JOHN 10:10: “ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly .”

Jesus is warning us of the enemy, that his only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.

To steal our true identity in Christ, our God-given peace, and the joy that God wants to fill us with.

To kill the dreams, and hope we hold for better futures and the faith that is required to hold onto to those dreams.

To destroy at every possible opportunity the plans and purpose that God placed in us before the foundations of earth was lain, and ultimately destroy them eternally.

That is his purpose to attack, discourage, and try to make people blame God for all the bad that he (the enemy) sends their way.

As Jesus said, he came so that we could have life, true life, spiritual life, and have it in abundance through a relationship and fellowship with him.

Salvation and acceptance of Jesus requires dying to our old ways, our old self and becoming new in him and being born again.

JOHN 3:1-8: ” There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art (you are) a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

Marvel not that I said this unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound of thereof, but canst not tell when it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit .”

Nicodemus believed that Jesus was who he said he was but the flesh, that human part wasn’t quite ready to let anyone else know that so he came at night so that no one would know that he was talking to Jesus.

Aren’t we like that sometimes?

We know, and we believe , but aren’t quite ready to confess that to the world, worried about what our friends will think or our family will think and maybe even be rejected by our families who hold strict religious beliefs of other doctrines.

We worry that we will lose all our friends, and lives as we know it, and that scares us, understandably so, and sometimes we do.

But you will never lose anything good in your life because of the decision to follow Jesus.

Those relationships that go south (meaning they turn bad) because you no longer desire to do the same things, or go to the same places or worship the same deity were relationships that as painful as it may be, you do not need in your life, true friends and true family will love you and respect your decision.

God knows I understand this, more than anyone can imagine, I was absolutely mocked and ridiculed by those who were supposed to be my friends when I decided to follow Christ and the saddest part is that some felt it would “blow over” that I just lost my mind and would be back to my old self one day.

I was truly shocked at the reaction of others, I really thought I would hear “great going!” but no, it was the oppisite.

Don’t get me wrong , there were many that were happy for my decision, those who were Christians and had been praying faithfully, for which I am forever grateful.

That is another little something that we do not realize until we are saved, just how close were to eternity, one breath and it could be our last and our souls eternally lost, that realization is the moment we hit our knees and thank God for all those who did care enough to tell us about Jesus, those who we often reject as judgmental fanatics until we ourselves know the same truth.

And as Jesus said of the wind, we see it blow the trees and such but we do not know where it comes from or where it is going, it does as it pleases and these things are also much like that.

We can never understand the work of the Spirit and the wonderous effect it has on our mortal lives until we experience it and it is at at work in our lives.

As Jesus told us, we have to be born again of the Spirit, our flesh can not know this truth, we only understand it when we are born again in him.

That was twenty-five years ago and I have no desire to ever be that person again.

I really didn’t know anything I just knew that every time I turned around as the saying goes, I was hearing about God, hearing scriptures, complete strangers coming to my place of employment and talking to me about God, and I knew that if I died, hell would be my destination.

Maybe that is you today, maybe God has been sending you messages and maybe even reading this has come as such message.

Answer his call while he is calling.

ISAIAH 55:6: ” Seek the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”

Anything lost, he will replace.

MARK 10: 28-30: ” Then Peter began to say unto him, Lord, we have left all, and have followed thee.

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospels’,

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life

Christ gives that life and new life but we have to set out in faith an accept it.

John 3: 14-21: “ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so shall must the Son of man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life

For God so Loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condememed already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God “

Jesus was referencing the Old Testament account when the Hebrews would have to look upon a brass serpent to be healed of a plague brought about by their disobedience, those who had been bitten by fiery serpents would be healed and live by looking at the brazen serpent.

Those who look upon Jesus, even though we do not physically see him, we recognize his death on the cross and he was lifted and died for our sins to bring us spiritual healing and everlasting life.

Those who are of the darkness do not want fellowship with the light because they love their dark deeds and have no desire to change .

Those who are of the light will come to the light of Christ and the world will know the goodness in them is from God and it all requires the belief in the name of the Son of God and that name is Jesus Christ.

All souls are his as he created all, whether we choose to live for him or die without him, we are still his and even those who have promised themselves to religions, and cults, and such, will still find themselves one day at his throne of judgment.

Not to be judged based on their belief of what the afterlife would entail but judged by his word and we should all want to be able to stand washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus died to give us that.

Ezekiel 18:4: ” Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

Ezekiel 18:21,22: “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statues, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.“

If you haven’t made that decision, take him up on it, all sins and failures washed completely away, God never mentions them and and the sin debt is paid.

You will never know the spirit filled life any other way, and once you have known Jesus you will never want to have it any other way.

Φλογιζω NBJ 2026/ Rev N Brown Johnson