The Devil Is A Dirty Thief

The thief cometh not, but for to steal… —John 10:10

Job had his share of dealing with the devil.  He called the devil “a crooked serpent” (Job 26:13).  Crooked is the right word.  Satan is a crook, a scoundrel, a cheat,  a liar, and a thief.  He is a robber who comes “for to steal.”

First, he seeks to rob people of the seed of God’s Word as it is sown in their heart. In the parable of the sower, Jesus spoke of seed on the wayside being devoured by the birds. He later interpreted this as a work of the devil— “Then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). The last thing Satan wants is for the Word of God to germinate and take root in a person’s heart.

Second, Satan seeks to rob people of their fellowship with God.  He accomplishes this by having a person pre-occupied with secondary things and crowding God out of your daily routine.

Third, Satan will rob you of your generosity. He is the god of greed as seen in Judas who held the bag (John 6:20; 12:6). Satan would turn you into a stingy tightwad who robs God of His tithe (Mal. 3:8-9).

Fourth, the devil would rob you of a healthy body that is the temple of the Holy Ghost.  He seeks for you to destroy your body by over-eating, strong-drink, smoking, drugs, lack of exercise, etc.

Fifth, he wants to steal your happiness and joy as he did with David when he lost the joy of his salvation through sin (Ps. 51:12).

Sixth, Satan will seek to rob you of your love—Your love for God,  God’s Word, God’s house, and your love for lost souls. He steals a person’s love through sin. A person’s love will wax cold when iniquity abounds in their life (Mt. 24:12).

Finally, the devil will try to steal your testimony by compromise.  Satan stole Lot’s influence over his family in Sodom (Gen. 19:14).  Once you’ve lost your testimony, you are of little use in bringing others to Christ. Satan has won a great victory by dulling your influence for God.

Satan doesn’t care about your hopes, dreams, or aspirations, just as long as they are never fulfilled. And he will do his utmost to see that they never are.

Watch out!  The devil is a dirty rotten thief, and he is out to rob you.