Can the Devil Steal One Thing From God’s Children?

What can the Devil steal? Let’s find the answer in the Bible.

The real question is “what can the devil steal from a child of God”? Or can the devil steal anything at all? If you believe the devil has stolen anything from you, I ask, why would you want it back? Songs, religious teachers, and ministers are telling the children of God, that they should “take back what the devil stole…” This concept comes primarily from incorrect use and interpretation of John 10:10, incidentally, this is the only scripture where the words “steal, kill and destroy” are used in the same passage or verse. So for those who think that the devil is the topic of this part of the discourse, let’s review 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. John 10:10 (KJV)

Who is “the thief” whom Jesus spoke of in John 10:10?

Definition of the John 10:10 ‘thief’ (from Thayer and Smith. “Greek Lexicon entry for Kleptes”. “The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon”. . 1999.): an embezzler, pilferer the name is transferred to false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain. Transliterated \(to write words or letters in the characters of another alphabet) Word: Kleptes klep’-tace [my note: kleptes is NEVER used in reference to the devil: search for yourself, the Strong’s number is G2812.]

Jesus the True Shepherd

Who is Jesus referring to when He states “All who came before me” in John 10:8?

Cross-referencing:

• “the watchmen” [Isaiah 56:10] and “shepherds” [Isaiah 56:11]
  • Isaiah 56:9-12 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest! 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. 11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 12 Each one says, ‘Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!’ (NET)
• “Israel’s prophets (scribes), priests and princes” [Ezekiel 22:23-31]
• “shepherds” [Ezekiel 34:1-10 and Zechariah 11:4-17]
• “princes, judges, prophets and priests” [Zephaniah 3:3-5]
• “scribes” (teachers/experts of the Law) [Mark 12:38-40]
• Theudas and Judas of Galilee [both men are only mentioned once in scripture Acts 5:33-42]

The Scribes and Pharisees

NOTE: It was common for Jesus to speak to His audience in parables to actually tell them about themselves. A good example is found in Matthew 21:23- {focus on Matthew 21:45 (KJV) “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them”.} So, we also must consider the audience, the Pharisees [John 9:40], what does the word say about them? A few examples:

• John called them “vipers” (“snakes” in many translations; figuratively “treacherous person“) [Matthew 3:1-12]
• Jesus made an interesting statement about them “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven” [Matthew 5:20; read 5:17-20]
• “blind leaders” [Matthew 15:14; read 15:1-20]
• “hypocrites” [Matthew 16:3; read 16:1-4 and Matthew 22:18; read 22:15-22]
• “leaven” (yeast, ferment, doctrine, {wrong} teaching) [Matthew 16:6; read 16:5-12]; “…he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” [Luke 12:1 and Matthew 16:11; read Luke 12:1-12] {a good article}
• The strictest observers of the Mosaic ritual [Acts 26:5]
• Outwardly moral [Luke 18:11; Philippians 3:5; Philippians 3:6]
• Active in proselytizing [Matthew 23:15]
• Self-righteous [Luke 16:15; Luke 18:9]
• Fond of distinguished titles [Matthew 23:7-10]

Who were the “Pharisees” (a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious)? Articles to consider: Jewish Virtual Library, Who Were the Pharisees, Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Devil can steal the Word

What does the devil steal?

Think about this: If a father loves his children and has more power than any other being in existence. Would he allow an inferior being to steal from his children? Isn’t God a better father than any human father could ever be?

God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world. from 1 John 4:4 (NCV)

The only thing the devil can steal is the Word of God. Luke 8:12 RKJNT: “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes, and takes the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” This can only happen to those who are NOT born-again believers. To understand this better, let’s look at the end of the statement using the NIRV “He does it so they won’t believe. Then they can’t be saved“. The devil takes the Word to prevent people from believing the Word; we cannot receive salvation if we do not believe.

Beware of false teachings:

Paul questioned the Roman preachers in Romans 2:21 (RKJNT) “You, therefore, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? you who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” We turn to Wilmington’s Bible Handbook for more insight of Romans 2:17-29 “The problem? You don’t practice what you preach.” Many Jews boasted of their superior knowledge of God (2:17-20), but such knowledge was useless unless correctly applied (2:21-24). The circumcised Jew who disobeyed the law was worse off than the uncircumcised Gentile who kept it (2:25-27). True membership in God’s family is a matter of heart attitude, not of physical birth or ritual purity (2:28-29; see Deuteronomy 6:1-5; 10:16; 1 Chronicles 28:9-10.) from Wilmington’s Bible Handbook by Harold Wilmington page 667

Examples of false teaching

• What the Devil Wants from You
• Partial truth (we do have three enemies) but as proven earlier, ‘Satan is not the thief’ – Sermon. NOTE: Friday, July 22, 2022 – The original site, http://www.richardajordan.com/Sermons/020421.htm, no longer exists.

Conclusion

So give yourselves completely [submit] to God. Stand against [Resist] the devil [1 Peter 5:9], and the devil will run [flee] from you. 8 Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives [cleanse/purify your hands; a metaphor for cleaning up your behavior]. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time [You double-minded ones], make your thinking pure [purify your hearts; a metaphor for cleaning up your interior life]. 9 Be sad [Lament], cry [mourn], and weep! Change your laughter into crying [mourning] and your joy into sadness [gloom; sorrow]. 10 Humble yourself in the Lord’s presence, and he will honor you [exalt you; lift you up; 1 Peter 5:6]. James 4:7-10 (EXB) [read James 4:1-10]

Again I ask, “what can the devil steal from a child of God?” Hopefully, you correctly answer, “nothing”; the devil cannot steal anything from a child of God. Stop listening to the false messages (sermons, teachings, and/or songs), they are not based on biblical truth. If anything the people preaching, teaching and singing messages that claim the devil stole anything are deceiving you; like those whom Jesus spoke of. Remember, the ONLY thing the Bible says the devil can steal (take) is the word of God and that is not from a child of God; it only happens under certain conditions before your Spiritual birth [see Luke 8:12; also Matthew 13:19 KJV says “the wicked one” instead of ‘the devil’ and Mark 4:15 KJV uses the title “Satan”].

I pray that you have enjoyed and will make the most of this Bible snack. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺

Related studies/lessons/snacks for further Spiritual growth:

Fruit of the Spirit; Helpful Qualities Just For You! – an estimated 19-minute read.

Liars Are Sinful, Being Like Their Father The Devil! – an estimated 7-minute read.

Know Your Enemy; Warning, The Devil Isn’t Your Worst! – an estimated 38-minute read.

Hypocrite; Time To Stop Acting Holy, Be Holy Now! – an estimated 14-minute read.

The Word of God, Spiritual Food For Spirit-filled People – an estimated 7-minute read.

See ‘Thief Part 2; What Can the Devil Steal From a Child of God?” – an estimated 13-minute read.
We will get into and use more Scripture for further edification {learning, teaching, understanding…}. Please do not hesitate to comment, I am sure this may conflict with what you believe or what you have been taught. Have I at least caused you to think about this topic? Talk to me, what are your thoughts, what do you think, “can the devil steal anything from a child of God“?

The Devil stealing from us is not really something we should be concerned with, a few are in agreement! The following are examples of sound teaching:

I’m taking back everything the Devil stole from me! | H.B. Charles Jr.

Highly recommended – The Thief Who comes to Steal, Kill, and Destroy: Examining John 10:10 | Urban-ites

See what is available on the Sound Truth Ministry website.

I look forward to your feedback via comment at the bottom of the page or by emailing tim@stministry.com. Have a fantabulous day!

Copyright information:

(EXB) The Expanded Bible Scripture taken from The Expanded Bible. Copyright ©2011 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. || (NCV) Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. || Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.