Avoiding Spiritual Theft

The story of Samson is a story about a man that allowed the enemy to slowly but surely steal all of the things that were of value in his life.

It was prophesied to Samson’s mother, by the Angel of the Lord, that she would bear a son and he would be a deliverer for God’s people from the Philistines. At that time the children of Israel had been under 40 years of oppression from the Philistines. Samson was to be a special child and mightily used by God. We see this in scripture at the time of his birth where it says:

Judges 13:24-25

24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

According to the prophecy of the Angel of the Lord Samson was to be a Nazirite. A Nazirite was a person who took a vow of consecration to the Lord. The vow included:

∑ Abstaining from intoxicating drinks.

∑ Refraining from cutting the hair.

∑ Refusing to go near a dead body.

Samson was called to be different and to be set apart. He was to be the deliverer for the people of God. But early in his life we find Samson going down into the world to satisfy his fleshly desires. Judges 14 and verse 1 says that Samson went down in Timnath (a city of the Philistines) and saw a Philistine girl that caught his eye and he decided that he would marry this girl.

Note, the scripture said Samson went DOWN to Timnath.

∑ Whenever you leave the presence of God to go to the world it’s always a downward trip.

∑ When you leave the house of God to go to the world you are always leaving behind the best things and trading them for things that will not last.

∑ Whenever you leave a life of living for God and trade it for a life in the pleasures of this world you’re opting for second place instead of first place.

The worst days in the house of God are better than the best days in the world.

After the marriage of Samson and his wife the leaders of Timnath turned Samson’s wife against him and ultimately gave her to someone else and that caused Samson to finally start doing the will of God and he began to move against the enemy of God – the Philistines. He would do all kinds of exploits against them. One time he slew 1000 of them with just the jawbone of a donkey.

At times the Spirit of the Lord would move on him and he would feel the wonderful presence of God in his life. But at other times he had never learned to control his own desires and submit to God and he would seek to please himself. So he found himself another woman of the Philistines and of the world. This time it was a prostitute by the name of Delilah. Notice that Samson is still going down further and further.

The leaders of the Philistines knew what Samson’s weaknesses were and they were waiting for him to fall. The Devil too knows your weaknesses and that is the place that he will begin his assault against your life. He won’t attack you in the strong areas of your life but he will attack in the weak areas.