In the middle of audit week, our company accountants decided not to show up. As it turned out, they embezzled some money.
What struck me the most was that the people who did it were not strangers; they were like mothers and aunts. We saw them almost every day, smile at them, laugh with them, and made plans together. As part of the management team, we ate out and had a friendly good time.
It was heartbreaking to realize that the people in the news for some criminal activity had the same profile as those that I had warm and cuddly relations with.
But loyalty goes up. My love for God supersedes any other relationship. I feel sad, yes, but I have no inkling to cover for them. If anything, I am upset because I was this close to them, and yet, clueless.
My colleagues and I were mixed emotions. On one hand, we felt betrayed. The suspects were like family. We confided in them and planned activities with them in all sincerity and warmth. But maybe, just maybe, they were truthful and sincere with the friendly part, that maybe they knew how to separate deceit towards the company and honesty towards colleagues. Just maybe...
On the other hand, some colleagues started imagining just what to do with those hundreds of thousands of looted cash. They entertained the idea that there was a lot of money to steal and that they can get away with it and no one will ever notice. And so they thought.
Now this is the impetus to rehearse the Word.
1) The Bible says that when evil is not punished (right away), the people feel that it's okay to do wrong. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
And so I prayed: "Prosecute them, oh Lord. Don't let them get away with this. Make them examples of your justice, an object lesson in life that people may revere you. Those guilty ones didn't have the fear of God in them. They mocked your righteousness and justice. Get them, oh Lord. Make them answer to the law."
2) King David said, "Your Word have I hidden in my heart, so that I may not sin against you." (Psalms 119:11 NIV)
Here are some truths to keep in my heart about theft and stealing:
3) The Curse of the Thief
This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says...every thief will be banished...The LORD Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief...It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones. (Zechariah 5:3-4 NIV)
Prayer:
Dear Lord, the judicial system of the land may take years to put 'them' behind bars, and they may even evade this justice altogether, but not with You. A spiritual force is already at work in their lives and families. Even without me asking, You have already sent out the curse of the thief upon them. It will enter and remain in their houses, until their place of comfort is destroyed completely. Then, or at the same time, their banishment.
4) Restitution
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house. (Proverbs 6:30-31 NIV)
Prayer:
Dear Lord, the minimum is that my company recovers all those looted cash. That money could have been our incentives, and even our salary increase. The company may not recover that money from them, but I pray that we will continue in our operations, so I don't have to look for another work because of a threat of bankruptcy.
Thoughts for the Repentant Thief
I am not closing and slamming the doors on those culprits. If I am the only one who would visit and take care of them in prison, then it'll be a labor of love, but not without repentance on their part.
For them to be truly sorry, they have to return what they stole. (Proverbs 6:30) Then we'll work our way up from there. Let's figure out how they lost their sensitivity.
5) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Ephesians 4:19 NIV)
But what do I expect? They are not saved. They don't have the light of Christ. They don't have the power to say no to evil. They don't have the fear of God in them.
It is my task to persuade them to accept Jesus into their hearts and live good and godly lives - within prison walls, by then. The mercy of God may release them earlier back to their families.
6) Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28 NIV)
Side note: Even Christians fall prey to stealing. But this has got to stop.
7) When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. (Proverbs 21:15 NIV)
This is the way it should be, that justice and propriety bring joy to those who are not guilty, and yet terror to those who commit crimes.
May I continue to shrink back at the thought of taking something that is not mine in the midst of this world where theft and robbery is celebrated. Movies, publications and prominent people seem to do it without a second thought.
But I am different. I have the fear and love of God in me. The Lord is my Savior – even from poverty. I have a living hope. I will also be blessed rich and wealthy - the right way.
8) What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:25 NIV)
If you have been stealing...
There is hope for you. But you can't change yourself. That's what God does, and He does it very well!
The truth is IF YOU'RE NOT IN GOD'S FAMILY, then the devil is your father, and he's a ruthless dad.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 NIV)
The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy us. But Jesus came that we may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
The change starts by having a real and passionate relationship with Jesus.
Pray to accept Him, today, and begin your deliverance from thievery. We need all the help we can get from qualified helpers.
The speaker went on to say, “This is a curse traveling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals will be removed from the community; or on the other hand (according to the curse) whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate.” “I will send it out,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.” (NET)
He told me, “This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies. I launched it”—Decree of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies—“and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones.” (Message)
Image courtesy of Pixabay.