Chicken Expectations

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4: 6 – 8)

This message is borne of two different discussions I had with some friends on the same day.

Remember the story of the farmer who picked an eagle’s egg and placed it with chicken’s eggs to hatch? That different ‘chick’ had a very hard time adjusting to being a chicken chick, struggling against its inner craving and calling especially when running away from an eagle looking for chicks to eat in response from it ‘mother’s’ alarm. Its only escape came when it yielded to the call of what it was made for.

As children of God, do we realize what we are made of? Do we know what we are made for?

We fail many times when we limit our expectations only to our ability. Many times we do not even attempt to examine the extent of that ability or the power invested in us as children of God.

Many people, sadly even ministers, looking for a solution to the death and destruction AIDS is causing are assuming, even confessing that young people are unable to deal with or restrain their sex drive. Incidentally Christians are among those young people. Their solution is therefore the condom, and nothing else. Did Joseph have those hormones when that hot mistress drove him up the wall? Was his blood as hot as that of our young men? Or do we assume that he was so anointed that it was frozen?

He was not running away from AIDS as it was not there. I also doubt there were STDs then. I do not think that her husband was a problem as I suspect he was part of that whole racket looking to get seed from such a gifted man.

Why then was his boiling blood unable to lead him to sin? He had a standard that was higher than any pleasure the sin could have opened for him. Look at his argument.

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Genesis 39:9)

He was brought up knowing God and His purpose. He had seen the foibles of his brothers in sex, from the firstborn sleeping with his step mother to another brother sleeping with his daughter in law. He had seen two other brothers clear a tribe because one of them had slept with their sister and even seeming to celebrate it. He had heard all about the battles in their household due to the competitions of the two matriarchs to get the attention of his father. But above all he had been instructed on God and His standard concerning sex.

He therefore did not require the right company to be godly. He did not require prefects to make sure he behaved right. He did not require laws to walk the straight and narrow. To Him God was the standard – and what a lofty standard even in such a godless society! It is no surprise that wherever he went everybody confessed that he had the spirit of the holy gods. His standards were too lofty for their ground scratching chicken lifestyle.

We see the same with Daniel and his three friends. The godlessness and wickedness of their captors, even their unrivalled power and control could not match their commitment to the kind of purpose operating in their lives. A king’s order was not enough to lower their gaze to an earthly standard. And they were teenagers whose craving for food is many times phenomenal. Yet they were able to resist palatial fare for plain boiled vegetables. Imagine all kinds of meat, fried, grilled, broiled, dried, fish, mutton, beef, game etc. and there was of course any other food one could dream of because it was made for the king’s table. And these four teenagers were able to resist it. And I even doubt there was any clear evidence to prove that it was unclean as all the other boys were Jew enough and could also have refused if there was such evidence of uncleannness.

Why do we assume that our young men are chicken and unable to fly yet we are expecting them to fly everywhere else? Why do we grow them wings in the study and corporate arena yet make them chickens in the spiritual? Why should they excel everywhere else yet in the spiritual and moral we are not surprised when they wallow with swine?

Why is it so difficult to realize that it is in the spiritual that all the other wings grow in a healthy and proportional way? Someone with a healthy spiritual outlook will necessarily find balance in all other areas of life. Someone lacking that spiritual outlook is not much different from an animal as they normally follow their instincts to find gratification. And that is where we were made in God’s image and likeness to be above the rest of His creation.

Do we realize that the advice we are offering them is not different from a person with incontinence advising everybody to wear adult diapers as they are unable to control their bowel movements, just because he can’t? And that is what I suspect is the real problem with these advocates. They are just replaying their chicken lifestyle to another generation. That is why I wonder how they still can call themselves God’s ministers as the first requirement of that minister is an encounter with God’s word and transformational power.

And the chicken mindedness gets even worse, which is many times an indicator of the last days we are living in.

The other day I read about this ‘pastor’ who has written a book advising singles to be having sex for whatever reason and under whatever condition. That has gotten even lower than chicken to the mole, compete underground. And she (it is a she) is not even ashamed to call herself a pastor. Again I feel even calling her a wolf in sheep’s skin is flattering. She is a lion in the sheep’s pen.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2Timothy 1:7)

Whatever happened to God’s power in our times? Whatever became of God’s commandments?

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1Corinthians 6: 15 – 20)

Do those chicken teachers read such passages?

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 5: 3 - 6)

What are we teaching our young people when we do not give them God’s laws or expose them to God’s power? Can we really be representing God if we behave as if He has lost His power or that His power has drastically reduced? Has our fear of offending a godless generation made God of no consequence in our confession? Do we not know that God hates cowards?

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21: 7, 8)

Even here we see how God treats the coward and his crowd. For our times I think the greatest coward who heads to hell is the minister who is scared of earthlings to speak for the heavenly standard. His fear of offending the chicken crowd to speak to the eaglets about their inherent soaring capacity and how low they are sinking when they are scratching the ground for worms when there is better fare.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1Timothy 4:12)

Youth is the time to experience consistent victory as it is the foundation for a contented old age. Then one can guide young people through leading an explosive and victorious youth.

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. (1John 2: 12 – 14)

Is it not a shame that we are telling young people that defeat is normal when God places such a premium on them? Could this be anything other than the apostasy the Bible speaks about? And is it not an abomination in God’s eyes?

God expects young people to overcome sexual temptation and flee sexual sin like Joseph did. Let us not limit God’s power to overcome sin as that was the reason Christ came.

And to the young people, flee those leaders, be they mentors, pastors, teachers who treat you like chicken and teach you to live like chicken. You were made to soar high above the clouds. Talking about condoms and contraception to Christian young people as a response to sexual temptation opens the door for you to start experiencing hell down here instead of enjoying the victory of the cross. You do not have to have sex before you get married. In fact it is sin to have sex before you get married. And it is rebellion against God to have sex before marriage as God has invested His Holy Spirit in you to enable you to live a holy life.

Choose teachers who not only teach victory but also expect it from you and hold you accountable for the same. You are not animals to mate just because the hormones rage. You have God’s victorious power residing in you to give you victory over all sin.