Artist Sam Kimera is pulling out all stops to communicate spiritual reality through his generational music. I spoke to him in this Muleefu and Friends feature about his latest inspirations, the lure of lust, and young men toying with the hearts of Christian girls without commitment

1. Hey bro, tell us about the creative process behind the song.

I saw a strange word on a friend’s WhatsApp status (Ronald Habasa) and thought to myself, hmm… that sounds interesting. So I told him, “Hey, I should write a song out of this.”

Especially because it immediately gave me a picture of Joseph running away from Potiphar’s wife and her strong advances; after that picture, many more Bible references started to flow.

2. How about the biblical thinking?

Oh so much, Genesis 39:11-12: Where Joseph is literally running from Potiphar’s wife to escape temptation. That should be sufficient on its own, but the Bible also shows us what happens to some of our Bible heroes, who stay in the room a little longer than they should have.

King David on his rooftop observing Bathsheba as she showers. That was a good time to “absquatulate,” but the King lingers, alas. The rest is history. (2 Samuel 11-12)

Samson… had many chances to run, but something happens when he plays that “How far is too far?” game. (Judges 16) For him, the consequences are personal, physical, and spiritual, and his whole community is affected, as well. From the Old to the New Testament, we see some serious cautions. 1 Corinthians 6:18 literally tells us to “flee from sexual immorality.”

3. You talk about the slow nature of temptation. What common pitfalls do you see Christians fall into, underestimating the power and lure of sexual sin?

Actually, I think the real trap is not so much in underestimating the lure of sin; it’s more in overestimating our own strength. For David, it’s easier to kill giants than walk away from the sight of a naked lady. Picture that. For Samson, it’s easier to carry a bronze gate uphill than to walk away from the warm laps of Delilah. 1 Cor. 10:12 adds, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” I think we’d all do well to absquatulate at the earliest sight of the temptation.

3. Must we say “I love you,” yet we are not ready to say, “I want to marry you”? How helpful is this?

Haha. I think this might need further context. Generally, you develop a liking and then a love for someone before you start seeing them as a possible life partner. But if you’re referring to the importance of clarifying intentions at the earlier stages of a relationship, then yes, I think it’s helpful in relationships. Song of Songs 8:4 cautions us not to awaken love “before it’s time,” I’ll add, if the person you’re in a “relationship” with is keen on you saying you love them.

Consider two things. What makes it so important to them that you say it? What’s with the pressure? But also, two, what makes you so hesitant? Is it possible you’re also trying to “have your cake and eat it at the same time?” Hmm. Now that should be an interesting personal reflection. 

Either way, it can also help us to tread carefully and avoid stirring up premature passions. That slope is slippery. Random declarations of love minus a sense of long-term commitment can end up rushing us into romantic and at times sexual gestures that later lead to physical and emotional harm, as well as strong yet often misplaced relational attachments.

4. Would you relate any of this generation’s romantic experiences to what you went through before you married? How different? How similar?

Human experience is a funny thing. Every generation presumes it’s in its own unique phase, but at the core, as long as we are human, it’s different, but we’re not that different.

We used to ask, “How far is too far?” Even today, that question echoes in the corridors. Hmm, actually, if you think about it, that question was possibly first asked in the Garden of Eden in the first temptation.

That music video scene in the cinema is NOT new at all. That tendency to lock your room door for “extra privacy” when your boyfriend or girlfriend visits? – not new. That preference to linger a little longer in the less-lit part of the road before you say bye at the end of an evening? – not new. That inclination to drop the last person off and be “just the two of us” in the sheltered quietness of the car with soft music playing—not new. That glance at the time, realizing “I should be on my way home, buuuuuuut”—not new. Haha. Same movie. Just a different era.

Today, though, I must admit, it must be harder in many ways, with the advance of tech and all. Smart phones make it easier to make not-so-smart decisions regarding inappropriate sexual experiences, from pornography to a range of all sorts of things. Truth is, it’s not likely to get easier as generations pass, but the same caution applies: “When sin invites you to dance, don’t negotiate… ABSQUATULATE.”

5. Let’s talk holiness. How do you think false teaching is tied to sexual temptation today?

False teachings have always been prevalent throughout history, and today is no exception. The Bible warns against deceptive doctrines that lead people away from the truth of God’s Word.

You should check out “Distortions” by Dr. Dennis Ssempebwa. He shows how it all starts with tiny additions to the truth. And some teachings are dangerous.

For example, if a pastor preaches that once a person is saved, they never need to repent again and that obedience to God’s commands is unnecessary, it’s a trap. Because that leads us to get comfortable in our sin and wrongdoing, yet the Bible in Romans 6:1-2 warns against using grace as an excuse to sin: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!”

There is also the common false teaching that what you do with your physical body doesn’t matter because the ‘spirit’ is the most important thing. Eh. That idea opens up a whole can of worms theologically and spiritually and, consequently, leads to a lot of physical and emotional harm to oneself and others.

6. What’s your favorite fighter verse when it comes to sexual temptation? 

Perhaps you mean flee verse. Haha. Anyway, I’ll share two. Psalm 119:11

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (God).”

I like this one because not sinning depends solely on whether I have hidden his word in my heart. Meaning it’s not enough to just try with my mind or will. I have to have his word in my heart. Then there’s a season where it was, Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.”

7. Any parting shots to a young man toying around with a young woman’s heart who is not willing to commit long-term?

Hmm…well, this goes both ways; some girls have also learned how to toy with young men’s hearts. Anyway, nothing good really comes out of this. It might be fun in the short term or even seem harmless, but at some point, maturity requires that we start thinking beyond the immediate to the long term. Is there a future here? And if not, what are we doing here?

One of our pastors’ wives encouraged the young ladies to learn to say, “Hey, we’ve been hanging out, and I must admit, you seem really nice, and I may be developing a liking towards you, but before I fully cross that line, I must ask (in the words of John to Jesus).”

Are you the one we’re waiting for, or should we look for another?”

It might be tough to ask, and it might bruise you if the young guy plays dumb, dodges the question, or just stops calling, but hey, rather have some short-term stress now than total regret and heartbreak later. Feel free to use that phrase to make room for serious contenders. 🙂