Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for who You are in our lives. You know me because You created me in Your image. I come giving You thanks, honor, and praise. As Your Word goes forth, let it fulfill that which You purposed it to do. Let those who read the Word be enlightened, and let it reside in their hearts, so that they will know the power that You have bestowed upon them. Let us know that Jesus is the Word, and to us the Word was given to us. For all things, we give you honor, glory, and praise in the matchless name of your son Jesus the Christ. Amen
Most of us know the story of Samson. His mother prayed for a son, and if she was given her desire, she would dedicate that child back to God.
God heard her prayers and honored her, and she honored God by giving the child back to God. Samson grew, and the Spirit of the Lord was with him. God gave him supernatural strength that no other human had. But along with the strength was that Samson would not reveal the source of his strength. Because Samson was victorious against all his adversaries, the enemy was determined to have the source of his strength revealed.
The enemy used the very weakness of Samson, the desire of his flesh. Samson’s weakness and disobedience caused his demise. For many of us, God gave the precious gift of a child to our mothers. God said in the Book of Jeremiah that He knew us before we were formed in her belly and before we came out of her womb.
Let’s not be so critical of Samson because we have made mistakes and been disobedient as he. We stood between the pillars of obedience and disobedience, between the cares of the world and the instructions of God. But thanks be to God that He gives grace; He is merciful and longsuffering. For this reason, we are given opportunities to repent and get back into fellowship with Christ. But let us not take it for granted that because of His grace, we can continue in those things that are not of God.
You must understand the enemy thinks he is smart and thought the source of Samson’s strength was his hair, but unbeknown to him, the source of his strength was the anointing that God had on Samson’s life because of a praying mother. Unlike God, satan is not all-knowing; he is not everywhere at the same time.
Many of us today are like Samson was; we are so concerned with the things of the world, whether it be money, jobs, family, or anything else, that we put before God. Matthew 6:33 states, “Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Samson, when in despair and in shame after the Anointing had departed from him, asked God to give him strength to avenge his adversaries that he may die with them. And so it was, as you know, Samson with each hand on the two pillars in the enemy’s temple as they celebrated what they thought was a deliverance of their god Dagon from the hands of Samson. Samson pushed against the pillars of the temple, and it collapsed, killing men and women. More were killed that day in his death than the number he had killed while he was alive.
You do not have to die from disobedience; God is just to forgive you of your sins and has declared that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and that He was buried and on the third day He rose with all power in His hands, then you shall be saved. It’s that simple. We honor God by keeping His commandments, His statutes, His Judgements, and following Jesus’ teaching.
Lord, thank you for those who will not be like Samson, but who will turn from the world and come to you, repent, and turn from their wicked ways. I know that your grace has saved me and that I, like Samson, did not die in my sins but was forgiven, and now I am in fellowship with you and have salvation and eternal life. Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who made it all possible through the shedding of His blood, thereby ushering in a new dispensation of a faith-based covenant. Thank You, Lord, that I am now and forever will be heirs to the promise and to Your Kingdom for all eternity. I give You all the Honor, glory, and praise in the Precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
