Life. To. The. Full.

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When I think about how much I hate satan my blood starts to boil.

His ways and his tactics are futile in the end, but he is vicious in his attack and SO subtle. He convinces us that his way is better because maybe it may “appear” to be fulfilling or satisfying… and the whole time he knows that he has plans to destroy every aspect of who I am and finally to sever my trust and love for Jesus. BUT he will not be successful.

The plan begins by small things… and then it turns into a slippery slope of destruction. Jesus warns us that satan’s only idea and desire is STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY us. That is his entire intent. I have seen his attack multiple times in my own life and the life of others around me. I get so angry when I realize that he had even the slightest victory. I never want to allow satan to have ANY ground in my life.

But how do we know when he is doing is disgusting subtle attack before it is too late?

I believe that Jesus gives me the answer through this whole passage of scripture in John 10, but He hones in on the answer in the second portion of this verse. Jesus says that “He came to give life and life to the FULL”. So a good test to see whether a decision, an action, an attitude or a thought is of Jesus or of satan… is to ask… is there FULLNESS OF LIFE in this choice. Will this bring me closer to my savior or will I grow and change to be more like Him, because of it. This question seems so intense… but I believe that if we are going to combat satan in his sick and disgusting plans to rob, kill and destroy us we must be alert at all times to his intention. 

And what a beautiful promise we have in this verse. Jesus ONLY has life for us… not just mundane normal ordinary life… He has LIFE TO THE FULL!! I don’t know if I totally understand that concept.

I try to live my life fully… never settling for second best, never being willing to compromise what God has spoken to me, and never allowing my humanness or people’s opinions to minimize what God has for me.  I want to be able to look back as an old woman, or whenever God decides it’s my time to go Home, and think “wow… I truly pointed people to Jesus and reflected the FULL life He desired”.  

If I were to try to describe what I imagine it feels like to live in the FULLNESS of God… words would not be adequate and I am not sure I can imagine accurately… but to attempt would sound something like this…

The valleys are seen as times of shade instead of times of desolation.

There is peace that surrounds me.

There is a sense of Him in all aspects and in all ways.

The will to push on is covered in His grace.

The feeling of His strong hand holding mine as I look into the face of giants.

The gentle wind of His Spirit kissing my cheek as I stand on the mountain tops.

The fragrance of His presence as I step into each day.

The difficult moments being the most intimate exchanges with Him.

A deep longing for more of Him grips me and directs me.

The unknown creates curiosity instead of fear.

There is a confidence not in myself but in the One that is more than faithful.

A true revelation of the Alpha and the Omega.

A passionate cry from the depth of me to live for something bigger than I can accomplish on my own.

A purpose that is for others, completely.

There is a joy that invades even the worst trials.