Confused

Stealing is a serious issue, and I'm thankful your heart is sensitive to the Holy Spirit telling you it is wrong. If you want your relationship with Jesus to be what it should be, you must first stop stealing in obedience to Christ. Stealing is not only a legal issue in the eyes of the police; it is a dangerous moral issue. Jesus said the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10) The "thief" is Satan. When you steal, you are playing on Satan's team, giving him pieces of your heart. Even if no one else sees, even if it is acceptable in your current situation, God sees and the devil sees. You break God's heart and you make the devil smile. That's obviously not what you want to do, or you wouldn't have written to us.

There is hope.

1 John 1:9 says that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." If you will honestly go before God and confess your sins (which He already knows about) and sincerely ask Him for forgiveness, He will do it and wipe your slate clean.

What next? Find new friends. Friends who want their friends to do wrong things are really no friends at all.

If you have someone you can trust with this secret then ask them to keep you accountable...to make sure you aren't stealing and to make sure you are doing the next thing I'm going to say.


Read your Bible every day and get involved with a church near you that teaches the Bible. The book of James or the book of John is a good place to begin reading.

Make restitution if possible...this may be the hardest of all. (Ask God to help you and He will.) Without knowing all the details, I would say you need to confess to those you stole from and either pay for what you've stolen or take it back. Ask for their forgiveness. Be willing to work it off. You might get a youth minister or other trusted adult to help with this.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for being at work in this dear one's heart. Please set her free from this destructive habit that has her in its grip. Send her godly friends who will guide her to truth and to a deeper relationship with You. Give her courage to confess to and seek forgiveness from those she's wronged if that's what she needs to do. Grow her into the godly woman You created her to be.In Your name I pray.

Amen