Thou shall Not Steal

Tuesday 11 October
READ: Exo. 20: 15
MORE LESSON: Eph. 4:28

Stealing is something that is gradually becoming a vogue in the world. Politicians, civil servants and business people take things that are not their due and feel it is a normal thing to do. People take things that do not belong to them and feel that it is not a big deal. Students steal materials into examination hall and think there is nothing wrong with that. However as believers, the command of God has not changed; it says thou shalt not steal...: Exo. 20: 15.
When I was young I used to think that there is nothing wrong with a child taking his parents' belonging even when he is not permited. One day, however, as I was studying the Bible I found out that anybody that takes his parents' belonging without telling them is in the company of armed robbers. When we were in secondary school, we had a popular slang called ''tapping''. We would take people's things and say that we only 'tapped'. For example, if we pick somebody's pen we would change the case and if anyone asked, we would say we only tapped it. When I became a child of God, I knew that whatever euphemism people use for it, stealing is stealing. If you take what is not yours whether at home or at work, it is stealing and all thieves will find themselves in the lake of fire.
Eph 4:28 says, Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. God wants you to be productive and righteous. He takes the issue of you taking anything that belongs to another person very serious. This is the reason if there is anything in your possession that is not yours, you have to return it. Men steal what they think that they will never be able to rightfully have. So men take money illegally, steal materials and things because they feel it is a quick way to possessing these things. But it matters to God how you get whatever you have. It is not enough to have something, how you get it counts. How did you get your car? How did you get a wife? A man takes another man's daughter without the parents' consent and camps her with him in the name of marriage. That is not how to get a wife; you just stole a whole human being! It doesn't matter that she agreed to live in with you. The parents that God gave her to, and raised her up, need to give her to you because she is rightfully theirs.
If you have stolen anything before, this is the time to return, ask for forgiveness and make amends (Luke 19: 8). Thou shalt not steal.

Prayer/Action
* Repent of any act of stealing and promise God that you will never do it again, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray for everyone who steals (either part-time or full-time armed robbery) that God will convict them of their evil act, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I prophesy against every dream, vision or revelation of evil against my year, in the mighty name of Jesus.