THE DANGER FACED BY DEBTORS AND PEOPLE WHO FAIL TO HONOUR THEIR COMMITMENTS

Romans 13:8 (AMPC)

 “Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practises loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].”

 

Dear people of God, walking the narrow path towards heaven as a Christian is not as easy as many think or even believe.

 

Many understand the mercy side of God as revealed in this world but they just fail to understand the justice side of God Who never tolerates wrong doing because all wrongdoing is SIN – 1 John 5:17a.

 

In February 2021, I initiated an electricity token purchase using my online banking application and the transaction failed. I initiated the transaction a second time for the same amount and it was successful this time around.

 

When I received token for the successful transaction I loaded it into my prepaid meter and I saw a value less than what I was expecting.

 

The next day in the morning, I received another electricity token and believing it was the shortfall sent to me, I uploaded it into the prepaid meter but it turned out to be the same value as the one of the previous day.

 

What this meant was that I had received value of electricity token for the failed transaction. I immediately reported this to my bank who investigated and reverted to inform me that the value of the first successful transaction was correct with respect to the amount I purchased.

 

I thanked the Bank and informed them that I would settle the bill for the token received for the failed transaction with the electricity company since I have a monthly budget for electricity purchase.

 

The next month around the time I purchase electricity token, I went to the electricity company, reported what had transpired and I was given a bank account detail into which I transferred the value and promptly settled the bill for the failed transaction token I had received.

 

The staff who attended to me were surprised that I came personally to make the report and settled the bill. From what was discussed, they would have discovered it some 6 months later after their reconciliation.

 

They also confirmed from me that the second token value was intact on my meter before I came to pay the bill for it and l left the place a happy man having cleared myself before God and before humans.

 

In response to their gratitude for my honesty, I told the ladies that even if it was one naira or one kobo, I would have settled the bill because I did not want to offend God and I wanted to leave this world and go to heaven.

 

Dear friend, there are many people today, professed Christians inclusive who would never have bothered to settle that outstanding bill believing in their heart that it was free money, afterall, the electricity company’s service is very poor and they must be cheating their customers who pay bills for services not rendered.

 

In fact, some people I mentioned the incident to told me I should give them the money as compensation for what they had suffered from the electricity company but I rejected their suggestion and chose instead to do the right thing before God, before humans and for my own spiritual and eternal well-being.

 

Today, there are people who borrow money and other things or make promises on one issue or the other but simply refuse to honour their obligation. For some, even when they have the money or resources to fulfil their obligation they just refuse to do the right thing.

 

I know someone who once said he liked to owe people and not pay immediately because his creditors would be praying for him not to die so he could honour his obligation to them, which would make him live long.

 

Are you such an individual who owes people but deliberately refuse to pay even when you have the resources because you believe nothing would happen?

 

Look again at today’s lead Holy Bible text to see the danger you are putting yourself in.

 

Even if you do not have the money or resources to honour your obligation, it is still hanging over you as far as God is concerned and the record in heaven remains against you as a debtor.

 

Even if you as a Christian remains faithful in every area of your life, this one unpaid debt automatically disqualifies you from entering heaven if you fail to settle it.

 

This is why you must avoid debt and pay all the ones you owe no matter how long it has been. Unless your creditor writes it off himself or herself and tells you so, you must pay what you owe.

 

Take note also that when you make a promise to a person, heaven records it as a debt against you until it is fulfilled. Many people again are so careless in making rash promises just to escape from a situation but they have placed themselves in a situation that would put them in severe trouble with God when they fail to do the right thing.

 

You must understand that failing to fulfil your obligation is the same as telling a lie, which is an integrity issue.

 

Let us see examples of debts or rash promises people make which may appear insignificant to man but certainly not to God:

 

(1) Failure to repair a person’s equipment and failure to return the unrepaired equipment, e.g. mobile phone, television, radio, refrigerator, vehicle, etc.

(2) Failure to return anything you have borrowed, e.g. book, clothing, shoes, bag, water, salt, food, etc

(3) Promising to marry someone, and backing out when all arrangements have been made for no justifiable reason before God.

(4) Failure to repay a loan

(5) Failure to honour the terms of a contract or an agreement

(6) Making a promise to help someone and failing to honour your commitment

(7) Failure to obey the country’s law through unpaid taxes to the government from legitimate business profits

(8) Unpaid bills of any type

(9) Unpaid tithes to the church as God has commanded

(10)              Unpaid financial or other pledges anywhere made whether in church or elsewhere

(11)              Making a part payment or pledge without fulfilling the remaining part of the obligation

(12)              A trader who deliberately tells lies about not having change so as to keep the buyer’s remaining money from a sale

 

These are few examples of everyday issues people undertake, commit to and think they can get away with refusal to fulfil their commitments.

 

Again, I need to reiterate that when it comes to borrowed money or money owed another party for whatever reason, you can be sure that no amount of excuse would make God overlook the fact that you do not have it to pay.

 

So what should one do under such circumstances? Simply go to God SINCERELY in prayer and ask Him to help you pay the outstanding bill and be sure God would help you pay the debt.

 

For people who think they are wise, always remember that you can fool humans but you can NEVER fool God for God knows everything about you including your capacity to pay or not.

 

Therefore, don’t ever make the mistake of approaching God to help you pay a loan that He knows you can pay conveniently because that is putting sin upon sin. You cannot mock your Maker.

 

For all other commitments, repent genuinely today and now having known the gravity of your failure to honour your obligations. Ask God to forgive you for your insincerity and immediately take action to restitute to resolve the issue, no matter what it is and no matter how long it has been.

 

Politicians are fond of making commitments they have no intention of keeping but the record remains written against them in heaven. They must repent and do what is right before God and before man.

 

Dear friend, Jesus Christ is coming shortly to take in Rapture ONLY those who are qualified according to His righteous standards in the Holy Bible.

 

Are you living a genuine life as His disciple? Are you ready for Him? Repent and come to Jesus today, for tomorrow may be too late for you.

 

Once Jesus takes away His children, the entire earth would come under God’s wrath and Divine judgement in a most terrible manner never experienced before.

 

Why do you risk your life in sin and risk the grave danger, pain and suffering ahead and risk ultimately damning your soul forever in the lake of fire?

 

May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Powerful Name, Amen.

 

Gabriel Ama.