We have been talking about the Gospel that the Lord Jesus spoke to the people through parables and examples. He compared the Kingdom of God with simple things that the people could understand and identify with. Many times, the Kingdom and its people were compared to plants. For example, people were compared to a land where the seed of God was planted. We see in many parables and stories—especially in the Parable of the Sower—that Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a seed and a plant that needs to grow.

The purpose of that seed is to bear fruit. The meaning of that parable isn't for the seed to only grow, or bear leaves, or simply sprout; the purpose is to bear fruit. That is the motive when we plant anything. We expect that plant to give off the fruit we desire. No one takes the time to plant something and then just leaves it, saying, “Well, I don't think it's going to give off anything, but I'm going to plant it anyway.” No, the purpose of that plant is to bear fruit.

The Word of God says that man can bear two types of fruit. The Bible is clear on this and tells us there is nothing in between: it is either the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the flesh. It is either from God, or it’s not from God. We are compared to that seed because when you plant a seed, it doesn't magically grow on its own. You have to take care of the plant and water it! There is a lot of work that has to happen for a plant to grow. If it gets too dry, it can wither, and that prevents it from bearing fruit. Maybe the plant is being watered too much, or maybe it got infested with pests or worms. Maybe the sun is too strong and you have to put it in the shade for a while. There are a lot of reasons why a plant does not bear fruit—and that is how the Lord explains it.

"The enemy isn't interested in us as long as we don't bear fruit for the Lord."

For us, there could be many reasons we do not bear fruit. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus mentioned a few situations where the seed is sown, but ultimately, it did not bear fruit. We need to understand the Word of the Lord! The enemy will use many things in our lives to try and stop our growth, even though we want to bear fruit. The enemy isn't interested in us as long as we don't bear fruit for the Lord. That's right. He doesn’t care, as long as we don’t produce anything for God. He wants to stop the growth of our hearts and our spirits. He wants to stop God's blessings toward us. He wants to stop us from walking in holiness. He wants to contaminate our lives. He wants to try to stop what God is doing in each of us. And how does he do that? Let's look at a couple of examples.

In the Word of the Lord, the apostle Paul tells us that we are not ignorant of the enemy's schemes. However, often it seems so, because the enemy doesn't even need to set the trap that leads us into temptation. Instead, we run straight into it and dive headfirst all by ourselves.

Let's talk a little about what the enemy does and how he does it. John 10:10 describes the work of the enemy: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." In this passage, Jesus is comparing Himself to the false teachers of that time. He is speaking specifically about false teachers, but we can also use this verse to sum up the work of the enemy here on earth. This shows how the devil works, because he wants to destroy and stop what God is doing. Just as a plant withers when it doesn't receive water, a Christian withers when they don't receive nourishment from God. If they don't receive what comes from God, they will wither and not bear fruit. That's why in John 15, Jesus says, "Remain in me, like a branch that is grafted in, so that you may bear fruit."

However, the enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. How does he steal? And what does he take? Have you heard the song that goes, "I went to the enemy's camp, and what did I go to do? To take back what was stolen." What was stolen in the first place? What has the enemy stolen from us?

Let's look quickly at a few examples. Matthew 13:19 tells us one of the most important things the enemy steals from us: when someone hears the Word of God and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. What does the devil do with the Word? He steals it. Jesus is saying that the enemy's work is to steal the Word of God.

Why is the Word of God stolen? To prevent us from bearing fruit for God. To prevent God's purpose from being fulfilled in our lives. If God's people don't have the Word, then they have no knowledge of God. You cannot know God without His Word. You cannot know His commandments, His will, or His promises. When the enemy steals the Word from someone’s heart, it means that the Word went in one ear and out the other.

"If God's people don't have the Word, then they have no knowledge of God. You cannot know God without His Word."

We were talking last week about putting the Word of God into practice. When it isn't put into practice, the devil can easily steal it. Then the only fruit we bear is of the flesh. The Word is inspired by God, and everything inspired by God is of the Spirit. If the fruit we produce comes from the Word of God, then it is the fruit of God. If it is not of the Spirit, then it is of the flesh. But we were created for the praise of God's glory! Paul says so in Ephesians 1:3-6. Many Psalms also tell us that our purpose is to praise the Lord. Did you know that? The purpose of your life is to praise the Lord! We are to be a song of praise to Him.

So, we see that the devil tries to steal God’s praise. How does he do it? He does it with distractions—other things in our minds during the worship service. Now, the devil can't read a man's mind. We've already discussed this. That's why when we pray—especially as we’re battling and warring in prayer—we have to pray out loud so the enemy can hear us. The enemy can't read your mind; only God can. When you're on the bus and someone is being robbed, and you say, "Oh Lord, protect me," but only in your mind—no, you have to speak it aloud so the enemy can hear you! When we bind in the name of Christ, it has to be done out loud. It has to come out of our mouths because the enemy can't read your mind.

He can start planting seeds, though. As Paul says, he sends darts into our minds if we give him the space to do it. This doesn’t only happen in church. It can happen during the week if I give free rein to my flesh. It can happen if I'm not connected to the Lord. How can I come and praise the Lord then? It's impossible. There's no freedom. I’m robbed of the freedom to praise the Lord because I haven't been connected to the Lord, but to my flesh and my desires.

Does the enemy steal praise? Of course he does, because he starts to work on us when we're tired. Does the devil put tiredness in us? No, of course not. We're not going to blame him for that. The devil doesn't cause tiredness, but the fatigue is real, isn't it? It’s something that happens to our bodies. We work, we’re busy, and the tiredness is real. It's the same with our thoughts. We give space to those things when the flesh is weak. If our flesh is weak, we sit down in the chair. "The flesh is weak! Yes, Father, you know I'm weak! Even more so in this decaying body, Lord—you know how corrupted it is and that it is truly withering."

This tiredness is real. But as we were talking the other day with some young people, we can come to the house of the Lord and start to think, “I don't want to go to the meeting today. I'm just so tired.” Or you are here saying, “I should have stayed home.” That's normal. That's just human nature. It's going to happen. But being here, I have to say, “Lord, Lord—like you were saying on Thursday—my soul, praise the Lord! My soul, praise the Lord! Now, my body doesn't want to. It doesn't feel like it. But my soul, praise the Lord! Again: my body, praise the Lord!”

I'm going to force myself. I'm going to be in the Spirit because everything is spiritual. If I start saying that I'm tired, doesn't God know that? He knows me. How are you going to live? What does it matter that I am this way or that way? Of course, I understand that I have certain struggles, but the Word says that all who have come to Christ are a new creation. How many believe that? Amen. Those I saw who said amen—you don’t have any excuse if we believe this!

You can say, "I am like this because I am new here." But the “old me” has died. And if he or she isn't dead, then they must die right here! Our old self has to die so that something new can be born from God—a new spiritual man who gives praise and glory to the Lord! We can’t let anyone steal the Lord's praise. The Word of God says to enter His gates with thanksgiving and with gratitude—not just in your mind, but with gratitude in your actions. Even if we see something different, it doesn't matter, because that’s what the Bible says.

The first and most important thing the devil steals is the Bible. When we do things our way, it comes out however it wants, and that's from the flesh. But when we go to the Word and say, "Lord, Your Word says—You told the prophet—that even young men grow tired and weary, but everyone who comes to You will have their strength renewed and You will lift them up like eagles.” I believe that even if I come here, Lord, and I can't get up because my knee is crooked, I have come to worship You today, Father. I have come with my heart and with my hands, even if it's the last thing I do. Even if I can’t stand afterward, Lord, I've come to give You what You deserve. Or would we be so arrogant as to come to the house of the Lord and offer Him nothing?

How many times has the devil stolen what belongs to God? What belongs to God is not mine. Praise belongs to God, but we allow the enemy to do as he pleases. Say to God, "Lord, my soul, praise the Lord! Holy Spirit, strengthen me and lift me up. Father, You raised those dry bones; raise these dry bones also." It’s important because when we begin to praise the Lord spiritually, like He said to the woman at the well, those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and in Truth. Then, when we praise the Lord in Spirit, the heavens begin to open and miracles begin to happen. Then God's blessing can fall! Then the water can fall on this little plant that is drying out and withered because it doesn't know the Lord.

If I can't find the joy in it and I just don't know what to do, then praise the Lord and let the heavens open! There's spiritual opposition when we come to praise the Lord every Sunday. Yes, every Sunday... every day there's opposition. There is a war going on, and I have to come and say, "Lord, help me! Open the heavens, Lord! Open the heavens and let your rain fall on me! I'm drying up, Lord! Give me your rain, Father! Give me a fresh word. Give me what I need, Lord, to be able to grow and to be able to live. Otherwise, I'm going to die like a plant that receives nothing.”

Receiving often depends on what we do, because there's a spiritual force that opposes us. Religion itself is empty. And music—I'm talking about praise, not just music. Music can move your feelings; you can cry over a praise song like the one we were singing earlier. However, you can also cry over a popsicle. If we let ourselves be moved just by our feelings and emotions, then those feelings will steal what God wants to do. The one who is driven by anger also steals what God is going to do. How many times has God’s purpose for us been stolen? How many times have we allowed the devil to steal the praise from our mouths?

The enemy also steals trust in God. Just as he did with Eve, he sowed seeds of doubt into her heart about the Word that God had commanded her. The devil said, "Will it be so? God said you wouldn't die." Eve said, "God said we would die." And the devil said, "No, you won't die." At that moment, Eve stepped away from God's authority by doubting the Word and being disobedient. When we don't obey the Lord's Word, we are separated from God's authority and from God's covering.

When we don't trust the Word, the devil sows seeds of doubt. I'm saying that the devil can plant thoughts, but in those moments, we need to be smarter. We need to open our eyes and be wise. We need to say, "This thought I'm having—is it from God or not?" It either is or it isn't.

Finally, the devil steals our time. Many of us say, "Oh, how the devil stole my childhood or my youth,” because we were involved in vices or had a very difficult life. It is true that the devil robbed those years. However, it's not that the devil stole it and it’s just been hidden away; it’s that it's gone. There are many people who say they have wasted their lives and wasted their time. They think they didn't do anything, and they would rather forget about those stages of their lives because of what they suffered. We all know the expression that the devil steals time. He can do that because we allow him to get involved in our families. When we allow him to deceive us, he starts stealing and destroying things in our homes. Then, as we grow older, we say, “The devil stole my life.” It’s because we let him in.

The devil is a liar, and he steals through deception. When we substitute worldly things for God, we say, “I'm enjoying this. This is great.” But that's a deception of the enemy. We think, “I'm taking advantage of the time I have with this.” But as life goes by and the years pass, we realize that we actually wasted it.

I'm not going to stop talking about this because we have to understand that the devil can be very violent, but sometimes, he is very subtle. He doesn't care if the churches are full, as long as he is inside of them contaminating lives, minds, and hearts from within. He is stealing your time. What is two hours for the devil? You give two hours to the Lord, but you have given 500 hours to your phone. So which one is it? I want to ask all of you who spend time on social networks: show me the fruit from it that you have given to God. Show me the fruit of what happened on TikTok and all those other networks. What fruit are you giving to God now? Tell me. Can you say that something from there is born for God? Has investing your time in social media produced fruit for God? Because if you're not bearing fruit for God, then who is it for? It’s for the flesh. It’s for the devil.

People will say, “No, brother, I know there is a lot of evil out there, but I don’t fall for those things.” But the Word says in James, "What fruit, brother?" You might say, "I don't need you to teach me anything; I love God." But James says, "Faith without works is dead." There are people who say, "I have faith," but I say: show me your faith through your works! Show me your works through what you do and how you live. That is where we see your faith, and that’s where we see your fruit. That is how we know if you want to bear the fruit of God or the fruit of the flesh.

Ask yourself: “What have I gained?” Tell me, what have you gained by being involved in those things? What do people gain from it? How have they grown? What fruit is there for God? Everyone who has gotten involved in that world knows what I mean. Everyone I’ve seen go down that path has only experienced failure, indifference, and illness.

Think about our children. They become unable to communicate with adults. They go online and some woman writes, "Oh, remember me? I was your kindergarten classmate." He looks at the picture and says, "Wow, how are you?" She says, "I'm fine, and you?" He says, "I'm having a fight with my wife." Then he looks at the videos and sees a woman shaking her hips. We have to talk about what this is and what the Bible calls it: it is the fruit of the flesh. It is adultery, fornication, idolatry, gossip, and lies.

What do you find in that? Do you find something of God, or do you only find the fruit of the flesh? What are you investing in your flesh? When the church comes together, we wonder why the anointing isn't coming down. It’s because you’ve been investing time in the flesh and not in the Spirit! We have to ask ourselves why we stay the same. Why is my house in chaos? Why are my children rebellious? It’s because I don’t obey the Word of God. it goes in one ear and out the other. It’s because I give time to the flesh but none to the Spirit.

You might think I’m being too intense about this. But listen: I have an article here from the Institute of Applied Neurosciences. I was explaining to someone the other day that people are going crazy because of social media. The brain produces dopamine—a neurotransmitter that tells you that you enjoy something. It gives you a feeling of instant gratification. It’s like when someone says “well done” or says something nice to you; your brain produces dopamine. Social networks are specifically designed to trigger that dopamine.

See how intelligent the Chinese are—and how ignorant we can be. They design these platforms for us, using short videos because they know those clips produce dopamine quickly. You watch a twelve-second video and feel a tiny burst of satisfaction. But no one can pay attention for long anymore, so you swipe to the next video. Then again. And again. You end up spending one, two, or three hours doing that.

It’s like a man using cocaine; once the effect passes, he needs more because he no longer feels that gratification. You can’t pay attention to God because you’re chasing the next video. You grab your phone and you don’t even know why. Your leg starts to vibrate even when the phone isn’t in your pocket! You think, "Oh my God, where is my phone? What did I do with it?" You’re addicted!

This scientific article links social media use with hyperactivity, impulsivity, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and the "fear of missing out." It even says social media addiction reduces gray matter in the brain. It all makes sense now! It shortens the attention span, weakens memory, and distorts the way we think. We are acting like addicts.

Remember this when you’re having lunch: the devil is still trying to rob us. He doesn't show up with horns and hooves, demanding your children. He doesn't need to—you give them to him yourself because you aren't paying attention when you're on your phone. Our young people are drifting toward hell while we are distracted. Then, when the problems come, we cry out, “Oh my God, now what do I do?”

The answer is in the Bible, but you don’t know the Bible! You can be forty-eight years old and in the church your whole life, but if you don’t know the Word, you won't know what to do. Time has stolen the Word from us.

Time flies by and the devil comes and destroys our health, our minds, our peace and our families. He steals our gifts, our faith, our holiness, and our joy. We could talk all day about these things—how the devil steals things from our lives. It's not your wife, it's not your husband, and it's not the neighbor doing it. The enemy comes to ruin and "render useless." That is what "destroy" means in the original Greek of John 10:10. The devil wants to make your life worthless and useless. He doesn't care if you're "present" as long as you bear no fruit. Look at our society—the devil has destroyed values and turned everything upside down. What was good is now called bad; what was bad is now called good.

I was reading an article about how the truth has emerged in the 21st century and how all the oppression that existed for generations has been unmasked. The first “truth” on the list was about marriage. They say marriage is a form of "oppression" towards women and Christianity has oppressed people for years. It’s upside down! The church is being attacked from within by false doctrines, just as Paul and Peter warned. They come like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and people start to think the Gospel is something it isn't.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us to practice self-control and be alert. “Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He isn't here to play. He isn't here to entertain you. He wants to destroy you! He wants to devour us! So it's time for us to open our eyes, to stay alert. My body doesn't want me to pray for the Spirit. But we must stay alert because the devil is prowling around. When? He's always looking for his prey.

We see many examples of this in the Bible. The Gadarene man said that an unclean spirit was tormenting him. The young man whose father went to Jesus and said, "Look, this spirit wants to kill him. It throws him into the water. It throws him into the fire” Think of Job. The devil wanted to kill him, but the Lord said he could not touch his soul. So the devil took his children, his wealth, his workers, his livestock, and his health. Even his wife was used as an instrument by the enemy to incite him, having been influenced to try to make Job blaspheme God.

Think of the time of Moses and the time of Jesus, when the enemy incited rulers to kill all the babies. The devil is not playing. He is looking for someone to destroy. Thoughts of destruction, death, affliction, and separation—those are his signatures. None of that comes from God. We cannot give it space to become thoughts we consider over and over in our minds. The devil is here to destroy, but God sent His Son that we might have life!

Jesus says in John 10:10, "I have come so that you may have life." In verses 27 and 28, He says, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish, nor can anyone snatch them from my hand." Hallelujah! “I come to give them eternal life.” Jesus talks about life—the devil speaks of death, but Jesus promises life abundant!

Remember the other day when we spoke about the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof? They had to overcome many obstacles to get him to Jesus. They had to break through the ceiling and lower him down in his bed before Jesus. Everyone was amazed at what these men have done. And why did they do it? Because they had faith that Jesus was going to heal their friend. When they lowered him before Jesus, the Word says that Jesus looked at the man’s faith. But what did Jesus say first? "Your sins are forgiven." That's what he wanted to hear. That's why they took him to Jesus. I imagine the paralytic turning to look at his friends and saying, "Oh, and now what do we do?" And I imagine his friends talking among themselves trying to figure out what to do next. Why did Jesus do that? Because what good is it for a man to walk out of that house if he is walking straight to hell? Jesus knows what you truly need. What good is physical healing to a man if he didn't receive the most important thing!

Jesus knows what we need. He knows what you need, and maybe we've asked for certain things, but He knows what we truly need. He knew that this man's first need was to receive God's forgiveness. We ask for many things and we're wrong in what we ask. This man needed healing, of course, but he needed more than that. He needed what only God could give. He needed more than just getting up and having his feet regenerated. This man needed life…eternal life! God knows what we need and He can supply all our needs.

The "False Gospel" has stolen this truth. It makes people believe God is just a machine that multiplies wealth, houses, and bank accounts. But like the woman at the well, we need the "Living Water" that satisfies the heart so deeply you don't have to keep running to the wrong things. God is the one who supplies all our needs. From the most basic things we need like food, to the deepest part of our hearts. That woman at the well said to Him, "Lord, give me a drink so that I don't have to come back here.” And the Lord says to her,”What I'm going to give you will be so great that you won't need anything else in your life. You won't need to go from man to man anymore. What I'm going to give you will satisfy the deepest part of your heart.” Encountering Jesus does that. It satisfies the deepest part. He said, “I'm going to give you living water.”

There are many people in the church who are like those little plants: withered and dry because it’s been a long time since we’ve tried to grow new fruit. The devil is stealing from you and you don't even realize it. But, Church, I have come to say that we can change that. We want to be able to say, like Paul, "I survived the battle!"

As we were just singing, what does a warrior smell like? He smells like victory! But that victory only comes from the struggle—from fighting and taking down the enemy. It comes from sweating, from being on your knees, and from crying in the presence of the Lord. Sing that song and say, “Yes Lord, I've been fighting and maybe I haven't come out of it yet, but I know that You are with me and I will keep fighting. I keep fighting, I keep believing, Father.” If you are withering today, say: "Lord, give me that living water! Give me Your Word again!"

The Lord said, "I have come to give you life." It is a great need and the Lord knows it. The most beautiful thing about this is that the Lord says, "I have come." God Himself, the very Creator of the universe, says, "I am going to give it to you." It is not the pastor. It’s not the leader. It’s not your mother or your money. It is God. He is the one who gives life.

We are talking about life within us because when we arrive home, we see all that the devil is doing and everything that troubles our soul. The devil steals peace, but Jesus has come to bring peace with a purpose. 1 John chapter 5, verse 11 says, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. He who has Christ has life.” When people read verses like this, they say, "I have Christ." No, Christ is life. It's something new. It's something new here in the heart. I don't even know how to explain it, but it's something new. We live a different life than the one we were living. We come out of the darkness. We come out of the lies and move into the light. Live life! Live in holiness or the devil will destroy you. The devil is going to try to destroy your life and the lives of your children and the generations that follow, but Christ has come to give life. Who would choose death instead of life? But we do, says Peter. Be alert. Why choose dying and not being alive? These are hypothetical, but this is the choice that God has given us.

As I told our brothers and sisters, we are praying that God will bring light. That was the New Year's message, remember? We pray that God will bring light because we are of the light. We are of the light because we are of Christ, amen. I am of Christ. I am of Him. He has come to give abundant life! Life is found in His Word.

In John 8:32—and you all know this verse: "...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." And what is the truth? The Word of God. And what is the Word of God? Everyone who comes to Christ receives a new life.

What is the life of a person like who has been given over to the enemy, who has been given over to the deception of this world? What is that life like? Some of us, especially the young people, might say, "No, people of the world enjoy life." But what I have seen is that people who say they enjoyed the world for a while have lost their families. They have lost hope. Many people even lose the hope of living. They lose their friends. They lose all that they own. Why? Because they surrendered to the enemy's deceptions and allowed him to interfere in their lives, never putting a stop to it.

It is time to surrender to the Lord. It is time to surrender to Him. Surrender is like when two people are fighting and one says, "I can't anymore. I give everything to You, Lord. I'm surrendering it to You.” It’s not the kind of "surrender" where you go home and do the same old things. That's not surrender. True surrender says, “Take my life, do whatever You want with it. No matter what my flesh wants, Lord, I need Your life.”

"True surrender says,'Take my life, do whatever You want with it. No matter what my flesh wants, Lord, I need Your life.'"

The devil has destroyed and stolen many things from the church, but Jesus is the source of eternal life. The plant needs to be watered so it can bear fruit. It doesn't matter what has happened or what the devil has stolen, because we can look at our lives and we can say, "Wow, the devil has really destroyed things and stolen things from us."

When the prophet Ezekiel stood in the valley of dry bones, the Lord asked, "What do you see?" He saw a pile of dry, useless bones. That’s it! What can be done with that? Nothing. But when the Word was spoken, a wind began to blow, and those dead bones received life! The Word of God gave them life! God can restore anything when we are obedient. Draw near to the Source of Life. The devil has tried to contaminate you, to make you sick, and to deceive you—but it doesn't have to stay that way. God has come to give life.

Jesus said, ”My sheep hear me and follow me.” It is time to listen to the Word of the Lord. Stand up and say, "Lord, speak to my heart. Give me what I need today."