Christian Living

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The entire story of Samson as written in the scripture has numerous lessons from which we can learn.
Majority of the stories on how Samson fell have usually been coined from the incident on the laps of Delilah, but in the real sense, that was not his falling point but only the manifesting point; Samson fell long before he met Delilah.
The Lord pointed some things to my notice as per why the great man fell which I'll like to share with you.

The first thing I noticed was that Samson was lazy in place of prayer. Samson was never a man that sort after God. The power and anointing he had was released on him not really because he panted for it or sort after God to that level, but a deliberate release by God to fulfil prophecy.
Now, let me draw your attention to something, despite all the great works, Samson had no secret place with the Lord; at least the Bible recorded none. He never prayed until he was about to die.
There was no communication or intimate relationship between Samson and God. He lived the whole of his life on the Lord who was, and never on the Lord who is and is to come. In other words, he was lost in what God said long ago that he didn't care about what God is saying presently.
This is a great lesson for all believers. Yes, God might have said so many things He wants to do through and with your life even before you were born, that does not necessitate your negligence of intimate relationship with Him. You have to be updated every time on the plans and next steps in the journey. God has just spoken about what He wants you to be, you will have to be updated on every steps to take to fulfil it. If you're not in intimacy with Him, you will definitely miss the road.
Samson was a powerful lazy man. He looked powerful, but in the real sense, he was powerless. A prayer less Christian is a powerless Christian no matter how great the anointing upon his/her life may be. If we consider other men used by God in the scripture, we will read where they communicated with God at least for once. This was not the case of Samson, he only remembered God in time of distress. That kind of a person can't go anyplace with God!
If you're not a man of the secret, you will eventually be disgraced. Christians who only know God in times of duress cannot go far with Him.
Don't be overdependent on what God said, what is He saying NOW? The same God who SAID, is capable to SAY!
Yes, God is the same yesterday, today and forever; but that is only talking about His nature and not His ways. God is dynamic in His ways. No one can ever understand His ways. He can change His plans anytime and no one is capable to question Him; that is why He is God!
The same God who ordered Samuel to anoint Saul king rejected him soon and ordered the same Prophet to anoint David in his instead. The same God who sent to King Hezekiah that he'll die sent back in a matter of minutes the reversal of the message. That's why you have to be updated.
Therefore, permit me to tell you to forget what God told you 10, 5, 2 years ago; what is He saying NOW?
Don't be an outdated Christian, be updated!

Judges 13:24
So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

The second point is that he was not spirit filled.
Samson was a man who only grew in stature but never in wisdom, knowledge and fear of God but the Lord blessed him anyway.
Samson was never sensitive in the spirit. If you will notice together with me, Samson was never filled with the spirit of God, he was only being moved by the spirit. The scripture uses the word, "The spirit of God moved him, or came upon him" whenever he was about to do anything spectacular.
This is an indication that he was not a man filled with the spirit of God. The spirit of God do come on him, uses him and then departs. His insensitivity to the spirit tells why the spirit of God have to move or come MIGHTILY upon him every time. It looked as if the spirit of God do stir/force him to go to places out of his senses. The spirit will just fall on him, and he gets moving. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Jonah and others were told by God to go to places, but in his own case, he was being moved. Peradventure he was very stubborn and have an inching ear. How can he even hear God when he could not pray!
So many people in this present age are also in this shoe. They won't obey God unless they are forced. They won't go places for God until they are being forced with different punishments.
So, the spirit will come upon him or move him mightily and then people will feel the power of God.
This is why some men are great and wonderful on the altar; the spirit of God is upon them at that moment to bless people, but when they step down, the spirit departs and they go back to their real self.
Never you depend on the spirit that comes upon you only, but also on the spirit within. When you lack the spirit within, you lack everything needed to survive the huddles of this world.

If you notice that you only feel the presence of God when you're about to carry out an assignment in meetings or it is only when you lead prayers or songs in church that you prophesy, speak in tongues, see visions, cast out demons and what have you, no doubt the spirit of God is only upon you, but certainly not IN you.
And may I announce to you that you belong to the category of people Jesus was refering to in the book of Matthew 7:22-23.
The spirit moved them to prophecy, it came upon them to cast out demons, it came mightily upon them that they even kill the lions, bears, and other beasts of this world, but the spirit was not in them to help them overcome sin and worldly passion.


Thirdly, Samson was a lover of worldly pleasure. Samson is always busy with worldly pleasure when the spirit of God is not upon him. Wherever he goes, he sees nothing but women as if that's the only thing he could see. Peradventure he was very handsome and that deceived him a bit. He was a good minister of women affairs.
He was a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God. Wherever you find Samson is always exciting and places of pleasure. He forgot that men of higher calling are not exciting men. More importantly, he loved to please himself than God. He's always stubborn to getting anything that will please him but deaf to what pleases God. His attention is always on the things of the world.
Kindly search your life this moment, are you not in the same trend with Samson?
May I ask you what you do when you're not in Church? Are you not a notorious comedian with all sort of fowl languages? Do you not do all sort of things outside the church auditorium and tell people you're not the holier than thou type? Is your Christianity not limited to Church auditorium?
Have you not noticed that the things of the world do catch your attention more than the things above? Have you actually not taught about it yourself that you're not different from unbelievers except that you go to Church and they don't?
Everything that pleases you are actually things that are forbidden to you and your greatness, yet you still pose about that God said you'll be great.
Search your heart now and make that life saving decision so that your story will not end in tragedy.
Samson had no choice but to fall because anyone who cannot pray and communicate with God consistently, who is not filled with or walking in the spirit, and who loves worldly pleasure is bound to fail.

I may not know where you're lagging behind, but you know. Kindly go on your kneels now and speak to God in the trueness of heart that God help me to be more intimated to you. Draw me close to you; I don't want to grow in stature alone, I want to grow in my prayer and communion with you. Ask that you should be filled with the holy spirit, and the grace to always walk in the spirit and not according to flesh. Ask Him to draw your attention to Him that you may get the worldly pleasure behind you.

Finally brethren,
Seek to know God more on daily basis. Make it a duty to hear from Him as often as possible. Afterall Jesus said in His prayer, "give us our daily bread", not weekly, monthly or yearly bread. His word is the bread, you must ask for it every day.

Always walk in spirit. In other words, maintain God presence every moment.

Put to death every worldly desire and seek the things above.

I pray God help us all!

Kindly join me as we sing together

1. I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Chorus: I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior!
I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.

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