Your Struggle Can Turn Sweet

Judges 14:5-14:9

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.

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.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, [there was] a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

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 carcase of the lion.

Introduction: As christians we face struggles on a daily basis. We are confronted on every side. (2nd Corinthians 4:8-9) 8 [We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;

9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

The enemy knows our name and has plans to harm us. It is his goal to destroy us. He wants nothing more than to discourage us, and ultimately separate us from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is persistent, and efficient at attacking believers. It is my hope today that we as children of God will realize that even though we go though the valley. Even though we face a constant nagging enemy, that we realize that if we trust in God and fight the good fight, he is able to turn our struggle into something sweeter than we ever imagined.

The enemy is constantly on the prowl, looking to attack you, and to dismantle your faith in God. Sampson was on his merry way when the lion roared against him.

a)John Chapter 10:10 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

The Devil is forever and constantly looking to steal your joy, kill your faith, and destroy your testimony. He is always on the prowl and never takes a day off. When the battle comes it is our call to recognize the enemy. I’ve heard a lot of people say that the devil is not responsible for every bad thing that happens, and sometimes we do bring trouble on ourselves, but James Chapter 1:17 tells me 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Stand and Fight. We see here that Sampson has a choice. He could have fled the lion, but instead he stood his ground and fought.

a.) We as christians need stand and fight the attacking enemy. It his the devils hope that we will just lay down and die. That we will offer no resistance and that we will submit to him in the trial or struggle that we are facing. James Chapter 4:7 tells us 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We are to resist the devil. The word resist means to push against. When the fight comes a pushing we need to stand up and push right back. We need to fight with fire in our souls knowing that we are on the side of God, and that God is on our side. Ephesians Chapter 6:13-14 says 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

When we have done everything in our power to stand, we need to dig in deeper than we have ever done before and stand strong in the power of our God. He said he would never leave us nor forsake us. He is our strength when we have exhausted all of our efforts. We need to trust in his power and in his love for us. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in this world. We have everything we need in Christ Jesus to stand victorious.

Collect the spoils of your battle. Sampson was on his way down the same road when he came upon the site of the battle. The very lion that looked to kill him was now a sweet treat that would bless the man of God.