In John 10:10, Jesus tells us two substantial pieces for why He came and the war we are in.  He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  This is pretty substantial when you look at the two together.  Jesus is talking about the life that is offered to us through Him.  Life to the full.  Life that is fully alive.  Life that is made to glorify God.  At the same time, there is a thief, the enemy, the devil, that comes to steal and kill and destroy.  Jesus is well aware of the war that is waged with evil.  He is well aware that when He came, He had infiltrated into enemy territory and that the war was going to get intense.

You see, in this life we are in constant battles.  Day after day, they can be big, they can be small.  We are dealing with a world that fills us with temptation and sufferings.  I don’t care who are, we all have to deal with this.  This temptation and suffering comes as a result of an enemy who is looking to steal, kill, and destroy the life that is offered through Jesus.  I’m not talking prosperity Gospel either.  I’m talking about a life that has fully repented of all your sin and junk in your life.  Fully renounced it and left it at the feet of the cross with Jesus.  A life that is seeking everyday, the counsel and healing that is offered through Christ.  Jesus not only came to offer forgiveness for sin, but to heal our broken hearts, Isaiah 61:1.  He came to heal us and set us free from this world and from sin and death.  Then a life that looks to seek and walk with God everyday.  Seek his counsel and learn to have those daily conversations with God for guidance through our lives and then follow wherever He leads.

It’s a classic battle between good and evil.  The enemy wants to take our lives and Jesus brings us life.  When we recognize this and learn the Truth of this world and of Jesus, we really learn to understand what life abundantly means and that this is a life worth fighting for.  We have to wage it everyday.  Spiritual warfare is very real.  Whether you accept it or not.  There’s a lot more going on in God’s larger and epic story than we could ever imagine.

When we learn to walk with God and lift Him up daily in our lives.  Put Him first before anything, then we can put the enemy on his heals.  John Cymbala said, “The devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials. But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we begin to lift up our hearts to God.” You see, the victory already came in Christ.  Satan knows his days are numbered.  So what He is going to do is prowl around this world and look to take with him anyone he can.  He is coming to destroy our lives.  To him we are powerless without God in our hearts, so he continues to come after us.  We have to guard our hearts and our lives from anything that tries to bring us away from God.  His full goal is to get us to separate from God so that we lose our lives.

Folks, it’s a battle worth fighting.  Having life abundantly through Jesus Christ is so worth fighting for.  The feeling of having Him as a daily part of my life is amazing.  Now, that does not mean the battle is over.  As I’ve said time and again.  The closer you draw to God, the harder the enemy will try to pull you back from God.  Being on guard and seeking God to armor us every day, helps to deal with this.  A life in Christ is worth fighting for.