Shake It Off

Judges 16:20
And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself, and he did not know the lord had left him.

There are so many things that God has let us get out of without bringing us to an open shame. Time after time, he has been gracious even though we have abused his grace. Can you think of the times where you bargained with God, “Lord if you just get me out of this one, I will serve you…” ? The scariest scripture in the bible is Judges 16:20 where it says “he thought he would shake himself free but he didn’t’ know God had departed.”

Samson was one of the most powerful heroes of scripture known for his Herculean strength. He performed feats like, ripping a lion apart with his bare hands, defeating a thousand men with a jaw bone of a donkey and tearing the Security gates of a city out of the ground only to relocate them to the top of a mountain. It is interesting to note that each time he did these things, he was shaking off his enemies attempt to capture him as a result of Samson being in the wrong place with the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

His last date with danger was with Delilah. She was a gold digger who was paid by the enemy to learn the secret of his strength. This woman set him up three times with men in her apartment to jump him and he kept going back for some more. What makes us go back to people or things that we know don’t mean us any good?

1. Lust intoxicates our ability to make good decisions. The more you feed your flesh, the less you use your mind. The bible tells us to be led by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

2. Denial. We think it could never happen to us. I’ll never get pregnant, I’ll never get AIDS, I’ll be the first drug dealer to retire with all my assets without going to jail. Do not be deceived. Whatever a man sows is what he will also reap.

3. Taking God for granted. We just assume that because God forgave us and let us go without exposure to shame that he will continue to allow us to shake the system or avoid consequences. God wishes that none would perish, but that all would be saved. That’s why he’s giving us time to get it together. He’s not allowing you to escape so you can keep doing it. He allowed you to escape hoping you would finally surrender to him.

4. Relying on your gifts, but not God. We start leaning on our gifts without being in relationship with the gift giver. We must remember the one who anointed us to use our gifts and only what we do for Christ will last.

Samson told Delilah his strength was in his hair. She had sex with him, cut off his hair and called in the men. He tried to shake them off, but God was gone. They scooped out his eye balls with spoons and made him a spectacle. The enemy took his vision, but his hair began to grow back in prison. One day when they were gathered in a coliseum, Samson asked a young man to place him between two columns that held up the entire building. Samson then asked God to give him the strength to destroy his enemies and avenge his two eyes they took from him. That day he destroyed more enemies in his death than he did in his life.

Dear God, help me to die to my old ways of yielding to lust and taking you for granted. Help me to be responsible with the anointing you’ve placed on my life. Today I’m shaking everybody off of my list who doesn’t mean me any good. Please don’t take your Sprit away from me.

In Jesus Name.

Amen.