25/08/2018
Solomon Bamidele
DOMINION DIGEST
A daily devotional guide
Saturday 25 August, 2018
Topic: Extortion and Restitution III
Read: Nehemiah 5:1-12
Memory Verse
“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.” Leviticus 19:13
In continuation of our yesterday teaching, extortion is not limited to when we steal our neighbour’s money or belongings, neither is it just when we borrow money or things from our neighbor without returning it. Whenever we lie to or against our fellow human being, deceive our neighbor or gossip about them to other people, these are all acts of extortion. Whenever there is extortion, there must be restitution if we truly want to be freed from every possible consequence of extortion. Prov. 26:27 says:
“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”
Lies and Deception
Every act of lying always gives birth to pain, grief, miss-chief and loss. Whenever you lie against somebody, that person will definitely be afflicted by it. If you made your fellow human being to suffer loss of joy, peace, sleep, happiness, money, job, business, relationship and health as a result of you telling lies to or against them, it simply demonstrate hatred for that person. And the Bible commanded us not to hate but to love one another, it means you owe that person love and the only way to pay it back is by going to the person/ people you’ve lied to and tell them the truth.
“A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin” Prov. 26:28
Deception and lies work together and none of them ever produced fruit of love but of hatred and mischief. People only deceive their fellow human being when they want to mislead them, rob them of their valuables or planning to harm them. No matter your reason, whenever you deceive your neighbor, you’re simply working toward their downfall. If you have deceived somebody before, and he/she have been afflicted by it or may suffer affliction in the future, restitution is needful, less the same affliction happen to you in the future.
“As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour,” Prov. 26:18,19
I pray for you and myself that in anyway we might have caused our fellow human being to suffer one affliction or the other as a result of our act of lies and deception, may the mercy of God speak for us in Jesus Name.
And wherever we also have suffered loss of anything good as a result of those that have lied to or against us and those that have deceived us, may God by His Divine Providence cause it to work for our good in life in Jesus Name.
To be continued.