Craig Clouston

As I have been in the hospital for that past three days, I have decided to run two devotions today to help catch you up... Blessings, Craig

He Comes to…Steal

The thief comes only to steal…

John 10:10

Sitting in his tree stand for an afternoon bowhunt, the hunter watched as the squirrel scurried from one place to another, looking for acorns. Each time he found a nut the squirrel would place it in his mouth while he dug a hole, then he would bury it with the intention of digging it up when food became scarce during the late-winter months.

For hours, the squirrel diligently hunted and gathered so that he might have food stored against times of need. As sunset approached the squirrel climbed his den tree and settled into his nest for the night, no doubt satisfied with the work he’d accomplished.

As the hunter continued to watch, he noticed an animal slinking along in the gathering darkness. As it drew closer he realized it was an opossum. He watched as the scavenger went from one cache to another, digging up the squirrel’s acorns and eating them. In less than half the time it had taken the squirrel to find and bury the nuts the opossum had found and eaten every one. And then off he plodded…his belly full of someone else’s provisions.

†

The opossum is a natural-born thief. He, like Satan, steals what rightfully belongs to others. The big difference is Satan knows better, and does it anyway. As a matter of fact, scripture says he looks for opportunities to steal everything we have. He is especially keen on stealing the promises of God.

One example would be when he sends the spirit of confusion to steal God’s word as we read our Bible, attempting to keep us from gaining strength through understanding. In this we must be deliberate, asking God to open the scriptures to us, and then planting it deep in our heart by meditating on what He shows us.

We must be tenacious in hanging on to the things God gives us. Knowing the enemy is coming to steal gives us power. With such knowledge we can take action.

Prayer

“Holy Spirit, Help me remain vigilant. Please alert me when the enemy is attempting to steal something from me so I can be ready to take authority over his actions, in Jesus’ Name. Show me how to derail his attempts. Amen!”

He Comes to…Kill

The thief comes only to…kill.

John 10:10

Noella cringed as if doing so would soften the cutting blow. “You’re so stupid! I wish I’d had an abortion!” her mother screamed. But no matter how hard she tried, Noella couldn’t stop the words from penetrating her heart. But her mother wasn’t finished, “Your father was just like you…worthless!”

All the way to school her mother’s words echoed in her mind.

Born with fetal alcohol syndrome, Noella’s first twelve years of life had been anything but pleasant. With multiple learning disabilities, and underdeveloped for her age, she found herself at a disadvantage. Her classmates shunned her. And her teachers seemed not to care that she was failing in every class. Their conditioned response each time she requested additional assistance was, “There’s just not enough time to help every individual student, Noella. Ask your mother for help.” It seemed there was no one she could turn to.

And then, the school hired Mrs. Shoemaker as the Administrator for Student Assistance. She conducted assessments of each student that fell under her authority. When she met Noella something drew her to the small sixth grader. “How would you like it if you and I became friends?” she asked.

“Ohhh!” the joy poured from Noella’s heart. “That would be wonderful!”

†

The enemy will stop at nothing to kill our spirit, and to that end, He uses discouragement, depression, slander and every other weapon in his arsenal in order to commit emotional and spiritual assassination, things such as circumstances and events, family and friends.

Sadly, many parents fall into his trap. Regardless of what we think, there is no valid excuse. Saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that…” may be the right thing to do afterwords, but the results are still the same…we have wounded our child’s spirit. We must refrain from saying hurtful things.

If we are to be successful in raising emotionally healthy children we must be diligent in policing our words and actions. We should pattern our parenting skills after Mrs. Shoemaker instead of Noella’s mother. Investing wisely in our children requires conscious effort. When the enemy tries to enlist your assistance, refuse to participate.

Prayer

“Father, may I always speak words of encouragement and edification to those I have influence over. Help me guard my words. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”