The Thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came that we would have life and life more abundantly. 

Satan is not a one-trick pony; he has many ways of distracting and keeping us from living an abundant life.  One is being a thief.  A thief doesn’t come into your house while you are there; they watch and wait for the perfect opportunity to take your possessions without you knowing.  Thieves don’t just use the front door; they use a cracked window, a backdoor, a spare key, whatever advantage they can get to, they use.  Thieves are at their best when you are distracted.  They take what you have while you are focused and busy doing something.  Your prized possession, your treasure, is taken and you suffer a loss.

Satan wants to steal your promise.  He acts like he has your best intentions in mind, all the while, planting seeds of doubt and fear in you.  You begin to think about the “what ifs” and worry starts to set in.  You lose trust that God is leading you and you begin to take matters – your life – into your own hands.  Satan wants you believe that God is speaking to you but the whole time you are not hearing God, you are hearing him.  Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice."  Your thoughts are becoming simultaneous with the thoughts of the enemy and you begin to destroy yourself.  Satan plants the “seeds” and we water them.  We feed into those negative thoughts, ignorant to the fact that we are enslaved to them.  We believe the negativity, we believe the lies and when things start to fall apart, we blame God because He didn’t help us.

We have been fooled.  The bible says to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ.  Jesus simplifies the process for us.  Every thought must be filtered through the voice of love; if our thoughts do not feed us love and peace, it is not meant to be apart of us.  We must lock our “doors,” shut our “windows” and turn the “alarm system” on.  Shut down every negative thought of inadequacy, fear, hate and doubt.  When we do, the life Jesus has promised us will manifest right before us. 

​A young couple sits in darkness in their living room.  The electricity was turned off today.  Despite both of them working, they have been struggling to pay their bills.  The money isn’t enough to maintain the lives they chose to live, so, they reflect in the darkness.  They can’t watch television or check their social media accounts, nor do they have money to go to a hotel.  They are stuck with each other and their thoughts.  Alec wanted to blame his wife for their situation.  Rachel had maxed out her credit cards shopping with her friends.  She was trying to keep up the appearances with them, knowing she knew she didn’t have the means to pay it back.  Even still, in her mind, her husband is the one that should have managed their finances better.  Her thoughts were on the two expensive cars Alec bought them. Unable to reconcile their thoughts, darkness wins.  

As shame begins to rest on both of them, they hear a knock at the door.  Alec opens the door but sees no one.  When he looks down, he sees a package on the ground.  Rachel anxiously waits as he opens it and at the bottom of this package, they find two scented candles and a lighter inside.  There is also a fresh baked loaf of bread and water in the package as well.  A small note reads: "I saw that your electricity got turned off and I made this package for you.  My husband and I have been in your shoes.  Years ago, I remember sitting in the darkness of our home, wondering how it got so bad. I wanted to blame my husband until we received a package like the one I am giving you.  It is the package of ‘hope.’  When we wanted to give up, the package came and brought us together.  We realized we made mistakes but those mistakes didn’t have to define our life. We knew we could make better choices and learn to handle life better.  It was put on my heart to give you this package and encourage you.  Blessings, Your Neighbor."

Tears filled both of their eyes as they embraced each other and shut the door.  In spite of the shame and guilt that was on them, hope found a place in their hearts.  They sat together in their living room, now under the warm glow of candles and began getting to know each other once again.  As the sun began to shine, the light brightened, not only in their room but in their hearts.  Hope had come and changed their lives forever.  

Annabelle is excited. Today is the day she gets to travel to the “big city.”  She has dreamt of being a star her whole life. She bought her train ticket and is trying to patiently wait for her train at the station.  Annabelle is watching as people of all ages get onto their scheduled trains.  She sees their smiles and it makes her even more anxious to get to the “big city.”  A small, simple train stops right in front of her; it’s called the Train of Patience. She doesn’t recall needing to board that train so she tells the conductor it’s not her train.  Not much longer after, another train comes: the Train of Hope. Annabelle is not looking for hope, she wants fame and fortune, so she tells the conductor, again, that it’s not her train and she continues to wait.  As she waits, Annabelle imagines her Train of Fame and Fortune; large, flashy, exciting and nothing like the plain trains she’s seen so far.  Four more trains come through, the Train of Love, Determination, Compassion, and Good Will. Each train comes through the station for all who are in need of its destination. Annabelle rejects every single train because she is still waiting for her train of Fame and Fortune.  She can’t imagine why people would want to get aboard these small, rusted, boring trains. She has waited long enough for her time to shine; what are a few more hours?  

Annabelle sits and daydreams on the bench of expectation about her train. It is plush, comfortable and it serves the finest of foods and beverages. There are dancers, singers, comedians, entertainers and other public figures. She can’t wait; she knows her train is going to be perfect. As Annabelle adjusts her legs to keep them from falling asleep, she notices that she is alone.  The once, busy, loud and exciting train station, is now quiet and barren. Everyone had found a train but her.  The sun has passed, now giving way to darkness.  Annabelle looks at her ticket, broken but still holding out hope that her train will come.  Suddenly, she sees a light coming down the train tracks.  A loud, majestic horn blows as it approaches the station. She bursts with excitement, the train is getting closer and all she can notice is how breathtaking it looks.  It is better than she could have ever imagined.  The beautiful train stops in front of her.  As she smiles at the conductor, he announces, “This is the final train dear, please board.”  Annabelle reads her ticket and she looks at the train’s name.  Her heart sinks as the conductor takes her ticket, closes the doors behind her and pulls off.  The train leaves the station, taking Annabelle and her dreams to their final destination.  The conductor announces, “We hope you had a chance to take advantage of every train that was presented to you. You are now aboard your final train, destination: Death.”