Debts

[Chrysostom]

You come before God with a prayer that sounds more like the incantations of the sorcerers you condemn than the plea of a Christian. Do you not know what spirit you are of? The Son of Man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Yet you ask for plagues a thousandfold worse than those of Egypt, for the utter annihilation of your enemies, for their children's children to be stripped of all they have and given to you. This is not the voice of a disciple of the crucified One, who prayed for his murderers, "Father, forgive them." It is the cry of a heart consumed by wrath and covetousness.

Hear what the Apostle commands: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." You have allowed the love of money, like a thick humor on the eye, to blind you. You think only of the debt you are owed, the property you have lost, the fuel and engine oil stolen. But what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? You heap up curses, but those very curses heap coals of fire not on your enemies' heads in the way God intends, but on your own. For when you seek vengeance, you bind your own sins tighter. God will certainly bring judgment to victory in His own time, and He needs no such sinful prayers to accomplish it. But if you go on in this bitterness, you hand yourself over to the tormentors.

Do you wish to be truly avenged? Then listen to the wisdom from above: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink." In doing so, you will shame him and win a glorious victory. The man who returns evil for evil is stung by a slavish passion; but the one who blesses when cursed, who prays for those who spitefully use him, disarms every foe and receives the applause of heaven. You cannot fight the devil's witchcraft with witchcraft of your own. That only leaves you alone and exposed to his attacks. Come back into the assembly of the faithful, where peace is kept and wounds are healed.

Let go of this madness. Confess your burning anger and your lust for others' goods as the sins they are. Trust God's promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." He is your helper; what can man do to you? The Lord will restore what the locust has eaten, but only when you walk in righteousness, not in the footsteps of the enemy. Drop these demands for billions and zillions from those who harmed you. Instead, ask for the grace to forgive, and you will find the true riches: the peace that passes all understanding, and a throne of glory that no thief can touch.

 

[Silas]

The pain in your words is unmistakable. You have suffered real loss: your car vandalized, your phone and belongings stolen, your mortgage threatened, your very blood shed through relentless plots. When occultic darkness and human malice conspire against you, the cry for justice rises naturally from the heart. God knows every detail and He sees those who have set themselves against you in witchcraft, envy, and fraud.

But the Scripture draws a sharp line between the works of the flesh, among them witchcraft, hatred, strife, and the fruit of the Spirit that God is cultivating in His people. What leaps from your request is a desire to call down plagues and seize their belongings for your own recompense. I understand the impulse, but the path Jesus sets before us is radically different. He came to seek and to save the lost, and His ultimate aim is always restoration, not simply destruction.

Think of it this way: every one of us stood with a debt we could never pay. In ancient Israel, a person who could not satisfy a debt was sold into slavery, bound until a kinsman redeemer stepped in to pay the price and set them free. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. He looked at our moral debt, a load far heavier than any financial sum, and He paid it with His own life. You and I had a debt of zillions against heaven’s books, and He forgave it all because He is moved with compassion.

Now recall the servant in the parable who had just been forgiven an enormous sum. He went out, found a fellow servant who owed him a few dollars, and threw him in prison. The master’s response was severe: “You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” Unforgiveness becomes a prison for the one who refuses to release the debt. It eats away at your own soul, and it keeps you bound to the very offenses you long to escape.

I am not minimizing the real crimes done against you. Destruction of property and theft are evil, and a just society would hold the perpetrators accountable. But when you pray for plagues, for the obliteration of not only them but also their children for zillion generations, and for the seizing of their marriages and belongings as your own, you are stepping into a realm that belongs to God alone. He says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” Leave the timing and the method in His hands. He is perfectly righteous and will not let wickedness stand forever, but His heart yearns for restoration even in judgment, just as He restored Israel after desolation, planting trees and vineyards in barren land.

What you truly need right now is not the property of your enemies, but the deep restoration of your own spirit. The debts that have piled up, whether financial, emotional, or spiritual, find their release at the foot of the cross. Jesus did not come to give you a windfall from your adversary’s downfall; He came to set you free from the slavery of bitterness and the bondage of sin. When you hold on to this raging demand for payback, you remain chained to the very people you despise. Forgiveness doesn’t excuse them; it cuts the chain. It hands the ledger over to the Righteous Judge and opens your clenched hand to receive His peace.

The commercial systems of this world often enslave people through crushing debt, and God hates that exploitation. But He does not call His children to escape by another form of grasping. He clothes you with the garments of salvation, covers you with the robe of righteousness, and invites you to joyfully trust His provision. He can restore what was stolen in ways that do not require you to carry the poisonous weight of vengeance. Let Him fight for you. Your goodness and your future do not depend on obliterating your foes but on resting in the One who said, “It shall be well with the righteous; they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

Release the curses. Refuse to imitate the works of the flesh you have listed. Instead, bring your shattered car, your lost phone, your threatened mortgage, and every piercing wound to Jesus and ask Him for the strength to forgive as you have been forgiven. The miracle of restoration often begins the moment we stop trying to wield the fire ourselves and let God be God. He will restore; He always does. The seventh year, the season of release, does not mean the debt is forgotten by God, but it does mean the captive goes free. You can walk out of the dungeon of bitterness today, not because the wrongs were small, but because your Redeemer’s mercy is great.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply moved by your heartfelt prayer request and have been standing in faith with you these past days, lifting up every burden and injustice before our Heavenly Father. We have prayed fervently that the Lord would break every chain of debt, expose every hidden scheme of the enemy, and restore all that has been stolen from you—whether material possessions, peace of mind, or security. We have asked God to arise as your Defender, to bring swift and righteous judgment upon those who have sought to harm you, and to turn their wicked plans into their own undoing, just as He did with the Egyptians.

We continue to pray that the Lord would release supernatural provision, wisdom, and favor over your finances, that every debt would be settled according to His riches in glory. We have also asked Him to heal the wounds caused by betrayal and theft, to strengthen your faith, and to fill you with His perfect peace as you wait on Him. If the Lord has already moved in miraculous ways—if debts have been canceled, justice has been served, or restoration has begun—we humbly ask that you share a praise report so we may rejoice with you. If the battle still rages, we will not grow weary in standing with you. Post this request again, and we will persist in prayer, believing that God hears the cries of His children and will answer according to His perfect will.

May the Lord bless you with His presence, grant you wisdom in every decision, and surround you with His angels for protection. May He open doors no man can shut and close doors no man can open, all for His glory. We declare that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment shall be condemned. We pray this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and soon-coming King. Amen.