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Pastor Tinashe Zinyemba The Christian Youth
We are living in interesting times. 1 Chronicles 12:32 says, “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do . . . ”
When one looks at what is happening in our nation and the world at large, it can be disheartening because there are no jobs, life is becoming tougher by the day, opportunities are few and far between, and it seems like the wicked and corrupt are prospering more than the righteous.
That may be what the physical eye and mind might perceive but one thing that I have come to know is that God is always working even in difficult times.
You need to train your eyes to identify opportunities around you. You need to train your ear to hear the sound of opportunities and to train your mind to think positive. May you be like the sons of Issachar that understood the times and knew what to do.
We spent February discussing “love”. We did our best to try and highlight the negative effects of indulging in sexual sin when you are not married. It is increasingly disturbing the number of people who are getting married having already lost their virginity.
Many will have had multiple partners.
It is reported that over 160 couples are applying for divorce per month at the courts. As much as there are obviously other reasons for divorce, sexual misconduct is one of the leading causes.
These challenges will have begun long before marriage only to manifest years later and thereby damage and hurt many people including the innocent.
The church is not immune to this. Newspapers are awash with men of the cloth being found in compromising positions. It has permeated into schools where teenagers are engaging in orgies. May God help us!
It has been reported that about 10-14 percent of children under the age of 18 have been involved in incest. 2015 statistics in Zimbabwe stated that one girl is raped every two hours, in 2016 it was reported that there were approximately 325 rape cases per month and that one child is raped every three hours.
Recently I heard that of all the rape cases only one in three are reported.
A 2015 report stated that up to 50 percent of the homosexual community in Zimbabwe is HIV positive.
As we put a close to this series we felt it necessary to look at some of the reasons why young people indulge in these behaviours.
Several reasons can lead a young person to begin to indulge and confuse what they are doing to mean expressions of love. There are many young people who grew up in rejection and abuse. When one is rejected they tend to over compensate for the rejection by doing more than is necessary in order to impress anyone who shows them any form of affection or attention.
If that is you, you must realise that sleeping with someone will never fill the void that you have in your soul and neither will it guarantee that you will be loved by that person. True love and affection can only be found in Christ.
He will send the right people into your life and heal you of all the pain that you have gone through. Some people lack good mentors, perhaps you are advised that being a man is gauged by how many women you bed or that being an upmarket and modern woman is having experience in the bedroom.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Manliness or womanhood is not determined by that. Look for mentors that encourage you to add value to you and not people that will add to your demise. For others it is the environment that they grew up in.
It could have been an environment of being groomed in sexual tendencies or one whereby it is easier to indulge than not to and engaging in such behaviours would be part and parcel of life. I want to say to you just observe the condition of the lives of those who live such lives.
The end is never good. There is heartbreak, tension and misfortune along their road and I can guarantee you that you do not want that to be a part of your life.
Then we have those who engage in these behaviours simply out of mischief and experimentation. The truth is that God has blessed every human being with emotion of attraction and desire.
It is perfectly natural however everything has a place and a time. Self-control and discipline are the hallmarks of true greatness. And finally on my short list is a lack of understanding of the Word of God.
It is very unfortunate that we have people that will sit in church and serve in various capacities and yet walk out of church and engage in such behaviours justifying themselves that others are doing it, we will get married anyway, we can repent soon after and God understands. For some they hide behind Grace.
All of these do not suffice.
Sex does not translate to love. 1 Corinthinas 13 and 1 John talk about the nature of the love of God.
True love that is pure and seeks for your advancement. True love that is understanding and natures your growth, true love in which you grow in self-confidence and in understanding yourself better. True love that helps you to achieve your destiny and does not make you feel ashamed of yourself or guilty for what you have done.
True love that does not need you to justify anything. I want to encourage you to walk in the love of God. As you do so, you become a light and begin to attract other lights. In so doing you will meet your life partner who will be a blessing to you and not a cause for shame.
Till next week, God bless.
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Feedback: [email protected]
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Tinaye Agere