SCRIPTURE: JOHN 10:10

Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) & His people are His sheep. The Good Shepherd protects, guides, & nurtures His flock (Psalm 23). They hear His voice & can immediately distinguish it (John 14). According to His instruction, they listen to Him & follow Him through His Gate (John 10:4-5).

The "thief" refers to the wicked who kill & destroy. The thief never comes through the gate but enters the fold by other means. The thief intends to steal the herd away from the Shepherd & knows that it will result in the herds' ultimate death & destruction. The thief symbolizes false teachers, those who come in the name of Christ but are driven by the love of the things of this world (John 8:44). These thieves don't care for the sheep, they are "hired hands" who work for their wages. Shepherds during this time were not the owners of the flock; they were hired to care for them. Frequently these hired shepherds would abandon the congregation in exchange for self-preservation. This is a solid contrast to Jesus, who purchased us with His blood (John 10:12).

We live in an age where everyone is an evangelist of the faith & everyone is an influencer in their respective spheres (digitally & physically). As a result, false teaching isn't reserved for church leaders but includes anyone who proclaims Christ to the masses.

So what are we supposed to do? The enemy acts in subtle & cunning ways to lead us astray. So our greatest defense is to know God, Jesus, & the Spirit by reading the Word & spending time in prayer. The more we understand our Shepherd, the less likely we will fall for the enemy's lies. We are also called to test the spirits to see if they are indeed from God (John 1:4). The enemy is victorious when he convinces God's people to worship or focus on anything that isn't God. The enemy isn't trying to get us to worship him or side with him, he just wants us to question the true God. That is his victory.