Vice Camouflaged

And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. (2Samuel 13:1, 2)

Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. (2Samuel 13:15)

I want us to look at those times we might think we have the purest of motives when the opposite is the case. We will take this example though we could use others to get the message.

I heard about Amnon since my childhood especially in seminars where elders were teaching youngsters about relationships. This story is also a very key one in the True Love Waits presentation compared with the purity of Joseph’s relationship with Mary in the Gospels.

But we are not using this to speak about relationships. I want us to appreciate what Jeremiah said.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9, 10)

We can display a godliness that is exemplary yet later sink into depravity when opportunity for sin comes around.

You see Amnon was actually sick and had lost considerable weight for his cousin to notice it. He was not feigning that sickness. He was actually sick from his love for his step sister. Any right thinking medical practitioner could have had no doubt that this young man was actually suffering physically.

I doubt that Amnon had diagnosed that as stemming from lust. Most probably it was his cousin who was rogue enough to bring about the short cut. I am sure that had he got someone more spiritually leaning to counsel with him the outcome could have been totally different. The fact that he was frustrated does not mean that he only wanted sex. I believe sex was what the devil used to shortcut his journey into virtue. His healthy desires were diverted by Abinadab for purely selfish gains. And that is what peer pressure is to most.

Very few people got involved in sex or drugs by scheming. Many times it is the result of a wiser friend who many times dared you to prove that you are a mature person. Or like Jonadab took advantage of your raging hormones to direct you into devilish shortcuts which for that seeking mind were legitimate. Many times it was the stories which were massively exaggerated that demonstrated their prowess and conquests in the areas they wanted you to experiment in. Many normal but foolish young people, who make up the majority, will become guinea pigs for the experience the wiser ones will create fictionally. Then the ones who burn their fingers will warn the Jonadabs on the risks to avoid.

I say foolish because I was once a teenager and the boys who had the juiciest stories of conquests and escapades about girls were normally the ones who feared girls and created stories to divert the attention from their inadequacies before girls at least in their own eyes. It is more like I have heard that the most men who are harassed by their own wives are the noisiest and the most troublesome in bars and other public places.

But let us get back to our topic. An opportunity is the thing that is able to expose the vice in us. For Amnon it started out with a friend and probably mentor creating that opportunity by opening his eyes to the possibilities for selfish gratification. Had that opening not been afforded it is very possible that the normal course of events may have ensued. He could have eventually gone to his father and requested that he be given his half sister in marriage like Tamar had seemed so sure of. His manipulative power was powerful as we see him convincing David about his crazy and weird request.  Then they could have been happily married.

Simply saying vice is the product of a desire getting met sooner than its required time. Had sex with Tamar come at the right time (in marriage), it could have been impossible for Amnon to have exhibited that much hatred as he did after the sudden gratification of his lust.

Again I am sure that his motives were initially good and healthy. It is the short cut that defiled them.

And this happens all the time. How many people who were bulwarks of virtue do we know who have been unable to resist the lure of money or sex? How many do we know who had exemplary prayer lives who have become excess gossips? Do we not hear of testimonies of people whose past appears impossible when we look at their present?

My argument is that these people were not all schemers who were desperate for those opportunities that they completely altered their lifestyles. I know there are some who scheme for those opportunities like a classmate who got ‘saved’ to be made a prefect because prefects enjoyed privileges from all corners in a school that was more like a prison than a learning institution. He later ‘backslid’ when his term ended. It is only that he had confided in me in advance that I was not shocked by his turnaround.

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:32, 33)

Time is of essence when we are talking about character. Age is important when we are talking about dependability. This is because it is very rare to attain that age without confronting or being confronted by enough opportunities to expose the vice in us and overcoming it.

I was a singer and instrumentalist for enough years to understand why most people equate musical success with sexual promiscuity. And I can tell you with confidence that very few plan to sink there. The opportunities for sex fall on you almost magically and from all corners that it sometimes appears like slight to refuse to accede. It does not require effort on your side therefore to get a sexual partner. A lot more effort is needed to resist those sex favors and offers. No effort is required in acceding as some think it is a blessing to sleep with someone so blessed. It is a determined purpose and a clear and close leaning on grace that can take one past that season with the character unstained.

I sang in many choirs and can confirm what is commonly said that most are sex havens (at least when I sang). Standing out for Christ in that success is the exception. And that is why it is very important that singing groups (called worship teams nowadays) ought to have a few mature and unsoiled members to at least bring stability and sobriety to all these opportunities for vice.

I also trained and worked in the media and the situation is even worse because there is no name of Christ to hide under. I remember when I went for my first attachment and announced that I was saved they gaped at me. Then they asked me whether I knew the history of the media house which I didn’t. They then gave me three months to backslide.

Incidentally by the end of that attachment over half had backslidden. Before the course finished there were only three of us whose testimonies were acceptable.

A friend started reading news and liked it. Those times there were no cell phones and e-mail. He used to receive letters from all over the country, some which were crazy though very serious.

‘I am a virgin and you are the one who will break it’, was one common thread. One lady travelled from deep inside the bush and made sure that he slept with her. They called me to resolve the conflict that ensued. I had tried to protect him from sin but all those opportunities broke him. He eventually died.

I did not succeed against all this pollution because I was stronger than those who fell. I am sure God jealously guarded me and continues doing so because of the ministry He has invested in me. But my past was also ‘ignorant’ enough so that I did not see some of those opportunities and so was not disturbed. I was more or less raised in church with my mother and elder siblings being sold out to God. For me it was therefore easier to keep to the straight and narrow than stray. Many times I would understand the trap (call it opportunity) laid for me long after I had escaped. That kind of folly saved my testimony enough times as I would understand why a girl was behaving strangely long after the opportunity had passed.

But even the blatant opportunities came. I remember a girl who told me that God had ordered her to have sex with me for her salvation from I don’t remember what. I told her that if her salvation depended on my sinning she better prepares to die. And she died of AIDS about a year later. She was a very beautiful girl and I was still single for your information.

God guarded me and really kept me safe from all those opportunities for sin.

The thrust of what I am saying is that Christians do not plan to sin. Like Amnon it is vice that is offered an opportunity that in our lack of forward planning takes us down to the sin spiral.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1John 3:9)

The devil just creates opportunities so that that seed remains buried, yet not in productive soil where it has a chance to sprout. He buries it in the desert where the barrenness simply wastes the seed.

But of greater importance to us is how one can avoid those pitfalls. What made Amnon prone to such a fall? Why do others not fall when similar opportunities arise?

The first is the right foundation in God. I have mentioned the fact that I was so green in things of the world that I was never disturbed by those opportunities because I never knew they existed. The right backdrop of our lives makes this possible. If the people who matter to me value godliness it will be very hard for me to value anything else.

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. (Romans 16:19)

This concerns our children more than us because we have already done the mess if we were not exposed that way. This is therefore a challenge to parents to realize that children pick more from us than we teach them.

The second thing that can help us avoid those pitfalls is information. And the best information capable of doing it is Godly instruction.

I am sure that had Amnon realized the consequences of what he was doing it would have been very difficult if not impossible to entertain it.

You see the law decreed that he and his sister ought to have been stoned to death for that sin. I doubt he was that suicidal to attempt going that far. I am sure that was the advantage the devil capitalized on to make this young man sin.

But information is not adequate on its own to deter. The truth must be internalized for it to be of use as a deterrent. And that is what we see in the scriptures.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6: 6 – 9)

I believe that lack of that is the reason Amnon was unable to deal with that challenge.

Why do I say so? You see as David’s first born he was born when David was constantly on the move running from Saul. It was therefore very difficult to instruct the children under those circumstances. When his father became the king, he was all of a sudden exposed to the good life, a life without limitations. And no wonder we see drama with all of David’s elder sons. That may have been the reason he overlooked all of them to pick on Solomon to take over from him.

We see the same thing when we look at the church.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)

Instruction was very important to the church that a huge percentage of the activities they were involved instruction.

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. (Acts 6:2)

Instruction was the number one duty of the apostles with the rest becoming consequential to it. And it was so because those were Christ’s instructions. No wonder the believers were called disciples long before they were called Christians.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19, 20)

That is the only thing that can insure us against these opportunities to sin. We internalize God’s word so that it provided ready defense against any attack of sin, however sneaky they approach.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11)

We are studying the scriptures to understand them. Then we memorize them to make them part of our thinking process. We can then live by a Biblical worldview because it is the view we have invested the premium on. Any friend who lives contrary to that is either a ministry or witnessing opportunity. Otherwise we wisely avoid them.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:1, 2)

But it does not stop there. It leads to the next thing, the thing that brings one closest to vice. It will lead away from self centredness and pride.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. (Romans 12:16)

Eventually getting us closest to God’s heart as we take on the ministry Christ had.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19)

It would be very difficult to stray once you get to that path. Those are some of the other things that protected me.

But my assignment will not be complete if I do not mention popularity or fame amongst believers. I mentioned the same with respect to the secular media but I need to say that the same applies probably more in Christian media. Fame is a tool the devil has perfected to bring man down as it is the thing that brought him down.

Fame will bring you down whether you are leading worship or leading a denomination. But the devil does not want us to see it like that. He convinces us that all that visibility will increase our ministry effectiveness without telling us that it makes us idols in the eyes of men; idols that stand in the way of God’s ministry. And that worship will itself be so camouflaged so that you think it is ministry.

There is one quote I do not remember where I heard if from that will help us here.

Humility is such a delicate grace that when you think you have it then you don’t.

And that is what fame does to a minister. Fame fuels pride, a pride that in ministry is very craftily camouflaged as humility. Then it feeds on that to drag and probably drug us down to vice.

I am saddened when I hear ministers calling on their supporters to vote for them to win this or the other popularity contest all in the name of ministry because of these few reasons I have shared.

It would challenge us to learn from how Christ handled fame and popularity though He is the object of worship. Study the scriptures and you will realize that all the saints of old handled it the same way.

Pray for What?

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2: 1 – 4)

Why do we pray for our leaders? Is it so that our nation can prosper or that we can accumulate as much wealth as possible when there is that much peace?

What is the end game for God in the kingdoms and nations of earth?

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Are we interested to know that it is the Gospel that is the centre of that will and therefore should be the focus of that prayer for authorities?

I always say that Jesus did not die so that we become rich. He did not die that we access perfect health. HE DIED TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS. And that is the whole focus of the kingdom of heaven.

You see if wealth and earthly prosperity was the focus of the kingdom it we couldn’t have verses like this in the Bible.

And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:23)

And if health was the reason He came we also could not such verses either.

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Matthew 18:8, 9)

Anything that stands in the way of the Gospel qualifies as an enemy to the cause of the kingdom of heaven, however good it is to us.

Let us look at a brief history of the ages. Nebuchadnezzar was able to consolidate and rule the whole world, at least the one they knew then. Then the Greeks came and gave that world a common language. Later the Romans came and created a great infrastructure and government. And that was in the purely secular direction.

But it was the perfect recipe for the spread of the Gospel. We see Paul taking advantage of all that when he encounters schemes and opposition to that message he bore.

Was the Roman Empire godly? Far from it. Were their goals sympathetic to the Gospel? By no means. A king who can demand that people worship him is diametrically opposed to the Gospel whose central thrust is the worship of Christ. Was the empire beneficial to the Gospel? Yes.

Their wickedness and ungodliness were no block to the Gospel. Those structures they had put in place for the enthronement of their kingdom were the very things that God used for the furtherance of the Gospel. God had put those structures in place to prepare for the Christ to be preached throughout the world using the language and infrastructure that were in place.

There is nothing God can’t use. As the only creator He has everything and everybody completely subject to His purposes. Nothing and no one can resist those purposes. One verse that pushes that to the fore is this.

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:17)

Incidentally this is talking about what theologians call the unholy trinity whose main purpose is to resist God and His purposes.

It is therefore important to appreciate that God is not speaking about the presence of godly leadership when He requires us to pray for them. He is the one who places all leadership on whatever thrones they occupy irrespective of whether they overthrew or rigged their way into that leadership. Or do we not know this?

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)

We see the same when we look at God’s declarations about Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, people God raised though they did not know Him. We also remember Him saying the same concerning Pharaoh.

It is therefore very naïve of us to think that we pray for the ruling powers to be just and godly since we never see the same when we read the Bible. But worse is that we may refuse to submit to those rulers if they do not meet our standards of leadership. I have even heard pastors of all people saying that some leaders are not from God just because they are not friendly to these pastors. Some argue the same way because they did not vote for them. Yet others say the same because their prophecies were proved wrong.

The worst I heard was this bishop who asked her church to pray and fast for the death of the president because she had prophesied to them that the one who lost was the anointed president.

We are deceived when we expect only godly leaders to perform God’s purposes. In fact it might be the opposite as the church will be able to access favors they may not deserve because of their perceived connection to God. I remember once we were in a capital whose streets were completely closed for the weekly city wide cleaning. We were supposed to leave before daybreak to be able to catch our bus. But our hosts were not worried since they knew we were preachers. And ours was the only vehicle on the road because the police were informed that we were pastors. Incidentally the president of that country happens to be a very serious believer who respects spiritual leaders. We were more or less breaking the city’s laws because of that relationship.

It is therefore important for us to know what it is we should be praying for when we are praying for our leaders. We ought to know the kind of expectation we ought to have when we are praying for them. We should be in a position to know the kind of favors or allowances we should ask from them when we are able to get their audience.

This is because many times pastors and bishops really shame Christ when God takes them to those offices. Imagine someone pleading for money to build their church or get a piece of land? Imagine a spiritual leader pleading for a member of their congregation be given a political or senior civil service position!

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (Colossians 1: 16 – 19)

Simply speaking Christ is the centre and the reason for our existence. Anything that directs the world’s focus elsewhere is contrary to God’s design. It then follows that any other reason or focus for our praying for anything is worthless in the eyes of God. Any answer we think we receive must be pointing us and our witness in the same direction. Otherwise those breakthroughs and miracles we may think we are receiving might be like the ones the devil offered Christ during His temptation.

Do you remember what took the church out of Jerusalem? It was intense persecution from the Roman and Jewish leaders. Was that from God? Just look at the results. If the death of one of Christ’s inner circle made the church leave their comfort zone and take the Gospel to the nations, could we really say that God was not in it?

God had simply used the corrupt Roman government to make a complacent church to take the responsibility they had been entrusted with.

We are therefore plainly in error when we think we are the focus of our prayer for the leadership. It is not our comfort or prosperity that should guide that prayer.

Another thing we choose to overlook is that the world is becoming increasingly godless; something Christ had already told us when He talked about the end times in Matthew 24. We see the same thing when we read prophetic books that touch on the end times. We then can’t expect leaders who are sympathetic to the Gospel. We can’t have the surety that is the anti-christ if we have godly leadership.

In fact having that kind of expectation when we pray for leaders who will be faithful believers will bring us into the error of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who discount the reality of heaven and hell, expecting the world to become increasingly better until it evolves into paradise.

The Gospel is the reason for our existence. Nothing else deserves our attention except when it is adding to that focus. Otherwise we are not praying right.

Another danger of praying for our leaders amiss is that we may not think that the Gospel is very urgent. We could then spend all our time building earthly structures at the expense of investing in the Gospel as our priority. We could be building church structures and establishing huge institutions yet at the same time neglecting the Gospel and those who are involved in sharing it. We see the depravity of man as a pointer to our need to establish godly structures as examples to fallen man instead of acknowledging what the Bible teaches; that man is fallen and the only thing that has any capacity of rescuing him from sure destruction is the Gospel faithfully shared.

The Gospel should occupy the most prominent position in our prayers for the world. Praying for anything else is being as worldly minded as the unbelievers who have no hope beyond the present.

I believe that we will change the world when our prayers for our leaders will take that direction as we will then be able to see the opportunities God opens for the Gospel in everything these leaders are doing whether it is positive or otherwise.

Again we will then be able to minister in God’s name when opportunity arises, something that can give room for an even better opening for the Gospel at the highest positions. We should not use the lack of godliness in that leadership to refuse to offer service when opportunity opens for us. And I am not talking about looking for those opportunities.

Joseph faithfully served a godless king and was able to rescue his family from famine. Nehemiah and Ezra also served godless kingdoms and were able to access resources to rebuild their city and its worship structures. Ahab, the most wicked king Israel had had in his palace a man who feared God above most and he was able to rescue a hundred prophets and provide for them when the kingdom sought to exterminate God’s worship from Israel.

But we also know that Daniel was fed to the lions and his three friends were fed to the fire. But they knew that they were there for God’s purposes and that is why we do not see them seeking revenge against their enemies.

These people knew why they were in those palaces and were not scared of facing danger and death as long as they kept their eyes on what they knew God had sent them there for.

We see the focus of their prayers when we read them.

May the kingdom of God and His righteousness (the Gospel preached and lived) be our all consuming passion even as we pray for the nations.

Selective Amnesia

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:14)

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. (Deuteronomy 28:1, 2)

The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. (Deuteronomy 28:12)

I am thinking of all the double speak preachers are speaking when they talk about Kenya and it saddens me. Why are we selective when we are speaking about our issues? Why do we always speak blessings to ourselves instead of the obedience that draws them to us? Why speak so encouragingly to the people we lead instead of accurately as God’s word speaks?

Why are we so selective when speaking about God’s promises?

Lest you forget I am also a preacher, having been in ministry for close to thirty years. It is only that these days I use a different type of pulpit to preach.

2Chronicles 7:14 has several instructions. What makes us think that selecting the easier tasks will make us acceptable to God? Why do we expect our land to experience healing when we have neglected other instructions?

Praying never covers for complete repentance. In fact it might make the situation worse as we are adding rebellion to our sin. In the first place it is because of sin that the land is afflicted. Can it be healed before we deal with that sin? How does God forgive sins we have not acknowledged, leave alone repenting from?

Preachers are deceiving their listeners when they preach blessing before preaching repentance and obedience.

Again let us look at the blessing themselves. What is the indicator of a blessing? Is it something I can manipulate or something out of human domain? Of course for a blessing to be ascribed to God it must leave no doubt to anyone that it was simply and only from God. There must not be another explanation, however much we might stretch the truth. God does not entertain competition and that is the reason He will not perform ‘miracles’ that can be explained away.

I do not have to be in God’s blessing blanket if I was able to get a million as I can be able to get the same selling drugs. I do not have to drive a big car to be blessed as there are prostitutes who drive even bigger.

God’s blessing denotes that He has done something NOBODY or NOTHING ELSE CAN.

Which brings me to my next quick point. Nature may be the clearest we may get to see God’s view of things. That is what you see in the Deuteronomy passage.

Sin causes nature to rebel against the sinners by withholding its bounty.

It surprises me to hear preachers parading the blessings of God on our land when for over ten years we have not had consistent rains. How can God withhold predictable rain to a land He loves as we like to paint our land? How do we have recurring droughts if God is really so satisfied with our land?

When will we stop pampering our flock in their sin so that they can keep us in comfort? When will we start telling them what God says in His word even if we stopped listening to Him?

May we lead the people we shepherd to complete the whole dosage God has given as opposed to throwing aside the parts we do not like or that threaten the support we are receiving from these people we are misleading so comfortable.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:14)

I do not think there are two ways about it.