READ:
JEREMIAH 3:6-14
Just as
physical thieves abound, spiritual thieves also do. In the physical, if you
leave your property unprotected it could be stolen or vandalised. You must be
watchful or else your spiritual life will be invaded by spiritual armed
bandits. What then happens if somebody decides to leave Jerusalem for Jericho?
What happens if somebody already in the Lord decides to go from the security of
the Lord into the world? In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the man
travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by thieves on the way. He had
not even got to Jericho. Each time you talk about a thief, the first thing that
comes into your mind is the devil (John 10:10). Anybody who decides to leave
the glorious state of sanctification to go back into the world should expect
demonic attacks. As a sanctified person, the devil respects you. However, once
you leave that state and God is no longer supporting you, the devil will pounce
on you. He had been waiting for you to step out so as to get you. The first
thing that thieves did to the man in the parable was to remove his clothes.
Anybody who steps out of Jerusalem on his way to Jericho will lose his
salvation. According to Revelation 19:8, the robe that God puts on us is the
righteousness of saints. When you are saved, God puts a robe on you and the
first thing the devil wants to take away from you is your salvation. The man in
the parable was left half-dead. A backslider lives the life of the half-dead or
living dead. Some still come to church and shout “Alleluia” when they have lost
contact with God. In Proverbs 21:16, the Bible says, “A man who wanders from the way of
understanding will rest in the congregation of the dead.” The moment
you decide to turn away your eyes from Jesus Christ and go back into the world,
you wander out the path of righteousness and begin to dwell in the congregation
of the dead.
MEMORIZE:
JOHN 10:10 –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.
