What has the enemy stolen from you? Has he stolen your health; family relationships with those you love; peace of mind; finances; jobs; has he brought shame to your life; has he stolen homes or vehicles from you; material possessions?
You name it and he has probably tried to steal it from you! That’s what he does – the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The good news is found in the second part of that verse – but I (Jesus) have come to give you life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) God is a God of covenant and that covenant includes recompense, or restitution!
When I heard this from my Pastor, I got so excited because I’ve had things stolen from me, and at the same time I wanted to know more about this word “recompense” so I did some research. I found that recompense can be used as a noun or a verb with somewhat the same meanings. I’ll share with you what I’ve found…as a noun it means: something returned or paid back. Synonyms include amends, atonement, bus fare, compensation, cue, damages, emolument, expiation, gravy, indemnification, indemnity, overcompensation, pay, payment, propitiation, quittance, recoupment, recovery, redemption, redress, remuneration, reparation, repayment, requital, restitution retrieval, retrievement, return, reward, satisfaction, sweetener, tip, wages.
When recompense is used as a verb it means: pay back, make restitution. Synonyms include ante up, atone, atone for, balance, comp, compensate, cough up, counterbalance, counterpoise, countervail, do business, equalize, expiate, fix, give satisfaction, grease, indemnity, make amends, make good, make up for, offset, overcompensate, pay, pay for, propitiate, put out, reciprocate, recoup, recover, redress, reimburse, remunerate, repay, requite, retaliate, retrieve, return, reward, satisfy, spring for, square, sweeten the post, swing for, take care of.
Now, with those definitions in mind, think about your covenant with God. If you are born again, you are an heir and joint heir with Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17) What He has you have. As God’s child you need to know the integrity of the Word of God and that it will not fail you! (Jeremiah 23:28-29) So when the Word tell us that God is a God of recompense, He will fully repay. He will ensure the enemy pays you back. That is just one of God’s promises that you can meditate on and watch it come to pass in your life. “For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, and her mighty men will be captured, their bows are shattered; for the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay.” Jeremiah 51:56.
I like the promise found in Isaiah 61:7-9 from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), “Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering; and I will faithfully give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them. Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed.”
God monitors our injustices, and as you have just read, His covenant promise to us is to bring recompense to our lives! Now is the time to walk in your God-given authority as a child of God and demand recompense for what has been stolen from you. Rejoice in knowing that God will bring it to pass and become too expensive for the devil to mess with!
