Seeking Jesus First - May 31, 2023

Who is the thief in the earth? Who is the one who steals? Jesus identified the one who takes away what was your inheritance and what you labor to gather.

“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 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 10:7–10, NKJV)

Let’s go straight to spiritual application:

Have you ever wondered why “steal” is listed first in the traits of the thief? The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. But the devil cannot kill and destroy without first stealing. What does the thief try to steal that gives him access to your inheritance, your physical life and your future potential?

“And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15, NKJV)

In The Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that the devil comes immediately to steal the word when it is planted. The word is our promise and our access into our inheritance. If we are unable to retain God’s word in faith, we can’t believe God. If we can’t believe God, we can’t receive from God.

The word of God makes us aware of all that God has for us. The word of God makes us aware of God’s love for us. The word of God is the way faith comes into our hearts.

Think of it like this:

Many people have packets of seeds somewhere in their home. Do you? At some point, a person thinks, “I would like a garden.” Then they start doing a little preparation, but for whatever reason, they never plant those seeds. Is it the thief’s fault that we don’t have a garden? It is if he stole the seeds, or dug them up after you planted them, or in some way tricked you into believing you shouldn’t have a garden because it must not be God’s will.

We planted many seeds in seed pods and watered them and tried to get them ready for planting in our raised bed garden. But not all of the seeds grew into plants. This did not discourage us. It could have because it took time and effort without reward. But we were successful to a degree and we focus on our success and try to duplicate it. We don’t focus on failure and quit because the harvest is worth the effort.

You see, Jesus is greater than the thief and He came to give us abundant life and everlasting life. We just need to plant the seeds that He gives us.

If we say, “God makes us sick”, we are allowing the thief to steal our seed and by stealing our seed, he steal our inheritance. He gains access kill and to destroy.

If we trust God and start planting the seed promises, some may not produce; but don’t give up. Our faith, like God’s faith, is loving, hopeful and persistent. Our faith continues to water and to weed and to anticipate the harvest.

Jesus has given us good and precious promises that have the power to change our lives here on earth. We just need to start planting them. Ignore the ones who have grown discouraged and tell you their misunderstanding of the promise. Don’t accept their explanation over God’s promise. The thief has already taken their seed away from them and they are unwittingly partnering with him to take your seed away from you. Don’t be the thief’s partner in any way. Don’t let him steal the word seed and don’t help him steal the word seed from someone else.

If you are not sure about someone else’s faith and hope, pray for them. If what they are believing is motivated by love and based upon God’s word, encourage them with Scripture that builds their faith. You may find some seed packets that you didn’t know you had. You may even discover a thief in your seed closet.