Judges 16:1-31
Everyone, including Samson, thought his power, his strength came from his hair. But that's not true. His power came from God. Samson judged the children of Israel for about 20 years. He had so much potential. he never cut his hair. He was opposed to the Phillistines, which lived opposeing to God. He was an Israelite. Samson did the opposite of what God wanted him to do. He was arrogant in how he lived his life. God could have struck him down but let him live the way he did for a purpose.
Samson wanted to be the superstrong Israelite but when he was in the world he wanted to live in the flesh. The Philistines worshipped Dagon, and practiced human sacrifices, and sexual orgies and Samson wanted to live the way the Philistines lived. But only when he was out in the world, in public.
Today our kids are bombarded with foul language, the LGBTQ+, critical race theory, sexual ordinances, and all that is totally opposite to how god wants us to live.
God wants us to be one way or the other. There's no grey area. You're on one side of the fence or the other. You can't have it both ways. When the lords of the Philistines coerced Delilah to find out where Samson gets his strength, Samson told her three different lies. But it took her claiming he didn't love her for him to tell her the truth. Samson took for granted that his strength would never leave, that God would never turn His back on him.
As a christian or as a non-believer, there will be a time that God will say "that is enough." God will turn his back on this sinful nation that we've become. We've got to get back to God before it's too late. As a christian, we can look at this and say it's the theatrics that keeps me coming and doing this over and over. But that's not how you should be feeling. If there's not change in the way you feel then you're in need of a savior.
Samson turned his back on God and lived a sexual and perverse life and though he could still have the strength God have him. But God said, "Enough."
The trials and tribulations that we go through just might be a wake-up call from God for us to make a change. Samson's mother was barren until the angel of the Lord came down and said, "I'm going to give you a child. he's going to be a Nazerite. He's going to live his life right for the lord." But Samson didn't do that.
When God called me to preach, I ran from Him. But God had a way of changing my mind. God had a way of changing Samson's mind.
How long are we going to take what God gives us for granted? How long are we going to keep living this life of sin and think there won't be any consequences?
God might be knocking and knocking, telling you to "WAKE UP!"
Matthew 6:33 - Seek ye first.
The only way to overcome these issues is through the blood of Jesus. Samson called on God to remember him. Do you remember when you called on God to save your soul? We need to get back to how He wants us to be: loving and witnessing to other people.
Everyone says, "I love God," But not many people say, 'I love Jesus.' God wants us to uplift His Son. You want to make someone happy, brag on their children. God is no different. Samson finally realized his power didn't come from his hair, that it came from God. The power that he took for granted.
1.) God humbled Samson
2.) He had to repent of his actions.
The life he could have had, and the life he did have. he could have had a great life if he had only surrendered to God as he was supposed to do.