Zambia Hunt

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Five Vows I Have Made

As 2024 draws to a close, walk with me through five vows that have shaped decades of ministry. Discover timeless wisdom for your spiritual journey in 2025.

Philip Hunt
2–3 minutes
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The early mornings in Africa have a beauty that seeps deep into your soul. African birds are making their unique calls one to another. The initial morning coolness, the brilliance of a turquoise sky splashed with gold and orange and yellow as the sun advances on the horizon. A joy and peaceful beauty to experience!

This morning I opened the front cover of my Bible to review five vows that I made back in 1988. AW Tozer originally penned these vows – but in those days in the late ’80s, Tozer and I were becoming fast friends. These vows became my own, and I often think of them in the heat and pressure of life and ministry. I pray that God will allow me to live out these commitments with biblical balance. Here they are, with my brief thoughts explaining what each means to me.

  1. Deal thoroughly with sin. Don’t excuse it, don’t deny it, don’t defend it! Regardless of the messenger, God uses to point out the sin – deal with it!
  2. Never own anything. Our relationship to things and God is that we are merely stewards – everything belongs to Him. He has the right to give it, take it, move it, as He chooses. Hold things loosely, use things wisely.
  3. Never defend yourself. In personal interactions, do not defend yourself. Fleshly fighting, defensive spirit, arguing, and attacking one another have no place within God’s family. If someone attacks me personally, I do not need to rush to defend myself. God is capable of exposing whether the accusation is true or false.
  4. Never pass on anything about anybody else that will hurt him. I will keep my mouth shut concerning others. Knowledge of the weakness and failures of others is frightening stewardship for which I will give account.
  5. Never accept any glory. Only God is worthy of glory. Any praise or appreciation given to me ought to naturally be reflected toward God, who has graciously given me the ability, wisdom, and strength for the task.

It is helpful to revisit these vows and pray that God will grant me the grace to live them out in this new year!

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4 responses to “Five Vows I Have Made”

  1. John Avatar
    John

    While I get #3, it sounds pietistic and seems to go beyond the pale of scripture. What do you do with our Lord, the apostle Paul, Peter and Judes letters? These godly brothers not only publically defended themselves, they are brutal in some of their comments towards others and even commend public warnings. Respectfully, it sounds like #3 is arguing for passivity over biblical balance?

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    1. zambiahunt Avatar
      zambiahunt

      Thanks John for your comments and question. There is a difference, in my view, between defending the faith, defending the glory of God, or even defending my family or others, and defending myself against verbal attacks, criticism, or slander. The goal of “I will not defend myself” could be motivated by passivity, I suppose, or it could be motivated by a deep and vibrant faith in God – I pray the second reflects my motivation rather than the first. I often think of the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23).

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      1. blizzardbrisklybb787bdbf4 Avatar
        blizzardbrisklybb787bdbf4

        Thank you for your gracious response. I would draw a distinction between reviling and defending one’s self against false accusation. If a believer defends themselves by getting into a spitting match or using reviling insults to gain an advantage that is nothing more than carnal behaviour. However, as Paul points out in Eph 5.9-11 we are to “Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),  and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Exposing evil in whatever form it comes, whether via personal false accusations or defending others is part of the spiritual battle we are in. In it all, we learn to entrust ourselves to him who judges justly which is easier said than done but of utmost importance when dealing with those who do us harm.

        Grace and peace and a blessed New Year to you and yours. TGBATG

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      2. zambiahunt Avatar
        zambiahunt

        Blessings on you as you serve Christ this year. Thank you for the interaction.

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