FINDING YOUR HONEY?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Maybe we should title this LORD REVEAL YOUR HONEY!
Years ago, I was pastoring a mountain mission. One of our men was not in Sunday School or church.
I saw him Monday morning... The man informed me, he had been fishing on Sunday morning.
I just nodded my head.
The man replied, I DON’T FEEL GUILTY FOR MISSING CHURCH YESTERDAY, I COULDN’T HAVE COME
ANY WAY, MY WIFE WAS VERY SICK!
1. THE LESSON IN A CAN OF SPAM.
Have you had a bad week? Was it a good week? What makes a bad week bad? Or a good week good?
When I was in Haiti I had a nice bed in which to sleep. I had been asleep, the night was so hot, the sweat poured,
as I am used to air conditioning, or at least a fan. During the night, I heard someone coughing a terrible cough.
After I turned my light off, and lay down, the older Haitian preachers were allowed quietly to come in the
compound and lay on the concrete outside my window. They lay under the stars, in the open to sleep.
I had a nice mattress, they had a small straw pallet on concrete?
I had taken my food from home with me, I knew I could not eat their food or drink their water. They had rice
and a few black beans cooked in with the rice. I bought a goat so that one day they could have meat cooked in their rice.
One goat in hundreds of people was not very much. But they loved it.
The average salary in Haiti is $5.00 a month. The average age of death is 53. 70% can’t read or write.
One pastor out of over a hundred had a car, one had a trail bike, the rest walked or rode in the back of a pickup
truck? This cost a nickel per ride, so most walked.
Before I left home, my wife had planned my daily meals. We separated the food, so if one box was taken,
or lost, I would still have food.
I had talked with a Haitian pastor through our interpreter. I had asked him, what they would dream of for Christmas
for his family. He quietly replied, A CAN OF SPAM!
I was in my room praying and preparing to eat, and I saw a can of Spam that my wife had placed in my packages.
How could I? How could I eat this can of Spam?
Later, I pulled the little pastor aside where no one could see, and I gave him the Spam and said Merry Christmas.
He could not understand what I was saying? I could not understand what he was saying? But, I understood his
tears and then a big hug.
After service, that hot July night, there was a whole family waiting next to the doors of the church that I went out.
I had no interpreter with me, but there was a group of Haitians gathered to greet me, they motioned that they would
like to hug me. Many Americans don’t allow the Haitians to make contact with them.
I gladly accepted their token of love to me. I gave grunting, bear hugs to each one there. We cried together.
They cried for joy, I cried because I had never seriously thanked God for a can of Spam.
HAVE I HAD A GOOD WEEK?
2. WHO IS IN THE SPOT LIGHT?
Recently, I was watching a religious gathering on TV. There was a huge spot light. As the person was singing
the spot light followed him around. They would jump around and dance, they were stars. They were in the spot light?
My heart was broken, I felt a tug at my heart --- Jesus, was asking me --- CAN I BE IN YOUR SPOT LIGHT?
3. LET US STUDY SAMSON AND A HIDDEN LESSON FROM HIS LIFE.
Samson’s life can be a great lesson to us.
A. He was set aside to be a vessel of God.
B. Samson seemed to always reach to the baser side. He chose bad friends and associates.
C. Samson had a plan of God for his life.
D. Samson seemed to be driven by sensual desires and uncontrolled appetites.
E. Samson was a strong man.
F. Samson seemed to be undisciplined and childish in his behavior.
G. Samson was very strong.
H. Samson while strong was very weak, and a woman defeated the mighty man.
4. FACE YOU R ROARING LION!
Judges 14:5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards
of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
A. Our enemy had a plan to destroy Samson, and us!
B. Three fold plan --- steal, kill, destroy.
C. The enemy’s plan can seem loud and prolonged. Sounds can be confusing.
D. The young lion must not have been strong and fast enough to trap his foe, therefore the young lion tried to intimidate
Samson with a confusing noise..
E. The enemy tries to induce a sustained sense of fear to compel a lack of faith and action. God does not use fear.
F. A strong, well trained lion does not have to use a loud roar, if he could beat you he would quietly sneak up and destroy
you.
WHAT ARE THE ROARING LIONS THAT TRY TO INTIMIDATE US AND STEAL OUR JOY?
Trouble --- heartache --- disappointments --- bitterness --- pain --- conflict ---
Worry --- hardship --- loneliness --- anger --- depression --- emotionalism --- sensualness ---
He hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Perfect love cast out fear. 1 John 4:18
Did you hear the story of the farmer that had a big pond on his farm?
The frogs croaked so loud all night long. The frogs’ sound was so obtrusive and offensive on the farm.
One night the farmer was eating at a restaurant. He over heard the owner discussing how hard it was to buy good fresh
frog legs. He made a deal to provide the restaurant with 1,000 of frog legs a week. He had a pond full of them. They must
be huge with all that intense volume of noise the frogs made.
The next Friday night, the farmer brought one set of large frog legs, and 3 sets of little frog legs.
The farmer had heard all that frog noise and he had jumped to the conclusion that there was a massive amount of frogs out there.
You cannot judge a problem based on the noise produced?
YOU CANNOTCONTROL THE NOISE OR THE LIONS.
5. SAMSON WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD, NOT READY!
Judges14:6: And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had
nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
Don’t you wish our problems would get in line and wait their turn?
Don’t you wish we would have a notice two weeks before we were going to face our lions?
Don’t you wish we had our guns loaded and our lamps filled with oil?
GOD’S SPIRIT IS OUR PREPARATION!
WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN THE LIONS APPROACH? THE PROBLEM OR THE SOLUTION.
God can cure chaos. Chaos is not chaos to God. God knew where the lion was all along.
Out of the bitterness can come sweetness!!!!
ARE YOU GOING TO QUIT ALSO? John 6:66.
Are you going to complain? Murmur? Blame? Analyze? Condemnation?
Run to the THRONE or run to the PHONE?
The difference between a molehill and a mountain is how much dirt there is!
6. BY DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS ROARING AT SAMSON, AN OPEN DOOR COMES.
Judges 14:8: And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold,
there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion.
WHAT WAS BITTER AND COULD HAVE BROUGHT DEATH TO THE MAN OF GOD BECAME THE FOOD SOURCE?
Samson was getting weak, he needed a healthy meal, by defeating the lion, Samson never dream, the enemy would
yield life and strength.
Every bitter conflict has within it a sweet pleasing taste of victory and power.
While the lion was meant to kill, the lion became life giving essentials.
What was meant to kill brings growth, repair, and vital processing for life? Often our nourishment is found within our problems.
Sometimes the worse thing that could happen to us, can be the best thing!
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.
BAD COMES OUT OF GOOD.
IT IS ALWAYS TOO SOON TO SAY I QUIT!
On 4/20/02, on CMT, Country Music Television, there was a show called INSIDE FAME.
The show was about a famous group called ALABAMA.
Randy Owen’s one of the groups original singers was talking.
ALABAMA had broken all records of 16 straight #1 hits. They had 40+ #1 hits.
Randy Owens said: "WE DECIDED YEARS AGO, WE COULD USE MANY WORDS,
BUT WE DECIDED WE WOULD NOT USE THE WORD QUIT!"
Through all their hard times, they stuck it out and stayed together, success followed many years later.
7. BY DEALING WITH HIS ROARING LION, SAMSON PROVIDES A FOOD SOURCE FOR HIS LOVED ONES.
Judges 14:9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them,
and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.
Samson faced the lion and found food for himself! But Samson’s aging parents were coming by and they needed
nourishment. The lion became a family nourishment, because Samson faced the lion and God gave the victory.
8. SAMSON ALLOWED HIS FIVE SENSES TO CONTROL HIS SPIRIT MAN.
SAMSON’S PARENTS KNEW GOD HAD A BETTER PLAN
Judges 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy
brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson
said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
A. God had a plan, a purpose and an intent for this young man’s life.
1. Daily, menial plan.
2. Overall plan.
B. PROBLEMS ARE PART OF LIFE. NO MATTER HOW CLOSE TO GOD YOU COME, YOU WILL NOT BE EXEMPT
FROM TROUBLES AND TRIALS!
Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have
seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
9. REMEMBER THE TERRIBLE 40 DAYS THAT GOLIATH MOCKED GOD AND GOD’S PEOPLE?
Goliath was amazed that his enemies sent a little boy to fight him.
God had prepared that little boy. Fear and quitting was not in his vocabulary.
David killed the giant with one smooth stone! But David had another lesson to teach.
David took Goliath’s own sword and cut off Goliath’s head. Was this an act of the morbid?
No, David taught us a lesson, make sure your giants are dead! The enemy carries the weapon for his own destruction!
GOLIATH’S SWORD has more to teach us.
David took Goliath’s sword as an offering to the House of God.
In a later battle, David had lost his sword, defeat was before him.
While in prayer at the church, the priest reminded David, you gave Goliath’s sword as an offering.
The ability to fight more battles came within the offering David had given to the Lord!
The answer is in your hand.
The food is in the lion’s carcass.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Could you help me? Pass this on to others?
