John 10:10 is one of my favorite passages. You know it well. It says the enemy has come to kill, to steal, and to destroy. To kill, steal, and destroy what? The promise of what Jesus said He had come to give. “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” That is to the full and overflowing. That’s the kind of life that He had come to give.
How have you experienced the abundant, full, and overflowing life offered by Christ? In what ways has the enemy attempted to kill, steal, or destroy the divine abundance Jesus has offered to you?
Michael Hyatt did a post yesterday about the stories we tell ourselves over the stories we are actually believing. I think I believe a lot of what the enemy says (i’m interferring, I’m intruding, I’m not good enough, I’m just a dreamer, I’m too fearful to move) but, thankfully, I am getting closer and closer to not believing and to embracing freedom………at least in some things.
Oh, Bianca …
Tears spring to my eyes as I write this …
We have truly experienced and lived an abundant life … 29 years of marriage … a dozen children … blessings after blessings after blessings.
However … this year the enemy has done his darndest to tear all of those blessings from me.
After 28 years of marriage, we nearly lost our marriage. Devastation. Despair. Destruction. Straight from the enemy.
Then … when we did not allow the enemy to completely destroy our marriage … when we chose to rebuild and pray for restoration …
the enemy snuck in the back door and ripped apart our family.
That is the only way to describe it. Our “big, happy, close-knit, loving, Christian” family … relationships destroyed overnight. We don’t even recognize one another.
B. … I am NUMB from the pain … eyes swollen from the tears … heart broken by the words of my children.
The enemy has worked overtime on our family this year, and somehow he ripped us apart before we even knew what was happening.
Please keep us in your prayers. I KNOW that the Lord can restore … I KNOW that He can rebuild … but right now things are REALLY ugly.
Hugs!
Mama D.
I was blessed with an incredible new career opportunity three years ago in a completely different field than what I had studied. I took it because I felt that’s where God was leading me. I took a 50% pay cut to do it, so I was a little bit anxious, but God has been incredible and am now out of debt except my student loan. There’s no way that would have happened at the old job.
I still like to buy stuff, though. I’m impulsive. I get these thoughts that I’ll be so much better off if I have an iPad or a MacBook Pro rather than my little Toshiba. And I give in a lot. I have the iPad but not the MacBook…yet. Trying to save and become the good steward with all that God has given me is one of my biggest weaknesses, and it seems to be the place I always start tripping up.
I have experienced it!! Praise God!! I am experiencing it right now. The enemy has tried to steal my joy, kill my self-esteem, and destory my relationships with everyone. Praying for you today Bianca! (Felt the need to) 🙂 Love you sista!!
I’ve always think upon this scripture with awe. The contrast is eye opening. Personally, the enemy is always trying to steal the peace I have in my identity in Jesus, but Jesus is so faithful to remind me I am His.
After a year of fertility tests, my husband losing his job when we finally got pregnant and then a devastating miscarriage… I had to teach on this passage recently! It’s hard to stand in front of a bunch of people and talk about having a full life when that is your recent experience. I focussed on the fact that Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the LIFE and therefore whatever our cricumstances we could also read that passage as having Jesus to the full. What the world says is a full life is not always what Christians experience.
Too many to name girl! Way too many! Thank you for posting this reminder! 😉 xo