The Sunday Mail
Pastor Tinashe Zinyemba
I would like to start by thanking all those who have been in contact with me, thank you very much for the kind messages. I sincerely hope that this column is a blessing to you and will continue to strive to be a blessing to you. A warm welcome to those who are home for the holidays.
Having said that, this week we get into a very critical but sensitive subject – SEXUAL ABUSE.
If you remember we mentioned that whereas the more common definition of abuse is the use of something to cause hurt or harm, it can also be defined as the misuse of something, probably due to ignorance of the user.
Firstly I would like to state that sex is a gift from God that He gave to mankind to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage between a male and a female. God gave this gift for two reasons (1) For pleasure (2) For pro-creation. When sexual relations occur outside of marriage it results in a whole host of complications. It is a very broad subject but we will try and touch on the high points.
Unfortunately many youths have suffered sexual abuse at one point or another. This is a tool that the devil uses to hurt you. For instance if you were ever exposed to sexual activity at an early age (e.g. pornography, fondling) that was abuse as you had no capacity to understand the consequences and repercussions involved.
Some have been raped and molested or endured verbal abuse of a sexual nature. You can find yourself in situations where you have no power over your abuser as they take advantage of your vulnerability and most times the damage done is mortal. In some instances the abused person might actually believe that their experience is the normal way of life. I sympathise with you and hope that these few words will help you in your journey of healing and recovery.
Then there are some individuals who willingly indulge in sexual activities outside wedlock. This is actually sexual abuse as it will be misusing the gift that God gave us as mankind. The negative effects of indulging in sexual activities outside of wedlock are numerous. Here is a short list of some of them; contraction of STIs, HIV, unplanned pregnancies, psychological trauma, mental and emotional instability, when married or in a relationship it will not be fulfilling (commitment issues),a drop in academic or work performance, poor concentration, low self-esteem, bad attitude and temperament.
Scripturally you attract curses into your life, sexual activity outside of wedlock opens doors for other ungodly behaviours such as lying, smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, violence and so forth, the list is endless. I am not writing these things to make you feel guilty, rather I’m doing so to make you aware of the dangers of indulging in premarital sex.
If you were abused, my advice is that do not bottle the emotions or events inside, seek professional counselling, get medical assistance, go for spiritual guidance and prayer from mature Christians (preferably male to male and female to female). You do not have to live in bondage to activities that happened to you and were beyond your control.
Jesus said in Luke4vs18, He came to “ . . . heal the broken hearted and to preach deliverance to the captives . . . ” Deliverance is yours and you have a right to live freely and enjoy a happy fulfilled life.
To those who are indulging or have indulged in sexual activities outside of wedlock, l advice you to stop, it is for your own good.
The benefits of abstinence far outweigh anything that can be advertised by magazines, the internet or whatever advice your friends might tell you.
In John 8vs11, Jesus says to a young lady accused of fornication “ . . . go and sin no more”. I encourage you to respect yourself and respect your future.
God has a plan for your life and that plan is great, the devil knows this and uses sexual sin or abuse as one of his greatest weapons to remove you from the plan and purpose of God for your life.
That does not mean that the plan is aborted if he has been successful in getting to you. It just means that you have to apply yourself more and be willing to sacrifice now for a greater and better future. Till next time. God bless.
The writer is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church.Email feedback on [email protected]
