The 8^th Commandment

You shall not steal.

Like with adultery, thievery can play out in so many different ways in this day and age.

There have been people who have plagiarized books, stolen from their companies, swiped cash without their parents knowing.

From "little" to "small," all of these instances point to a core heart issue: the fear of insecurity.

I'm sure there are some who might ask, "But what if your family is starving? Wouldn't you steal then?"

A lot of us haven't been in that situation, me included, so I can't fully comment on that. I would like to think that I wouldn't steal, and instead, trust that God would equip us in our time of need.

It's how I've lived my life for years now, and honestly, even in the wake of physical hunger, I'm not sure my mind would be able to unwire itself (so speak) from this particular truth.

God is the source of all things and trumps my fearful insecurity on a daily basis.

But like many people, I didn't always believe this to be true.

So how do we truly let go of this underlying fear?

Sometimes, it's not an easy process, especially if you were raised in an environment where financial insecurity was an issue.

It makes sense to some degree, then, to be focused on how you can stay in control of your environment, your financial stability included.

But as we all know somewhere on an internal level, control is a lie and nothing is ever guaranteed.

Only God is in control, and until we fully submit to that, we will forever be treading water, attempting to keep our head above the waves.

What an exhausting way to live.

Paul said the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and considering Jesus Himself mentioned the topic quite a bit, it's probably wise that we all listen up.

We need to ask ourselves who is our true god, money or Yahweh, because we already know according to the 1st Commandment, it can't be both.

So, in order to place our trust in that which we can't see instead of that which we can, we have to practice trust.

The best way I've found to do this is to write down all the ways God has cared for me, comforted me, kept me safe, provided for me, etc., throughout my life.

When I reread these things, and truly see that He is my Savior, I go from relying on my own shortsightedness and desire to fulfill a short-term need, and instead, ask the only One I can truly trust to help me in my time of hardship.

Search me, God, and know my heart.

In what ways have you stolen in the past? Do you find your security in Jesus now? Write down how He's come through for you in your life. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving and commit to reviewing your list whenever temptation to control your circumstances (whether that involves thievery or not) starts to creep into your conscience.