[one_half]In recent months, several friends of mine have tragically lost loved ones. Two families experienced loss by drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. One family lost a mom of three children to cancer.
In my work on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit as Spiritual Warfare, my premise is based on Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” I look at the negative that occurs and seek to know what the enemy desires to destroy. Then, I can take the opposite of it to know how to battle against the attack.
My heart hurt knowing these families were experiencing grief. I asked the Lord, “What is it that the enemy tries to undermine in You when these things happen?” He responded that the enemy attacks His Goodness. A commonly asked question in circumstances such as these is, “How could a good God allow this to happen?”
The fact is God is Good. Because He is good and can only be Good, He did not cause the event. People have free will. Free will many times has unfortunate results.
How does the enemy use this to undermine the Goodness of God? It is important to know that God’s Goodness contains Justice.
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
“Justly” in Hebrew also means “justice.” The death of an innocent victim in a drunk driving accident is not just. In the process, the enemy wants us to accuse God of not being Good and not being Just when tragedy strikes. Satan wants us to accuse God and take our focus off the true murderer. Jesus says in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus comes to give abundant life. If the enemy gets us to accuse God about not being Just, Satan can get our focus off of the legal access we have in this against him and his kingdom of darkness.
In God’s Goodness, He is Just. God is the righteous Judge. When the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, we have legal right to file a grievance with God, our Judge, against the enemy and the kingdom of darkness. We can ask God for Justice, restoration and restitution for the death of the loved one. God is Just and He will exact justice from the kingdom of darkness. The enemy will have to pay restoration and restitution. Proverbs 6:30-31 speaks of a thief caught for stealing will need to pay seven times what he stole. Seven speaks of perfect and complete. When we ask for justice, we can ask for sevenfold restoration. In doing so, we are asking for God’s design of what is perfect and complete restoration and restitution in the situation.[/one_half]
[one_half_last]It’s not our part to dictate how the justice, restoration and restitution will be exacted from the enemy. That belongs to God. In speaking of submitting this legal request to the Lord, I am not advocating that earthly legal aspects are to be left unattended. We have a justice system and those avenues are important to take. However, even in the best outcomes of our justice system, they cannot accomplish what can only be relegated to God. Only God can bring healing to the hurt, trauma, and pain caused by such heartbreak.
There are times that God brings about justice from the enemy when we don’t ask for it. This can cause a misunderstanding of events following tragedy if we don’t understand God’s Justice. Here is a common example. There are many times we’ve heard of the tragic death of a Christian, and as a result, many people were saved. Without an understanding of the Justice of God, this scenario can be misunderstood, and is explained from the perspective that the death or tragedy that occurred was the will of God. Romans 8:28 that promises that all things work together for good according to those who are called according to His purposes, and good things resulting from bad things happening are not indicators that the evil that befalls us is the will of God or in the will of God. Good resulting from evil is evidence of God’s Justice, restoration and restitution that is rooted in His nature of Goodness. Believing God is Good and juxtaposing it along with believing it’s the will of God when tragedy strikes and good results are incompatible with each other.
Keeping our focus on God’s Goodness and His Justice, we can move forward in restoration and restitution exacted by God from the kingdom of darkness.
Have you experienced the thief stealing, killing or destroying something in your life? Here’s a prayer you can pray to ask the Lord for Justice, restoration and restitution.
Dear Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You and ask for justice regarding the loss of (name the items that has been stolen, killed and/or destroyed from You). I repent of any way that I have accused You of not being Good in this situation. Please forgive me I forgive myself. I bind and break all of Satan’s power and authority over me in these areas of loss. You are my Judge. I ask You for justice. I ask You for a sevenfold restitution and restoration of all that has been stolen, killed or destroyed (list items that the enemy has stolen, killed and/or destroyed in your life.) Please heal the wound in my soul that was caused by my loss so that I may be whole and a good steward of all that You are restoring to me. I forgive the person who committed this sin against me. I release him or her from any debt owed to me. I choose to relinquish this and allow You to make it right. I thank You for Jesus coming to bring abundant life. I receive the abundance of Your Goodness and justice in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Copyright 2014-2015 Rivkah Isaacs[/one_half_last]