead of opening the door to death, turn to the Lord who will give you life “more abundantly.”