Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link ...
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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 16: 15-17 … 15 Then she [Delilah] said to him [Samson], "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."
My Journal for Today: There are several good lessons to be learned from reading today’s assigned chronological read in Chapters 16-18 of the book of Judges. However, the segment which came to my attention this morning was the conclusion of the account of Samson and Delilah in the highlight passage which is copied for your review above. And certainly it is pertinent to my called ministry which primarily deals with Christian men who make selfish and fleshly choices and are lured – by their own actions – into patterns of habitual sexual sin. So, I think you could easily see why I would be drawn to journal about this story in Judges 16.
Today, all men are engulfed in a culture and world which has become a super-weapon, designed by Satan, to lure visually vulnerable manhood into the tar pits of sexual sin. Mankind these days cannot escape the magnet sexual images which surround us almost everywhere. Sexual imagery is the primary drawing card of the advertisement industry; and all forms of media and entertainment these days have sexual images calling out to men to draw them into the clutches of the Delilahs of the world.
And if you’re a Christian man these worldly temptations are just as prevalent as they are for non-Christians. The difference is, like Samson, all Christian men are endowed by God with the power of the Holy Spirit to make Godly choices … rather than succumb to ungodly and fleshly ones. Samson, having God’s Spirit resting upon him; and he, having been called out to be a Nazirite, could have set himself into a pattern of discipline to resist the alluring charms of Delilah. BUT … he didn’t; and Delilah lured him – by HIS choices – to make himself vulnerable to her charms and reveal his weaknesses.
Today, in my Parsons Commentary on this passage/story, the writers posit some very good warnings and teaching for all of us, especially believers who have the Holy Spirit’s grace to empower our lives. They write: ”(1) You must decide what kind of a person you will love before passion takes over. Determine whether a person’s character and faith in God are as desirable as his or her physical appearance. (2) Because most of the time you spend with your spouse will not involve sex, your companion’s personality, temperament, and commitment to solve problems must be as gratifying as his or her kisses. (3) Be patient. The second look often reveals what is beneath the pleasant appearance and attentive touch.”
This is good advice for all Christians, but especially men who feel they are vulnerable to the sexual taunts with which the world bombards us daily. In the language of our ministry, BattlePlan Ministry [ go to www.battleplanministries.org ], would say that all Christian men need a “battle plan,” which is a carefully crafted and proactive plan (preferably written), which is guided by a James 1: 5-6 desire to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Being PROACTIVE in the mental planning of one’s personal “battle plan” can often make the difference to prevent having to be REACTIVE when the world tempts our minds and hearts away from Godly wisdom.
If you’re a Christian man and you’re reading this, do you have a proactive plan to use God-inspired, Spirit-led principles to guide your decisions when you’re confronted by sexual temptations? … Is that plan methodically written out to be your manifesto of action for seeking God’s will rather than the will of the flesh? … Do you have at least one Christian man, but preferably a group of co-warriors, who will hold you accountable to your pre—planned principles for decision and action. … And finally, are you living the plan, utilizing the disciplines of the faith to bolster your strength and surrender to God’s will and way for your life?
Remember Proverbs 3: 5-6 (which I hope you can quote right now), which is take from Chapters 1-9 of Proverbs, where a wise Solomon was giving advice to his son on how to avoid sexual temptations. I pray that we’re all CHOOSING to live – proactively - as God would have us live and not falling prey to our enemies in this sexual charged world.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I have Your plan from Your word to follow Your will and give me Your way of strength to do battle with my enemies today. Amen
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