The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is doing a study of Spiritual Warfare using Samson and his flaws and what not to do in this war. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments below. We welcome your thoughts, questions, comments, and prayers.
You are in a fight, a spiritual war. And you have an adversary who is smart, cunning, and very sneaky. He is extremely dangerous and out to destroy you. This adversary is your fiercest opponent; his name is Satan. You probably know him as the devil. Although he is already defeated, he can still inflict great injury on you. He can cause you to miss out on some of the many blessings that are God’s promises to you because of your spiritual birthright.
In our first two sessions we identified some of Samson’s flaws and the kind of trouble they got him into. Our enemy can use similar flaws in is to wound us in spiritual warfare. Do you remember the flaws?
Where do all of these things originate?
Satan can only engage us in battle in our minds unless God gives him permission. Here’s proof;
Job 1:8-12 (HCSB)8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”9 Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?10 Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.11 But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”12 “Very well,” the LORD told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job ⌊himself⌋.” So Satan left the LORD’s presence.
Job 2:3-6 (HCSB)3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him, to destroy him without just cause.”4 “Skin for skin!” Satan answered the LORD. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”6 “Very well,” the LORD told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.”
We are giving Satan too much credit. We blame Satan for everything....from us having a flat tire, to us contracting an illness. We get a flat tire because we ran over a nail in the road; we get hypertension because we have a family history and we don’t eat right, we fall and break a bone so we can't go to church because we weren't watching what we were doing, we have a traffic accident because either we or the other person made a mistake. Satan had nothing to do with that. What he can do is cause us to think that he has the power to do these things, causing us to doubt God's promise that He will care for us no matter the situation or circumstance we find ourselves in.
So unless God gives him permission Satan can’t affect your external circumstances. Where he can attack and injure you is in your mind. If he can get you to believe that he or his demons cause the bad things to happen to you the next thing that can happen is you start to doubt God and His promises. If he can get you to do that you lose your effectiveness in the kingdom of God. He can cause you to damn or curse you own situation. You’re doing it not him because unless God gives him permission he can’t.
OK let’s assume that you have overcome the flaws we mentioned before;
Today we are going to focus on two more of the enemy’s weapons: arrogance, which is very similar to pride, and stress.
Here’s the definition and some of the synonyms of arrogance;
“having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities”
synonyms; proud, big-headed, puffed up
You’ll remember from last week that Samson’s emotions got the best of him and he started a big fire that burned up the Philistines grain fields and resulted in his wife, who he left before consummating the marriage, and her father being killed in retaliation to his wife and father-in-law being killed..
Judges 15:1-6 (HCSB)1 Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson ⌊took⌋ a young goat ⌊as a gift⌋ and visited his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.2 “I was sure you hated her,” her father said, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead?”3 Samson said to them, “This time I won’t be responsible when I harm the Philistines.”4 So he went out and caught 300 foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.5 Then he ignited the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the piles of grain and the standing grain as well as the vineyards and olive groves.6 Then the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” They were told, “⌊It was⌋ Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because he has taken Samson’s wife and given her to another man.” So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned ⌊them⌋ to death.
The wedding festivities lasted for seven days, but the marriage itself was not consummated until the seventh day. On the day on which it was to have been consummated, Samson's companions presented the solution to his riddle, which proved their complicity with his wife. Samson, thereupon, returned home to Timnath without consummating the marriage. But Samson's wife was given to his companion. Samson's flight left the bride without a husband to consummate the marriage, which would have disgraced the girl. The marriage was consummated, however, with Samson's companion or "best man" taking the bride. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Here was Samson’s response;
Judges 15:7-10, 14-15 (NLT)7 “Because you did this,” Samson vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!”8 So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.9 The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi.10 The men of Judah asked the Philistines, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines replied, “We’ve come to capture Samson. We’ve come to pay him back for what he did to us.” 14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.15 Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it.
What an amazing feat. Superhero stuff.
In our first two sessions we identified some of Samson’s flaws and the kind of trouble they got him into. Our enemy can use similar flaws in is to wound us in spiritual warfare. Do you remember the flaws?
- Chasing the wrong things
- Breaking the rules
- Thinking that I have everything under control
- Emotions (anger)
- Pride
Where do all of these things originate?
Satan can only engage us in battle in our minds unless God gives him permission. Here’s proof;
Job 1:8-12 (HCSB)8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”9 Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?10 Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.11 But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”12 “Very well,” the LORD told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job ⌊himself⌋.” So Satan left the LORD’s presence.
Job 2:3-6 (HCSB)3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him, to destroy him without just cause.”4 “Skin for skin!” Satan answered the LORD. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”6 “Very well,” the LORD told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.”
We are giving Satan too much credit. We blame Satan for everything....from us having a flat tire, to us contracting an illness. We get a flat tire because we ran over a nail in the road; we get hypertension because we have a family history and we don’t eat right, we fall and break a bone so we can't go to church because we weren't watching what we were doing, we have a traffic accident because either we or the other person made a mistake. Satan had nothing to do with that. What he can do is cause us to think that he has the power to do these things, causing us to doubt God's promise that He will care for us no matter the situation or circumstance we find ourselves in.
So unless God gives him permission Satan can’t affect your external circumstances. Where he can attack and injure you is in your mind. If he can get you to believe that he or his demons cause the bad things to happen to you the next thing that can happen is you start to doubt God and His promises. If he can get you to do that you lose your effectiveness in the kingdom of God. He can cause you to damn or curse you own situation. You’re doing it not him because unless God gives him permission he can’t.
OK let’s assume that you have overcome the flaws we mentioned before;
- Chasing the wrong things
- Breaking the rules
- Thinking that I have everything under control
- Making emotional decisions
- Becoming arrogant when things are going great
- Wilting under stress
Today we are going to focus on two more of the enemy’s weapons: arrogance, which is very similar to pride, and stress.
Arrogance
Here’s the definition and some of the synonyms of arrogance;
“having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities”
synonyms; proud, big-headed, puffed up
You’ll remember from last week that Samson’s emotions got the best of him and he started a big fire that burned up the Philistines grain fields and resulted in his wife, who he left before consummating the marriage, and her father being killed in retaliation to his wife and father-in-law being killed..
Judges 15:1-6 (HCSB)1 Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson ⌊took⌋ a young goat ⌊as a gift⌋ and visited his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.2 “I was sure you hated her,” her father said, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead?”3 Samson said to them, “This time I won’t be responsible when I harm the Philistines.”4 So he went out and caught 300 foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.5 Then he ignited the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the piles of grain and the standing grain as well as the vineyards and olive groves.6 Then the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” They were told, “⌊It was⌋ Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because he has taken Samson’s wife and given her to another man.” So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned ⌊them⌋ to death.
The wedding festivities lasted for seven days, but the marriage itself was not consummated until the seventh day. On the day on which it was to have been consummated, Samson's companions presented the solution to his riddle, which proved their complicity with his wife. Samson, thereupon, returned home to Timnath without consummating the marriage. But Samson's wife was given to his companion. Samson's flight left the bride without a husband to consummate the marriage, which would have disgraced the girl. The marriage was consummated, however, with Samson's companion or "best man" taking the bride. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Here was Samson’s response;
Judges 15:7-10, 14-15 (NLT)7 “Because you did this,” Samson vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!”8 So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.9 The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi.10 The men of Judah asked the Philistines, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines replied, “We’ve come to capture Samson. We’ve come to pay him back for what he did to us.” 14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.15 Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it.
What an amazing feat. Superhero stuff.
How does Samson do it? It’s clear that it was through God’s strength, but Samson takes the credit. He became arrogant and proud.
Judges 15:16-17 (NLT)16 Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!”17 When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.
Arrogance comes from being insecure. When you don't know who you are in Christ, most of us look to pride to try to fill that void-just like Samson did.
You try to define yourself by your accomplishments . You rely on your achievements, your victories, your wins, instead of acknowledging God as the source of those accomplishments. Pride can be intoxicating, but you forget that you’re human with human limitations. If you try to convince yourself that you’re that superhero you will miss the true SUPERHERO...God.
If your enemy can get you to believe that your accomplishments are the result of your efforts he'll soon have you on the defensive. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had something to say about that;
Proverbs 16:18 (NLT) Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
The resources and strength to accomplish the things that last and have real meaning come from the Lord.
Psalm 121:2 (NLT) My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
Remember you’re in a fight. This is spiritual warfare. Acknowledge God as the source of your strength.
The problem with becoming a superhero is that you have to keep it up.
Judges 15:16-17 (NLT)16 Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!”17 When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.
Arrogance comes from being insecure. When you don't know who you are in Christ, most of us look to pride to try to fill that void-just like Samson did.
You try to define yourself by your accomplishments . You rely on your achievements, your victories, your wins, instead of acknowledging God as the source of those accomplishments. Pride can be intoxicating, but you forget that you’re human with human limitations. If you try to convince yourself that you’re that superhero you will miss the true SUPERHERO...God.
If your enemy can get you to believe that your accomplishments are the result of your efforts he'll soon have you on the defensive. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had something to say about that;
Proverbs 16:18 (NLT) Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
The resources and strength to accomplish the things that last and have real meaning come from the Lord.
Psalm 121:2 (NLT) My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
Remember you’re in a fight. This is spiritual warfare. Acknowledge God as the source of your strength.
The problem with becoming a superhero is that you have to keep it up.
No superhero worth his or her weight loses their power and becomes merely human again.
Judges 15:18 (NLT) Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?”
Samson failed to acknowledge God as the source of his strength. He had just achieved a great victory and now he thinks he’s going to die. This is right after he killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. He was spent, exhausted, and now he had to admit that he needed help. When you take on everything alone, the enemy can then use other weapons...stress, anxiety and worry.
Stress
Have you ever worked so hard at anything that you were exhausted physically? It might have been while at work, in ministry or volunteering, or even while playing competitive sports? Have you ever felt “I don’t want to let anybody down?” Do you feel like you are the one holding everything and everybody together? Do you like all that responsibility? No wonder you’re exhausted and stressed.
Because you don't want to disappoint others, you keep saying, “yes,” and before you know it, you have added so much to your plate that you now feel overwhelmed. Because of how you have over-extended yourself, you start to wonder why you do so much for everybody else. Your pride will not allow you to ask for help, because, after all, you’re a superhero. Resentment sets in and you begin to become negative, feeling alone, depressed and defeated. And you try to hide your true feelings, because your overwhelmed, stressed-out mind tells you, “no one cares or understands, anyway.” So, now the focus becomes you. You have lost sight of your good intentions, which began as serving God and others. Recognize this for what it is…it is a weapon of the enemy to keep you from serving Christ through your service to humanity.
When you are overwhelmed and get anxious, stressed, and worried remember God is bigger than anything you will ever encounter. Look to Him.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit tells us, through Paul, not to be anxious about anything, but rather to turn everything over to Him in prayer. Giving our burdens and concerns to a holy and righteous God daily, will mitigate or eliminate the stress in our lives.
You don’t have to handle everything. Do what Samson did when he realized that he wasn’t a superhero and that was acknowledge God and cry out to Him;
Judges 15:18 (NLT) Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?”
Here’s what happened when he did this;
Judges 15:19-20 (NLT)19 So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day.20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Remember you’re in a fight. This is spiritual warfare. Admit that you need God’s help and see how He responds. You Can Win this War
Judges 15:18 (NLT) Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?”
Samson failed to acknowledge God as the source of his strength. He had just achieved a great victory and now he thinks he’s going to die. This is right after he killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. He was spent, exhausted, and now he had to admit that he needed help. When you take on everything alone, the enemy can then use other weapons...stress, anxiety and worry.
Stress
Have you ever worked so hard at anything that you were exhausted physically? It might have been while at work, in ministry or volunteering, or even while playing competitive sports? Have you ever felt “I don’t want to let anybody down?” Do you feel like you are the one holding everything and everybody together? Do you like all that responsibility? No wonder you’re exhausted and stressed.
Because you don't want to disappoint others, you keep saying, “yes,” and before you know it, you have added so much to your plate that you now feel overwhelmed. Because of how you have over-extended yourself, you start to wonder why you do so much for everybody else. Your pride will not allow you to ask for help, because, after all, you’re a superhero. Resentment sets in and you begin to become negative, feeling alone, depressed and defeated. And you try to hide your true feelings, because your overwhelmed, stressed-out mind tells you, “no one cares or understands, anyway.” So, now the focus becomes you. You have lost sight of your good intentions, which began as serving God and others. Recognize this for what it is…it is a weapon of the enemy to keep you from serving Christ through your service to humanity.
When you are overwhelmed and get anxious, stressed, and worried remember God is bigger than anything you will ever encounter. Look to Him.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit tells us, through Paul, not to be anxious about anything, but rather to turn everything over to Him in prayer. Giving our burdens and concerns to a holy and righteous God daily, will mitigate or eliminate the stress in our lives.
You don’t have to handle everything. Do what Samson did when he realized that he wasn’t a superhero and that was acknowledge God and cry out to Him;
Judges 15:18 (NLT) Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?”
Here’s what happened when he did this;
Judges 15:19-20 (NLT)19 So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day.20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Remember you’re in a fight. This is spiritual warfare. Admit that you need God’s help and see how He responds. You Can Win this War
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