04-04-2020, 03:18 PM
*'CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL*
*Saturday, April 4, 2020*
*TOPIC:**BEWARE OF GLORY DESTROYERS*
*Read Judges 16:1-21*
1. Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. 7. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. 10. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. 11. And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12. Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13. And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14. And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. 16. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17. That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20. 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.
21. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
*MEMORISE*
Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him *(Judges 16:19)*
*EXPOSITION*
Of a truth, the devil and demons, pose serious threat to God's glory manifesting in Christians' lives. He and his cohorts have always been opposed to God's good plan for man (cf. Matt.13:25.). However, this should not be over-bloated or overemphasised. Man himself, having allowed sin, poses sterner threat to the manifestation of the glory God had created with him. Don't lose obedience (Deut.28:1).
Sin is the poison man takes that really robs him of his glorious destiny. The Holy Spirit is giving today's dose of the Living water as we study three biblical examples. One is Rueben, Jacob's (Israel) first son. He was the first fruit of Israel. Born with glory, excellence, might and dignity (Gen. 49:3). But he robbed himself of all these, because of the heinous sin of incest he committed with his step mother. Beware of glory destroyers.
The second example is the heavily empowered Samson (Judg. 15:14-17). His exploits were unparalleled, though some of them were needless. Samson lost his glory on the lap of Delilah, a 'death' he stubbornly married. He died with his enemies. Beware of glory destroyers.
Lastly is King Saul, Israel's first king, who started well with God, but concluded with witchcraft! Saul blew the opportunity God gave him (1 Sam. 15:11). He lost his God-given glory. Dear believer, before you start looking at the 'devil and household enemies as your problem/enemies in not manifesting God's glory, look inward. Hope you are not courting some glory destroyers (Gal.5:19)? Watch out!
*PRAYER POINTS:*
1. O God, I receive divine grace to be watchful and careful concerning subtle enemies of my life.
2. Lord, empower me to overcome Adamic nature deposited by the devil to finish me up.
3. Lord, help our Christian brothers and sisters, working for God in fornication adultery-infested zones, to always be aware of the devil's subtle plan to make them fall, and to always resist him and flee appearances
of sin.
*EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Joshua 8-9 & Acts 7*
*We agreed together by faith that the operation of Covid-19 is paralysed in Jesus name. Amen*
*Saturday, April 4, 2020*
*TOPIC:**BEWARE OF GLORY DESTROYERS*
*Read Judges 16:1-21*
1. Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. 7. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. 10. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. 11. And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12. Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13. And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14. And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. 16. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17. That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20. 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.
21. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
*MEMORISE*
Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him *(Judges 16:19)*
*EXPOSITION*
Of a truth, the devil and demons, pose serious threat to God's glory manifesting in Christians' lives. He and his cohorts have always been opposed to God's good plan for man (cf. Matt.13:25.). However, this should not be over-bloated or overemphasised. Man himself, having allowed sin, poses sterner threat to the manifestation of the glory God had created with him. Don't lose obedience (Deut.28:1).
Sin is the poison man takes that really robs him of his glorious destiny. The Holy Spirit is giving today's dose of the Living water as we study three biblical examples. One is Rueben, Jacob's (Israel) first son. He was the first fruit of Israel. Born with glory, excellence, might and dignity (Gen. 49:3). But he robbed himself of all these, because of the heinous sin of incest he committed with his step mother. Beware of glory destroyers.
The second example is the heavily empowered Samson (Judg. 15:14-17). His exploits were unparalleled, though some of them were needless. Samson lost his glory on the lap of Delilah, a 'death' he stubbornly married. He died with his enemies. Beware of glory destroyers.
Lastly is King Saul, Israel's first king, who started well with God, but concluded with witchcraft! Saul blew the opportunity God gave him (1 Sam. 15:11). He lost his God-given glory. Dear believer, before you start looking at the 'devil and household enemies as your problem/enemies in not manifesting God's glory, look inward. Hope you are not courting some glory destroyers (Gal.5:19)? Watch out!
*PRAYER POINTS:*
1. O God, I receive divine grace to be watchful and careful concerning subtle enemies of my life.
2. Lord, empower me to overcome Adamic nature deposited by the devil to finish me up.
3. Lord, help our Christian brothers and sisters, working for God in fornication adultery-infested zones, to always be aware of the devil's subtle plan to make them fall, and to always resist him and flee appearances
of sin.
*EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Joshua 8-9 & Acts 7*
*We agreed together by faith that the operation of Covid-19 is paralysed in Jesus name. Amen*