In today’s post, we’ll share a word for church leaders especially on the matter of dealing with lust and the corrupting influence of power, which has marred the witness and testimony of some church leaders.

1. When fear destroys our witness.
Watching The Passion Of The Christ on Friday, there was Peter who earlier on acted boldly in the defence of Christ against the guards in the Garden of Gethsemane while other disciples fled, saw that courage disappear in the fear of personal harm! Oh, may we be ready in the day when the hour of darkness comes (Isa. 53:7,8,2b,3). Help me to submit to Your will, O Lord.

2. When lust and power replace respect and generosity
Some amongst leaders in God’s house may fall into sexual sin from character frailty, but not with the members of the flesh under their watch! The divine sanction for the latter is even more severe. When David, king of Israel observed the wife of one of his faithful followers bathing, he was overcome by desire and took the woman for himself. Listen to Nathan’s word exposing what David thought was over in 2 Samuel 12:7-15. Note particularly the powerful analogy in verse 4 revealing the secret of sexual lust and how to deal with it, but more God’s disposition towards David’s desire for women if only he asked God in verse 8b.

And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

David’s adultery and complicity in the murder of her husband marred the attributes of kingship viz.

1. power,
2. service,
3. humility, and
4. respect for others.

Another example is from the life of Samson.

“His name Samson has been derived by some, from Shemesh, the sun in miniature, perhaps because, being born like Moses to be a deliverer, he was like him exceedingly fair, his face shone like a little sun; or his parents so named him in remembrance of the shining countenance of that man of God who brought them the announcement of him. A little sun, because the glory of, and a light to, his people Israel, a type of Christ, the Sun of righteousness. From his childhood, he grew more than is usual in strength and stature, far out-grew other children of his age; and not in that only, but in other instance. It appeared that the Lord blessed him, qualified him, both in body and mind, for something great and extraordinary. The sun is compared to a strong man Ps. 19:5); why should not a strong man then be compared to the sun when he goes forth in his strength?” — Matthew Henry Commentary on Judges 13

His undisciplined accommodation of the traveler called lust ultimately led him into the hands of the seductress (Delilah means weakened or delicate) who used the two attributes of pretended tenderness to weaken the strong man and extracted information that led to his capture. Samson’s judgment was the loss of his eyes, the weak portal for entrance of the enemy!
 
Are you O servant of God in the storm of sexual lust and its attendants? Twice in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke regarding the eye gates (see Matthew 5:27-30 and Matthew 18:8-9. We shall expand on the context of the latter later on in the next post).

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Mathew 5:27-30

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

The demand for each of us here is to recognize the seriousness of sin and the importance of prioritizing our relationship with the Lord over physical desires! Get help before it is too late. More to come in the next post. Selah.
 

Pastor Afolabi Oladele