Ever been stolen from?

 For starters, a few definitions (I had to remind myself of these terms!):

• Steal:  to take the property of another wrongfully
• Theft/Larceny: the felonious/unlawful taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it/permanently
• Robbery: larceny from the person or presence of another by violence or threat​
• Burglary: the act of breaking and entering a dwelling at night to commit a felony (such as theft)

And a few statistics:

• In 2018, there were an estimated 5,217,055 larceny-thefts nationwide.
• The rate of estimated larceny-thefts in 2018 was 1,594.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
• The average value of property taken during larceny-thefts was $1,153 per offense. When the average value is applied to the estimated number of larceny-thefts, the loss to victims nationally was an estimated $6.0 billion
• Thefts from motor vehicles accounted for 27.0 percent of all larceny-thefts in 2018. 

We won't even talk about identity theft.  Man, that sounds like a nightmare!

It's probably safe to assume that most of us have been the victim of theft at one time or another in our lives.  

Tune in to the Choose 2 Think podcast Episode 036: Complaint to Praise to hear 3 personal stories of times my family and I have been on the victim side of theft.

BUT WAIT!  The actual purpose of the message is to point out another Thief:  the enemy of your very soul.  Too often, we don't even lock the doors of our hearts and minds - this robber with all his accusations and threats walks right on in, like an invited guest. 

And how does he steal from us?  He takes our time and begs attention.  He lies, tries, and tempts us -- and we give him ear.  

In my life, I've found myself "playing" on his team a time or two.  Thankfully, God has shown me a better way, and it starts with taking those dratted toxic thoughts captive!  

Tune in to discover what has worked for me! 

Missed any past episodes?  And please like and share this post as well as your favorite podcast episode!  I'd really appreciate it!

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