How To Protect The Things That Matter To You

“There's two things I can’t stand… a thief and a liar.” This was the mantra of a generation who saw things as black and white… some things as acceptable, and others as not. One of my best older friends used to say this while he was still with us. He would get a stern look on his face, shake his head from side to side, and deliver the serious judgment. People don’t say it much today, perhaps because we can stand thieves and liars. Maybe because we want to leave the door open to become thieves and liars ourselves. Whatever the reason, you just don’t hear this as much as you used to. Yet we have more of this activity than we used to.

I wonder why these two acts of evil stand out in the statement. Well, both of them are tied together in deceit and underhandedness. And both of them are in the Bible. Of course there are a lot of sins listed in the Bible. But let’s look at the connection between these two. They are both in the list of the 10 Commandments. Satan is our soul’s enemy, and he is labeled as one who is a liar and a thief.  

Jesus said, “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)

When speaking to some people who were working against God, Jesus also said, “You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.” (John 8:44)

The apostle Paul weighed in on the subject with this, “I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

And again Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

You see, lying and stealing are very similar. When you lie, you are stealing the truth from a situation. And when you steal, you are acting as if something is yours when it is not… which is a lie. That’s why some people can’t stand thieves and liars. The trust factor is utterly destroyed. You can’t trust a thief and a liar except to steal things that don’t belong to them and twist the facts to their own purposes. You show me a thief, and I will show you someone who has to lie to cover up their sin.

Satan is a master of lies. He is a master thief. He doesn’t have anything good, so he has to steal from those who do have good. He does not like the truth, so he has to lie. He has been lying since the beginning as Paul mentioned above. His first conversation with humans gave us the greatest lie of all time, “You [can disobey God by eating of the tree] and you will not die [even though God said you would die].” In getting Eve and subsequently Adam to believe that lie, he stole life from humanity. The lie set up the robbery.

Today you will hear many things. Be wise and do not listen to or believe the lies of the enemy. The Devil lies to you so he can set up a robbery. He is trying to steal your faith, hope, love, joy, peace, patience, etc. The only way he can steal that is to lie to you about your situation. Do not fall for his lies or you will be a victim of his thievery. Pray to God right now. Ask Him for protection and guidance. The Holy Spirit is in you as a believer to guide you into all truth, and secure your soul. Surrender to His protection today.

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

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