Topic: spiritual Thieves
Text: 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 vandalized. 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 traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by thieves on the way. He has 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 has been waiting for you to step out so as to get you. The first thing that the 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, “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.: The moment you decide to turn away you eyes from Jesus Christ and go back into the world, you wander out of the path of righteousness and begin to dwell in the congregation of the dead.

Memory Verse: 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 that they might have it more abundantly.”