Te eight commandment forbids the followers of God from stealing. It can take various forms, including dishonesty. when dealing with money or property, we must guard against any act of stealing. At the end, this command is about our hearts and the way we treat others. Apart from stealing from someone’s else wallet, it includes dishonesty of believers and the likes, who preferably inflate their insurance bills, electricity bills, file dishonesty, tax evaders, failure of tithe payment to God, thereby robbing God. Another method is to disobey your employer by taking the salary you have not worked for. Stealing by pen is another way by changing figures. For instance, where you are to pay 4 million, but you simply add 1 at the back to make 14 million. This will now fetch the stealer 10 million illegally. We often cause God displeasure on this note. When we steal or defraud others, we show a fundamental lack of trust in God because God is our provider, He gives us all we need. Therefore, when we use finesse to steal from others and acquire unjust and unethical gains, we demonstrate that we do not trust God to provide for our needs. Afterall, He is the Jehovah jireh. Stealing also shows a lack of respect for others and of course, lack of love. We are commanded by God as Christians to “love our neighbors as ourselves”. Lev 19:18. If we love our neighbours, we will not cheat or steal to harm them. The command deals again with who we really are on the inside. If Christ has indeed changed our lives, then we must not steal no matter the hardship we are passing through which sometimes makes people to be dishonest or fraudulent. To do so is to dishonour God our creator by removing our trust in His provisions and to also bring endless harm to our neighbours by appropriating their possessions as ours. We can show to God and our neighbors that we are people of integrity, by patiently waiting for God to supply our needs. Phil 4:19. This will invariably put us in the good book of God. (The book of life). Revelation 20:12-15. People of God, let us write examination well and with patience before we can be promoted. This simply means obedience to God first for other things to follow.


