The voices, habits and desires we trust for direction can quietly assume the place in our lives that belongs to Jesus.
The devil rarely presents destruction as destruction. More often, it arrives disguised as pleasure, comfort, acceptance or escape.
That is the deeper warning evangelist Bryce Crawford drew from John 10 during a recent episode of the Bryce Crawford Podcast. Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd but warned that the thief comes only “to steal, kill and destroy.”
The passage presents a serious question for us: What is actually shepherding our lives?
“When we’re allowing Jesus to be our shepherd, we are trusting that His way is better,” Crawford said. “We’re trusting that He knows what’s best for our lives.”
When we reject His direction, Crawford said, we inevitably allow something else to lead us. Social media, cultural trends, other people’s opinions and our own emotions can become counterfeit shepherds. They influence our identity, decisions and understanding of what will satisfy us.
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When Comfort Becomes Captivity
Crawford pointed to pornography, casual sex, alcohol and drugs as examples of things that promise satisfaction but repeatedly leave people craving more.
“If it had your best interest at heart, then it would have only taken one time,” he said.
That endless demand exposes the deception. What begins as comfort gradually becomes captivity. Instead of giving life, it takes something from us each time we return.
“It only robs us, numbs us, callouses our heart,” Crawford said. “But Jesus has come to set us free.”
Recognizing the devil’s strategy does not remove our personal responsibility. Crawford warned against blaming every sinful decision on spiritual warfare while continuing to place ourselves in situations that invite failure.
“Stop blaming the devil,” he said. “It is a cop-out so that you don’t take accountability.”
Listen to the Shepherd
Jesus offers something no counterfeit shepherd can provide. He does not consume His sheep for His own benefit. He lays down His life to rescue them.
“The great exchange happened on the cross where we receive life and life abundant through His life being laid down for our sake,” Crawford said.
The question is not simply whether we call Jesus our Shepherd. It is whether we recognize His voice, trust His direction and follow Him when competing voices promise an easier path.
Whatever consistently directs our choices is already shepherding us. Christ calls us to leave the counterfeits behind and follow the One who gave His life to set us free.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].