Favor with the King - What's Your Excuse?

"Don't flirt with lower lovers! You can lose your destiny! Don't prostitute your anointing from God for something lesser than God's blessing! You are shortchanging yourselves!"

These words of Pastor Tommy Tenny kept ringing in my mind through Mother's Day celebration and even while I was watching the exciting Man Utd vs. Wigan EPL match.

How true these words are. So often because under the peer pressure influence of our friends, or because we do not have "spiritual guts" to stand firm for God, we cave in and follow the world and its cheap values. Things that we know in our minds is not right, but somehow we keep giving excuses that 'We just don't know' or 'We cannot help it', and soon we go with the flow.

Some examples - Illegal downloading, possession of pirated softwares, coarse joking, flirting around with girls...etc

We join the world into doing all these things because we want to feel accepted by the general crowd. We don't dare to make a stand, fearing that our friends will ostracize us. We rather go with the flow - If we can't be the popular and charismatic guy, at least people don't hate us. It is definitely and always easier to go with the flow.

But the truth of the matter is people whom go with the flow will never find favor with the King.

Esther 2:15 When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

Esther determined in her heart that she would not go with the flow and made choices not for herself or to feel good, but rather she made the choice that the King would like. She didn't bother what the rest would say, she was single-minded in just wanting the King's approval.

Sons, we face many challenges in the world together and many temptations which are vying desperately for our attention. But we have got to raise up that 'spiritual guts' from within us and dare to make a stand for God and not just go with the flow! Stop giving ourselves the 'I don't know...', 'I am not sure...', or 'I just cannot...' excuses anymore.

Put on the garment of Praise! It is a choice to worship freely in His presence. It is a choice to stand firm for God! It is a choice... Do you want favor with the King first? Or man first?

Let's rise up together Family!!!