Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I remember when I just got saved, I used to go from conference to conference, concert to concert, event to event because I heard the presence of God was there. Nothing against events and concerts, but when I started to study scripture, I started to understand that I had access to the presence of God. In fact, I had unlimited access to God's presence whether I was at home, at work, in my cubicle, wherever I was. When I understood this, there was a shift in my life.
I started to focus more on my private life with the Lord. If you're watching this and you're a Christian, you have unlimited access to God's presence. Notice in our verse Jesus says, "I am the gate." If you want access to God, Jesus is the gate to get to God. I know we live in a time where all roads lead to the same destination. A lot of people believe that. Jesus comes on the scene and He says, "No, I'm the door. I am the gate and I'm not just a door, I am the door to get to God."
Beware of False Shepherds
Notice in verse 8 He says, "All who came before me, they were thieves and robbers, but the true sheep did not listen to them." He's saying there's a lot of so-called shepherds out there that are fakes. They're not real. Their goal is not to protect you. They're out for their fame. This is why it's so important to never follow a pastor whose goal is to be famous. Make sure that they're a shepherd and they're there to protect you and to serve you.
Safety and Security in The Good Shepherd
Jesus is our greatest example of that. He is the Good Shepherd. Not only do we have a Shepherd, verse 10 tells us that we have an enemy.
Verse 10 says this: "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
Yes, we have a Good Shepherd that loves us, that is for us, that will lead us, that will always protect us. But we also have a real enemy. That means you and I need to be on guard. One of the biggest attacks of the enemy is isolation. He will do everything in his power to make sure that we isolate ourselves.
When we're isolated, we start to think, "I'm the only one that's going through this" because we have nobody around us. We have to understand we are in a spiritual battle and the enemy is after our souls. His goal is to steal, kill and to destroy. Here's how we fight the enemy: we stay close to the Shepherd.
When we stay close to the Shepherd, we're protected. Jesus says, "I am the gate." The question that I want to pose for all of us is, will you walk in the gate? When you do, you are secure and you're safe.
