THE Need of the hour is to OPERATE IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST! It is going to be the essential element of enduring til the end.

1. Enemy of the soul seeking to steal kill destroy

2. The world : lust of eyes list of flesh pride of life

3. Flesh : old man (when I would do good, evil is present)

TURN WITH ME TO JUDGES CH.13 — THERE’S 4 CHAPTERS (APPROXIMATELY 96 VERSES DEDICATED TO THE BIOGRAPHY TO ONE OF THE MOST POLARIZING FIGURES IN ALL THE BIBLE.

Judges 13:2-5 (ESV) 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

JUMP DOWN TO V.24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

THREE CHAPTERS LATER

Judges 16:4, 13-21 (ESV)

V.4 — After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web. 15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

CALLED OF GOD — NO OTHER MAN LIKE HIM IN ALL THE BIBLE —

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR ON ITS INTENT WITH THE LIFE OF THIS MAN: HE SERVES AS A WARNING TO ALL GENERATIONS….YOU’VE GOT TO PROTECT WHAT THE LORD HAS GIVEN US, BECAUSE THERE ARE DELILAH’S OUT THERE WHO SEEK TO ROB US OF THE ANOINTING AND POWER FROM GOD.

Anointed, called of God, good looking, Strong…ALL THE ladies wanted to be with him and all the men MARVELED AT HIM….

⁃ Destined to deliver ISREAL from the bondage of THE Philistines

⁃ Called into the kingdom FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

⁃ He was smart and clever — WITTY, HE TOLD RIDDLES TO HIS ENEMIES…

⁃ HE WAS A Man’s man — WE SAY Alpha Male: God looked down on a man and saw he had something in him He could work with!

⁃ HE WAS Brave and courageous

⁃ SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH LIKE THOR/INCREDIBLE HULK

⁃ Said to have killed OVER 4,000 Philistines himself

⁃ AT ONE POINT SAMSON Ripped iron gates off the city walls and carried them off like they were paper weightS

⁃ I BELIEVE SAMSON KNEW HE WAS GIFTED…

⁃ HE WAS Called to be judge AND deliverer of Israel….CALLED TO LEAD THE PEOPLE…BE AN EXAMPLE

YET…..

⁃ No where does it mention a prayer life.

⁃ No where do we find in scripture where HE SOUGHT COUNSEL…

⁃ No where does it mention HIM building an altar UNTO THE LORD…

⁃ RATHER, WHAT YOU WILL FIND WAS A MAN UNHINGED…UNTETHERED….DID AS HE PLEASED, WENT AS HE PLEASED…AND IT WOUND UP COSTING HIM EVERYTHING.

⁃ HE WAS A MAN WHO LIVED OUTSIDE THE SAFETY OF THE BOUNDARIES GOD SET FOR HIS LIFE…..

HE WAS ABLE TO SLAY THOUSANDS OF HIS FOES, YET WASN’T ABLE TO SLAY THE MAN IN THE MIRROR. You see, while Samson was easily the strongest man in the Bible, he was also, in many ways, the weakest.

• Although the Spirit of the LORD would move on HIM, he spent the majority of his time operating in his flesh. MEANING HE WAS A MAN WHO WAS LED BY HIS PASSIONS RATHER THAN BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

• HE TRAVELED A DARK PATH [THE SHADOWY PLACES] — (COULDN’T SEE CLEARLY…THINK CLEARLY……NO WORD TO BE A LAMP….NO SPIRIT TO GUIDE HIM….

• HE BYPASSED EVERY BOUNDARY GOD HAD SET UP IN HIS LIFE — God knew the natural tendencies of this man. Created boundary lines.

BOUNDARIES IN THE GARDEN

Tree of Knowledge — Adam and Eve: Adam told Eve not to touch the tree. It was the first pastoral standard — God said don’t eat, Adam told her not to even touch it.

WHY Boundaries???

• — there is safety in the WORD OF GOD. SAFETY IN THE GUIDING OF HIS SPIRIT.

• 10 COMMANDMENTS — SAFETY FOR HIS PEOPLE

• THE Tragedy is when we bypass the warning signs….and go beyond

• *** toddlers — push the boundaries *** problem is when we grow older and never learn to trust/respect/listen to boundaries set before us….

• Making of the Automobile in the 20’s [REBELLION BECAME A FANNING FLAME]

Just as God made boundaries between LIGHT AND DARKNESS….so today, BOUNDARIES IN OUR LIFE IS A HEDGE OF PROTECTION — IT’S GUIDELINES OF SAFETY — YOU GO BEYOND THIS POINT: DANGER IS LURKING

SOLOMON TELLS US

Proverbs 27:12 (NKJV) A prudent [man] foresees evil [and] hides himself; The simple pass on [and] are punished. ANOTHER VERSION — The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius

On August 24 (NOW BELIEVED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN OCTOBER OF AD 79, The eruption of Mount Vesuvius killed THOUSANDS of people and totally destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. All of the victims of the eruption were caught unaware, though that shouldn’t have been the case, as the mountain had given several warnings, all of which went completely ignored. It is believed up to 16,000 people died during the eruption on Mt. Vesuvius. Bodies — preserved in VOLCANIC ash as a reminder to all humanity — DO NOT IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS OF DANGER.

Indian Ocean Tsunami And Earthquake

More than 230,000 people were killed, 500,000 were injured, and 1.7 million were left homeless on December 26, 2004, after 9.2-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that affected 14 countries in Asia and eastern and southern Africa. The incident remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded human history. The death toll could have been less had warnings been heeded.

Seven years before the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, a top government official in Thailand warned that the country would soon be hit by a tsunami. His calls were ignored, and he was termed “crazy.” He was also banned from entering some parts of Thailand, where he was considered a threat to tourism.

The Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning System also called the embassies and government officials of several Asian countries after the earthquake and warned that they were at risk of a possible tsunami. Many countries ignored the warning, and even those that listened didn’t take any tangible action. Many countries still ignored the threat when it hit their outlying coasts and even refused to warn people living in the inlying coasts. In Indonesia, the sea receded several hundred meters after the earthquake. That was a clear warning of an incoming tsunami, but many didn’t know this, and some even ran into the retreated ocean to catch stranded fish, while others simply looked on and wondered what was happening.

HELP US TO NOT IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS YOU ARE GIVING THIS WORLD….FROM WARS/PLAGUES…

HUMANITY PAYS THE PRICE WHEN THEY FAIL TO HEED THE WARNINGS BY GOD ALMIGHTY.

I want to turn our attention back to a man named SAMSON

STORIES IN THE BIBLE ARE FOR OUR LEARNING — NOT FAIRY TELLS BUT RAW ACCOUNTS OF TRIUMPHS AND FAILURES….GIVEN TO US

Samson’s life stands as a memorial — we must heed the warning signs before it’s too late

SCRIPTURE LAYS OUT 3 MAJOR WARNING SIGNS THAT GIVES US THE ANATOMY OF A FALL….

1. WARNING SIGN #1 — He disregarded parental / godly counsel [JUDGES CHAPTER 14]

• Samson went down to the enemies turf and got his eyes on a young lady who wasn’t what we would say — “in the faith.” Mom and dad spoke up and said Samson, isn’t there someone within your own people to date…surely

• He went down to Timnath: saw daughters of the Philistines. — He went looking for pleasures in the wrong places

• He was guided by his passions / flesh, rather than godly wisdom and counsel. (Bypassed the advice of his closest family…nah, I want her. She pleases me…. Q. We must ask ourselves in this life — DOES THIS PLEASE THE LORD? YOU WANT GUIDANCE? YOU WANT TO LIVE IN THE PROMISES AND PROVISION OF GOD ALMIGHTY? YOU BETTER LEARN TO ASK THE Q — “WILL THIS PLEASE THE LORD?”

• Samson didn’t care — because Samson disregarded the godly counsel in his life.

• Your wellbeing hinges on your willingness to LISTEN (not just hear) to godly counsel — to ignore it, is to go beyond the boundaries and safety God has set for you.

• Listen to your parents / student pastor / Holy Ghost filled teacher / PASTOR

• Hebrews 11:7 — By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

• Proverbs 11:14 — Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

• Proverbs 15:21-22 (ESV) — Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead. 22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

2. WARNING SIGN #2 — He disregarded his Nazarite Vow (boundaries / guidelines / perimeters) [JUDGES 14-16]

• CALLED WITH A SPECIAL CALLING AND ANOINTING — A NAZARITE VOW

• ONLY 3 MEN IN THE BIBLE WAS GIVEN A LIFETIME VOW AS A NAZARITE — Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.

• The word Nazirite comes from a Hebrew word that means “to separate, to consecrate.” Nazirites were persons who, for a stated period of time, consecrated themselves to the Lord in a special way. They abstained from drinking wine and strong drink; they avoided touching dead bodies; and as a mark of their consecration, they allowed their hair to grow.

• He went down to TIMNATH…had no business going there — came upon VINEYARDS (PLACE OF VINE — STRONG DRINK) HAD NO BUSINESS TRAVELING THAT ROAD.

• HIS NAZARITE VOW was a hedge / place of safety / boundaries for his life…meant to keep HIM SAFE…

• A LION SHOWED UP!!! The Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson and he slew the LION like it was a mouse.

• GOD BAILED SAMSON OUT THAT DAY, BUT HE WAS NEVER MEANT TO FIGHT LIONS IN THE VINEYARD….HE FOUGHT BATTLES HE WAS NEVER MEANT TO FIGHT BECAUSE HE WAS IN PLACES HE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE IN.

*** God allows us to slay lions in our life, but it is only because of His mercies….

*** WHEN WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD, FLIRT WITH THE WORLD, PLAY FOOTSIE WITH THE WORLD….BEGIN TO LIKE PEOPLE WE HAVE NO BUSINESS LIKING, HANGING OUT IN PLACES WE HAVE NO BUSINESS GOING, MESSING AROUND ON THE INTERNET — WALKING AROUND IN VINEYARDS, WE HAVE NO BUSINESS GOING — DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN THE LION SHOWS UP….

REMINDS ME OF A PORTION IN ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARTOON MOVIES OF ALL TIME — LION KING….

ONE DAY MUFASA AND SIMBA ARE OUT SCANNING HIS KINGDOM…

AS THEY ARE BOTH looking out over the pridelands, MUFASA tells young SIMBA — Look, Simba: Everything the light touches is our kingdom. A king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king.

SIMBA: and all this will be mine? Everything proclaims MUFASA

Everything the LIGHT TOUCHES….WHAT ABOUT THE SHADOWY PLACE OUT THERE? (AS YOUNG SIMBA SCANS THE HORIZON)

MUFASA PROCLAIMS — That’s beyond our borders. You must never go there, Simba.

BUT I THOUGHT A KING CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS…..

MUFASA REMINDS HIM — Well, there’s a lot more to being a king than getting your way all the time.

THOSE WHO KNOW THE MOVIE — SIMBA GOT INTO TROUBLE BECAUSE HE DIDN’T LISTEN TO HIS DAD…

HE INDEED WENT OUT TO THE SHADOWY PLACES — GUESS WHO SHOWED UP

SCAR AND HIS HYENAS…THANKFULLY FOR SIMBA [MUFASA SHOWED UP TO BAIL HIM OUT]

GUESS WHO SHOWS UP IN THE SHADOWY PLACES OF LIFE??? SATAN AND HIS MINIONS

*** they show up in your dirty movies you watch

*** they show up when you begin to navigate through the shadowy places of the internet

*** they show up when you invite them into your house through godless entertainment

*** they show up in the worldly music YOU LISTEN TO

*** they even show up when you allow the wrong friends into your life.

*** THEY SHOW UP WHEN YOU OPEN THE GATE OF YOUR MIND — ALLOW THE WRONG THOUGHTS TO DOMINATE YOUR HEART.

WE ARE CALLED TO Holiness— it is our Nazarite Vow.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (ESV) 14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

* We are called to be HOLY (set-apart) from the WORLD — It is not to keep us from fun, but to keep us from HARM.

* KEEPS you out of the enemies territory (SAMSON KILLED A LION IN TIMNATH, BUT HE HAD NO BUSINESS BEING IN THERE)

* KEEPS a hedge of protection around your life. (HOLINESS KEEPS US)

* KEEPS your mind free from the perils of this godless society

* KEEPS THE GATE SHUT IN YOUR LIFE — ENEMY YOU CANNOT COME IN.

* KEEPS your spirit from being tainted by the sins of this world

* KEEPS your body as a temple for the LORD.

* KEEPS the Delilah’s away that wants to steal your POWER and ANOINTING

* KEEPS the bad influences out of your life. (LAW of PROXIMITY)

* KEEPS the wrong spirits out and the RIGHT SPIRIT IN!!!

3. Warning sign #3 — He mistook feeling God for acceptance from God

Just because we feel God on Sunday doesn’t mean He approves of Our disobedience on Monday

• I believe because God would come upon Samson and give him supernatural strength to slay his enemies, he was deceived into thinking God was ok with his behavior. That somehow, God would just overlook his actions.

• After all, he was guided by his own lust, rather than by the Spirit of God. Just because we can come into a service and feel God, does not mean God is accepting of our life. That us foolish thinking

• The presence of God….the shout….the praise….is all meant to drive us to Him so we can yield our life to Him….

• It’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance

• It’s the altar services that gives us the opportunity of lifetime to get our life right and be under the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

• Samson disregarded this fact…and he kept going beyond the boundaries

He kept pushing beyond the warning signs…

Finally, Samson finds himself in a place of NO RETURN —

JUDGES CHAPTER 16

*** CHAPTER OPENS UP WITH HIM ONCE AGAIN IN A PLACE THAT TEMPTED HIM — GAZA : FOUND A PROSTITUTE: had absolutely no control over his passions at this point.

No regard for God’s Word / no regard for God’s SPIRIT / no regard for the boundaries and commitment of his Nazarite Vow…

At this juncture — he’s a man slave to his own passions….IT WAS one more step down into darkness and destruction.

WHEN WE BECOME OUR OWN ENEMY

• We can’t help it when Satan and his demons tempt us, but when we tempt ourselves, we become our own enemy. God doesn’t tempt us (James 1:12–15). When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13), we’re asking that we not tempt ourselves or put ourselves into such a position that we tempt God.

THOU SHALT NOT TEMPT THE LORD THY GOD

*** WHEN WE RUN BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF GOD’S HOLY WORD — “AND AS SIMBA SAID — GO OUT TO THE SHADOWY PLACES: WE LOSE THE LAMP UNTO OUR FEET AND THE LIGHT UNTO OUR PATH…

*** WE TEMPT THE LORD BY BECOMING OUR OWN ENEMY.

We tempt Him either by forcing Him to intervene and rescue us or by daring Him to stop us. It’s possible for people’s character to deteriorate so much that they don’t have to be tempted in order to sin. All they need is the opportunity to sin, and they’ll tempt themselves.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN — GOD’S MERCY STEPPED IN AND BAILED SAMSON OUT…GAVE HIM ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD….

BUT THERE COMES A POINT, WHEN GOD’S WORD STANDS AGAINST US AND WE SIMPLY BECOME OUR OWN ENEMY….

IN THE VALLEY OF SOREK

Chapter 16

1. In The Valley of Sorek (choice vines) — it is here he met the woman that would be his demise. Delilah — Hebrew word dalal, which means “to weaken, to impoverish.”

2. His heart clave to this woman.

3. THE WORLD IS APPEALING TO THE NATURAL MAN…CHOICES ALL AROUND: IF YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WORLD, YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT YOU’LL LIKE

*** Samson at this point in his life was so used to abusing the mercy of God, that he willingly laid his head into the lap of the enemy and thought “the Lord will bail me out of this like times before”

SHE VEXED HIM — DAY AFTER DAY….weakened….

SAMSON — WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

THAT IS THE PROBLEM STUDENTS

⁃ the choice vines of life gets you intoxicated to the point that you cannot think clearly.

⁃ That is why people do things that baffles the mind

⁃ They’re simply not thinking clearly

⁃ Intoxicated: cant see clearly react clearly think clearly

⁃ Judges 16:20 (KJV) And she said, The Philistines [be] upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

One of the saddest scriptures in the Bible

1. HAIR SHAVED

2. CHAINED UP

3. MADE A MOCKERY

4. GOUGED HIS EYES OUT — SIN BLINDS US.

5. SAMSON THE HERO OF ISRAEL HS BEEN LEFT TO ASHES…..

GOD HELP US……..We were made for more than that

**** There’s God ordained Goliath’s out there to fight — not lions at Timnath.

Heard a statement — the enemy shaved his head, but they couldn’t kill his roots: His hair grew back, and he slew more that day than his entire lifetime. However, it didn’t have to be that way.

I do not believe that was the will of God for Samson.

Samson even made it to the hall of FAITH in Hebrews 11

HIS LIFE SERVES AS A WARNING TO EVERY PERSON LIVING TODAY.

*** GOD HAS A PLAN AND PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT YOU MUST MAKE UP IN YOUR MIND, I AM GOING TO DO THINGS — GOD’S WAY. I am going to protect what the Lord has given to me, and stay out of the shadowy places.

Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Romans 8:14 (KJV)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Galatians 5:16 (KJV) [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.