Genesis 39:7
“And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.”
Anytime a person experiences success, they will have to watch out
for the vultures who will take their success away. In the verse above,
Joseph had a vulture who tried to take away his purity. It says, “And it came to pass after these things…” “These things”
is talking about his success. Thankfully, Joseph handled this vulture
correctly and it benefited him in the long run. Vultures come in
different forms, but each vulture will destroy you and the success God
has given if you don't watch out for them. Let me show you three
vultures that you will have to watch out for and how to kill them.
First, watch out for the vulture of friends. Many people will try
to become your friend when you experience success. You will always have
to ask yourself, “Where were they when nobody knew me?” It is not that
you won’t gain new friends after success, you just have to be more
careful in choosing friends. You have to remember that many people run
to the next big thing hoping to be on the platform with you. Watch out
for these vultures who will leave when the battles come.
Immoral opportunities is the next vulture you must guard against.
This lady who offered pleasure to Joseph didn't love him, she loved the
success and where she saw him going. You have to understand that if
someone is willing to leave purity to enjoy immorality with you when you
are successful, then they will be willing to leave you for the next
rising star. They don't love you, they love limelight and immorality is
the door that will give it to them. These vultures will play on your
ego, but don't give them any space in your life.
The third vulture is pride. Pride has killed the success of many
people. Just because you’ve experienced success doesn't mean you are
someone. Always remember that pride is one step away from destruction.
Do your best to stay humble and chase away the vulture of pride.
How can you kill these vultures? There are two ways to kill
vultures. First, continue to do right. It was doing right that brought
the opportunity for success, and doing right will be what continues to
give you success. If you want to continue experiencing the blessings of
success that God has given you, then you had better be sure to keep
doing what brought it to you.
The second way to kill the vultures is found in Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Walking with God in His Word and spending time in prayer will chase the vultures away. The “shadow of the Almighty”
has a way of keeping the vultures from destroying you. The importance
of walking with God in His Word and prayer can never be stressed enough.
It is in the “secret place” where pride is removed, discernment is given to perceive the wrong friends and moral desires are nurtured. When you leave the “secret place,” you are leaving the place where vultures are chased away.
My friend, I hope you experience great success in your life, but if
you do, you must beware of the vultures. Don't let the vultures take
away your success. There are many people you can help if you will keep
the vultures away.