John 10:10 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Do you know that all too often we have a wrong understanding of God? We think that we are spiritual. We think that we know God. We think that God thinks like we think. Yet we take one step forward and two steps back and no matter how you present it you cannot get through to some people and break through to what the bible calls strongholds in the minds of individuals.

The first thing that we have to find out and remove all shadow of doubt from our mind is that God is a giving God and not a taking God. God gives, the devil takes. Everywhere in the bible that we see God accurately portrayed, He is portrayed as a giver and not a taker. Everywhere we see in the bible the nature of Satan, he is a taker and not a giver. Anything that Satan gives you with one hand he has got two other hands waiting to take something back. There are always strings on the devil's giving. Yet one of the biggest problems that we have that causes depression and dullness in the life of a Christian is their resentful heart towards God because they feel that God is taking things from them that they did not want to give. You will hear them say, "Why did God do this?" The moment you hear a person say, "Why did God do this to me?" you can immediately assume that they have a stronghold in their mind, a belief system where they do not really know God. Even though they are calling Him Jehovahjireh, even though they are calling Him Jesus Christ, even though they are calling Him Messiah, his real name is Satan, an angel of light. God never, ever, ever takes. Anything that is taking from you beyond your will to give it cannot be classified as God.
More Devotinals...