“Proverbs 4:23 keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring
the issues of life.” I find myself
making this prayer a lot , Lord help me Guard my heart , insulate my heart from
pain , offense and anything that would cause it harm, because the issues of
life will flow from the flow of my heart !
Happy March! Can you imagine we are on the third month just like that! Seems we are blinking through
the days!
Allow me to share from something I have been
reading and someone I have been meditating on “Samson”. I promise it has
everything to do with my introduction if you promise to read through it! 😊
A little Back-story ..
Samson’s life is recorded in the book of Judges Chapter 13;
it starts off when his parents get a visitation from the angel of the Lord with
good news that a child will be born to them. I am sure there was overwhelming Joy to be chosen
and gifted with a boy that God would use to deliver their nation, a judge! He was a Nazarite ,at apart for God's glory so he came with a set of instructions.
He grows up, and
gets to that age where he now desires to settle down and Lo and Behold! It’s
with a Philistine Woman. The Philistines were enemies to the Israelites and that’s
why the lord would raise a judge or a king to help them secure their boundaries .But in his desire, God
was in it, Judges 14:4 “His father and mother didn't realize the
LORD was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the
Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.” (See: All things work
together for good for those who Love the Lord and are called by his name).
However, Samson being the strong man he was, he gives a riddle
to his In-laws, (who does that lakini ) the In laws couldn’t hack so they told
the girl , Just entice him till
he gives you the answer , we can’t
understand the young man and his show off Riddles ! “. The girl does what needs
to be done , cries , and popped the magical words “ You Don’t Love me “ , and Future
Bae is won over and gives the answer to the riddle. Sadly, Samson doesn’t end up getting the
girl because his friend beats him to the chase. He gets angry decides to avenge
and ties up foxes together and burns their harvest and a couple of other tit for tat tactics. Now,
the beef is serious and it gets heated and he gets himself some serious enemies.
Adds Mchuzi to the story, Samson meets this woman Delilah “he loved her”, its recorded. The Philistines
tell her entice him and see where his strength lies. (It’s not a coincidence
the word entice has been used twice, the enemy can tell your soft spots and he
uses the same tricks in his book). Let’s play Doctor Phil for a moment; Samson
had a deep desire to feel loved that’s why he went to Delilah the Philistine woman.
He has been betrayed and heartbroken before, but he has to swallow all that
because Ey! It’s Samson the Strong Man.
Delilah pressed in , not once , not twice until finally the
bible says “ Judges 16:18 When Delilah saw that he had told her
all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines,
saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his
heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the
money in their hands.…”
The saddest thing happened... The spirit of
the Lord departed from Samson.
You see Samson opened up to the wrong person, he told his
adversary his secret. He was vulnerable
to expose his heart to the wrong woman who sold him out to the arch-enemies. I had to Read and Re-read, Samson never enquired
of the Lord, and he knew he was called of the Lord but he did not share his
heart with God. Twice, he was enticed,
and this time round he was captured.
The Scandal of Grace
They had to celebrate;
this man who caused them anguish was now in their hands ,they could use him for Sport
and Mockery! God is still so good; his hair started growing back, the redemption
power. I see him have a conversation with
God for the second time “He asked for a Last chance, he said only Once , and God heard him , something in me felt that
he still had not learnt the art of trusting God with is heart . He would have
asked God for a Second chance, he would have been granted.
What am I getting at? God has placed treasures in us and
only He can teach, direct and refresh us. The Harlot Represents the things that
entice us to be vulnerable and give up or compromise in place of what God has in
store. It could be wealth, power, possessions
or other things; it seeks to take the place of God. The contrast between David
and Samson is that they both had girl problems but David was bold enough to
know that God is the one who owns his heart. “They both had a warrior spirit,
but David wasn’t ashamed of trusting God with the deep chambers of his heart
and he was healed and lived long.
“Psalms 73:26 my health may fail, and my
spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine
forever. ‘’ - David
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart (1) and with all your soul and
with your entire mind.' Matt 22:37
It’s a heart Issue!!
The person who has your heart will expose
your art and Craft, You might want to give your heart to Christ always, He will
keep it right!
Awesome!
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