(Judges 16:20-21) “When she cried out, ‘The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!’ he woke from his sleep and told himself, ‘I’ll go out like I did at other times like this and shake myself free.’ But he didn’t know that the LORD had abandoned him. Then the Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, tied him up in bronze chains, and made him grind grain in their prison.”
(Jeremiah 15:19) “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘If you repent, I’ll take you back and you will stand before me. If you speak what is worthwhile, instead of what is worthless, then you will be my spokesman. People will turn to you, but you aren’t to turn to them’.”
Have you noticed how you behave differently around different people? As a follower of Christ, do you feel comfortable when they gossip, tell dirty jokes or talk rudely about someone? If you are, then you need to get away as soon as possible as you are letting poison infect your mind. If you participate in those jokes, then you have a more serious problem as the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.
Even believers can be guilty of gossip without being aware of it. The best way to correct this is to straight away suggest bringing the person mentioned before the Lord in prayer. If a problem is mentioned, instead of repeating it to others, cancel that problem in the name of Jesus.
Not only people, but places can also determine the outcome of your life. If there are temptations that chase you when you go out to parties, stop attending them. If there are TV programs that make you lust, change the channel. A simple solution to know if you are in the wrong place is to ask yourself if you can praise God in that place or while you are watching that program.
If you truly want God to bless you, you need to be in the right place and with the right crowd. I´m not saying that you should completely avoid the world, but don’t let their activities and mindset overtake yours. You can’t expect to be at the wrong job 40 hours a week, in the wrong relationship, following the wrong videos on social media, and expect 2 hours a week of church to solve your problems.
Samson was chosen by God from before his birth to become a leader, filled with the Spirit of God, and separated to do great wonders. But he started to be with the wrong crowd, in the wrong places and wanting to impress the wrong people. Eventually, he was engulfed by lust, pride, and a sense of being untouchable until the Spirit of God finally left him. He ended up for the rest of his life blind, in chains, and literally walking around in circles depending on others. His fall was gradual, just like everyone else who has rejected Christ and His call to repentance.
Wonder why you have been walking in circles in your life? Maybe it’s time to change friends, change location, and change direction. Only then will the Spirit of God return to you.
Prayers
• Heavenly Father, You are Lord who will place the poor in the safety for which he longs. You do not regard the rich more than the poor. You have been a strength to the poor.
• Thank You, Father, that You have ordained a place, a time, and a people to become part of our blessings.
• Thank You that Your Holy Spirit is there to warn us and guide us in regard to the places we go and the people we meet.
• Forgive us for doing whatever is necessary to try and fit in with our friends in the world
• Forgive us for not being the light in the darkness and for compromising holiness for popularity.
• Give us the boldness to stay true to our convictions and not to be intimidated by what others will think.
• We ask that Your Holy Spirit no longer leaves us, but that we may be restored.
• Let us not be like Samson, who lost his calling being driven by lust and the pleasures of the world.
• We ask you to bring the right people in our path, take us to the right place, and give us the right words in order to enter our blessings.
•
• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen