ROBBERY IN PROGRESS: How God Stops Satan from Taking What's Yours

I once was a wine cellar evangelist, toasting Jesus with a glass of merlot in my hand.

"Cheezus luvs thu!" I preached, filled with spirits of another kind.

It was fun living it up below the foundation of my faith—until I woke up at 3 a.m. night after night and discovered I'd been robbed.

Robbed of clarity.

Plundered of peace.

Stripped of serenity.

No one knew except Jesus and me.

Being a Christian doesn't exempt you from trap doors that plunge you far beneath where you once stood strong.

Pews are lined every Sunday with Jesus-loving people caught in circumstances or habits they can't figure out how to climb out of.

So we blame ourselves and suffer in silence, unaware of the underlying spiritual trap set for those called to live a holy life.

Since Satan can't steal your salvation, he settles for making you think you lost it yourself.

But that's not possible. Your salvation holds firm in Heaven even when your sanctification feels like it's spiraling down.

Satan tries to drag you from your best to your worst.

Jesus comes to raise you up so you can fully live.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

When Satan attempts to ROB you of righteousness, Jesus comes to ROBE you with His.

This isn't only a New Testament concept. Since the beginning, God set out to rescue His people from plots to plunder their peace.

In the book of Esther, Mordecai and his niece, Esther, were caught in a royal disaster, miles from home, trying to live upright in a downright evil world. The king's right-hand man, Haman, plotted to ROB them of their lives through deception.

The trap was set; the decree seemed irreversible.

When Mordecai discovered the scheme, he tore his garments, wept, and cried out to God to rescue them.

God heard and miraculously intervened.

Haman, who had plotted to ROB Mordecai, was commanded by the king to ROBE him in royal garments instead.

"This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor," Haman was forced to admit.

God still hears our cries today. As our King, God chooses to honor us with a ROBE of righteousness.

That's what Christ has done for you.

You serve a God who reverses curses and stops robberies in progress, turning the tables on evil and making good for His beloved child.

Nothing and no one can ROB you when Jesus ROBES you with His blood.

There's now no condemnation—there's a coronation.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow you everywhere you go.