I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust (Joel 2:25)

 

Scripture makes it very clear that the enemy of our souls is a thief.

 

Jesus stated his job description succinctly in these words from John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”

 

In the familiar parable of the sower, Jesus explains the significance of the seeds that fell on the wayside and were picked off by birds: “These are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:14)

 

What is God’s answer to this issue? Restoration.

 

But, restoration is seldom simply returning what was stolen. There is always an added dimension.

 

A 20% “bonus” is expected, according to Leviticus 6:5 (He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering) and Exodus 22:14.

 

Job received a double portion of everything the enemy had stolen. (Job 42:10)

 

In Exodus, double, fourfold and fivefold restoration are commanded when something has been stolen from a person: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.”

“If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.” (Exodus 22:1, 5)

 

In Proverbs 6:31, we are told that when a thief is found, “he must restore sevenfold.”

 

Has the enemy ever stolen anything from you that was rightfully yours?

 

Money? Property? Relationship? Family? Joy? Peace? Health? Ministry? Church? Opportunity? Business? Job? Reputation?

 

According to this law, you are entitled to restoration in a greater measure than what was stolen from you…minimum 20%, up to 700%.

 

But, you need to stake a claim for it.

 

Consider this scenario in the natural. The government owes you a refund on your taxes. Until you file your income tax form, the refund simply sits there. You need to make a demand on it.

 

It is the same way with what the enemy has stolen (Not in any way am I suggesting that the government steals…although some would beg to differ…lol).

 

Decreeing is the equivalent of claiming what is rightfully yours.

 

Does this work? Here is one testimony.

 

A number of years ago, an insurance company cheated a member of our church of a huge portion of a settlement that was rightfully hers. We taught her to decree this. Through a very unusual set of circumstances, in less than two years, she received a windfall. When she did the calculation, it was almost exactly 700% of what was stolen from her…praise God!

 

If you have already done this and have a testimony, would you please share it with the rest of us?

 

If you’ve never done it before, first make a list of all that the enemy has stolen from you. Then say out aloud: I DECREE (SEVENFOLD) RESTORATION OF ALL THAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN.

 

You too will have a testimony to share one day. “Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes.” (Deuteronomy 30:3)