The Sunday Mail
BLESSED greetings to you all today. I sincerely pray and hope that you are well. There are only four weekends left in the year. God has been faithful to keep up until now. I encourage you to dedicate December as a month of thanksgiving.
I know you might not be happy with your progress this year and for some the future is still quite uncertain. Some of you have just completed examinations and you are anxious about the results. Some of you lost jobs this year, relationships broke down or you lost a loved one.
For others, maybe this was a good year. All the same, dedicate December as a month of thanksgiving and honour to God because He has a better plan for your life.
Last week we started on a very interesting topic. Our anchor scripture was 1 Thessalonians 4:4. We ended by asking you what kind of vessel you want to be: a vessel of honour or dishonour?
The starting point is first understanding what your vessel (you) contains. Many individuals are filled with issues. And these issues will cause havoc in your life if not dealt with adequately.
With the coming Christmas holidays, where there will be parties all over. Many Christians fall during this season and my prayer for you is that you do not fall prey to the temptation of the enemy.
In Esther 1 we find a queen called Vashti. Her husband, the king, had an empire so large that it encompassed most of Europe, India and North Africa.
The king called for a huge party to celebrate his kingdom and after many days of partying and boozing he called for the queen to come.
Now I know that the circumstances might not have been fair but she refused to see the king and as a result she was removed from that position. Vashti had pride in her heart and this vice in her vessel made her lose everything.
James 1:14 shows us that most times when we fall it is because we have failed to control our flesh and we are tempted by our lustful nature.
This season is filled with more temptations than most. You have to learn to possess your vessel.
Here are a few tips on doing that but one thing I will tell you is you have to be disciplined and exercise some will power particularly if you know your areas of weakness (James 4:7).
There was a young man who was doing a very good job of managing his master’s estate. He was literally in charge of everything and his master trusted him fully.
This young man was so trusted that it was as though his master’s assets belonged to him. It so happened that the lady of the house had a liking for this young man, she wanted him as her boyfriend.
People call them Ben 10s these days. One day they almost slept together but at the last moment the young man ran away and his master’s wife remained with his tunic. She got so angry that she accused him of rape and he was put in maximum security prison.
This young man was called Joseph and his master was Potipher. I think Joseph actually flirted with Potipher’s wife, and they would play little naughty games and they kept on crossing certain barriers until “D-Day”.
Joseph only conquered by running away. There, unfortunately, is no pill you can take to avoid temptation. You have to discipline yourself. You have to be aware of your surroundings. You have to sensitive to your inner voice and trust your conscience.
Most times we know when we are about to cross a line. At that point, stop whatever you are doing and run! We tend to continue because we fear being victimised. I mean Joseph ended up in prison for his good morals. However a few years down the line Joseph became the prime minister of the most powerful nation in the world then and God used him to save humanity.
People can laugh at you and call you names but that is usually because they actually wish they were like you. In this season you have to be more aware to temptation. If you are in a situation that makes you uncomfortable most likely what you are doing is wrong. Stick to your morals and principles, it will work out better for you in the long run.
This is a season of fun and happiness. Do not allow yourself to be carried away by events but possess your vessel and submit to God.
Till next week, God bless
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Feedback: [email protected]
