I was in a PTA meeting years back. While discussing about school fees issues, the PTA chairman who happens to be a pastor shared a real life story that involved him and a young man. He met a young man who was into manual labour working on their church site. He could dig gutters, holes and soak away pits very well.
When he met this young man, he discovered he could speak good English. He asked what his educational qualification was. The young man told him he was a graduate. He wondered why a graduate will be digging gutters so he began to pray asking the Lord what his problem was.
After one week, the Lord revealed to him that his mother owed his school fees while in school. He sent for this young man and his mother. They were instructed to go pay back what they owed the school. That was a form of restitution because they didn't intend to pay back If not for God's instruction. Not long after, this man got a bank job. That was how restitution broke the law of negative harvest.
Another story I feel like sharing is about a young boy who had mental problem in the former church my mum was pastoring. I was home on holiday and my mum brought a young teenager home. This young lad acted strangely. I prayed for him and the nonsense stopped but any time he returned home, he suffered a relapse. They brought him back again.
After a while, my mum organized an emergency vigil with her prayer group. As this boy and his mother entered the vigil venue, one of my mum's prayer partner protested against praying for the boy. She recognized the mother of the boy as her husband's mistress who was instrumental to her exit from her matrimonial home.
All other members of the prayer group begged her to forgive and pray for the boy. It was obvious God arranged that meeting for reconciliation and restoration of that boy. You see, the young man suffered for what he knew nothing about. Her mum thought she was smart to have broken another woman's home not knowing trouble was ahead of her. After several appeal, this lady evangelist prayed for her and this young boy got his permanent healing.
Averting negative harvest is an important purpose of restitution. Spirit led restitution brings glory to God and breaks the power of the accuser over our lives permanently. That is why I don't like "religious" restitution.
The Lord won't instruct you do restitution If it won't bring glory to him and solve a problem in your life. Pharisaic restitution puts people in bondage and add to sorrows. For me, averting negative is an important purpose of restitution.
