SCRIPTURE READING: JUDGES 16: 1-31
FOCUS: “And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” (Judges 16: 30)
MEMORY VERSE: “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.” (Job 22: 29)
Our Focal Scripture captures that moment when Samson opted to die with the Philistines. Samson had lost his eyes and had been reduced to a comedian in the courts of the Philistines; and in a bid to get back at them, he chose to die whilst killing them. He accepted to die like them. He accepted to suffer the same misfortune that was about to befall them. He accepted to end like them. He accepted to suffer what was about to happen to them.
Friend, I pray for you: you will not end like the ‘Philistines’. You will not suffer what others suffered. You will not die like others died. You will not endure the same misfortune that came the way of others. You will not go down the way others went down. You will not have your destiny cut short the way the destines of others were cut short. You will not be counted amongst them that suffered the fate of the enemies of God.
Samson may have disappointed God with some of his choices; he may have disappointed God by exposing his consecration to Delilah; but he was still a Nazarite unto God, and he had no business choosing to die like the same people he was ordained to wipe out. Even if you have made mistakes, God does not expect you to place yourself on the same level as the ‘Philistines’. Even if you have failed God, you don’t have to end like ‘Philistines’.
Jesus did not redeem you so that you can die like the Philistines. Jesus did not save you so that you can end the way the devil planned it. Jesus did not pay the price for your redemption so that you can be a victim in the same way those who are yet to accept Him can become victims. Jesus saved you and raised you to sit with Him in heavenly places, far above the realities of the Philistines. Don’t let your mistakes redefine your identity.
I pray for you: you will not die like the Philistines. You will not suffer the same fate as those who are not yet begotten of the Lord. What happened to others will not happen to you.
FURTHER READING: JOB 22
DECLARATION:
- What happened to others will not happen to me, in Jesus’ name!
