Safeguarding our purpose and anointing 

Key verses:

Judges 16:20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Key thought: Every God given assignment or blessing must be managed well if we are to achieve and bring glory to God 

Context
Samson's life is a good learning point as to what indifference to our life purpose and assignment can lead to.
The danger of not  taking care of our calling,  blessing or heritage is that we can end up not reaching our fullest potential 

•  SAMSON AND DELILAH (16:4-22):
  • Samson fell in love with a woman Delilah. 
  • The leaders of the Philistines told Delilah they would each give her 1,100 pieces of silver if she could figure out the secret of Samson’s great strength. 
  • Delilah asked Samson to tell her how he could be bound. 
  • 7 Bowstrings
  • The 2nd time, Samson told Delilah she needed to bind him with 2 new ropes.  
  • The 3rd time, Samson told Delilah she needed to braid the 7 locks of his head into a web. That was also a lie. 
  •  On all three occasions, Delilah had Philistine men ready to capture Samson. 
  • The 4th time, Samson was so tired of Delilah asking him that he told her the truth (dumb). 
  • He told her he would lose his strength if his head was shaved. This was true because Samson’s hair was part of his vow to God as a Nazarite (Num 6:5). 
  • When Delilah realized he was telling the truth, she called the leaders of the Philistines to her, and they set another ambush. 
  • While he slept, Delilah had a man shave off Samson’s hair. 
  • Samson awoke but his strength was gone. 
  • The Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, put him in shackles, and put him to work grinding grain in the prison. 
  • “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 
  • THE VICTORY AND DEATH OF SAMSON (16:23-31):
  • The Philistines gathered to offer sacrifices to their idol Dagon and to celebrate the capture of Samson. 
  • They requested Samson be brought to their celebration so they could mock him. 
  • Samson asked the young man who was leading him to show him the pillars that supported the structure. 
  • When his hands were on the pillars, Samson prayed to God saying, “O Lord God, please remember me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
  • Grasping the two supporting pillars, Samson pulled the pillars down with all his might. 
  • As the building collapsed it killed Samson, at least 3,000 people, and all the lords of the Philistines. 
  • Samson’s family took his body and buried him. 
  • Samson judged Israel 20 years. 

Understand your assignment - what and the how
Self awareness is a critical life virtue if we are to take off what we have been entrusted by God
We must be weary of our weak areas and allow God to redeem those areas.
We must define and put boundaries as to how we can go before flipping over

1. Failure to manage appetites
   • Passions and appetites are natural but must be managed 
   • They are bad masters if you let them take charge 
   • Samson lacked the as ability to know and to manage this weaknesses 
   • The common trap is money, sex and fame/power - even though he fulfilled his assignment,  he did so after humiliation, pain and repentance. 
   • We must have a kingdom perception and apply kingdom values
   • 1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
   • The pursuit of money must be put in a proper context, money is a bad master but a good servant 
   • We must learn the discipline of money, we earn wealth in a manner that glorifies God
   • Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.
   • We must understand ourselves and discern our weak areas and jealously guard ourselves from temptations 
   • Draw boundaries,  set standards to help us avoid not just sinners but even the appearance of sin.
   • Relationship management with Annie
   • Titus 2:12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
   • Samson was blinded by his passion for women,  and ended up in physical blindness 
   • He nearly missed on fulfilling God’s purposes 
   • The lack of character can break what giftedness can offer
   • I fear for generation- social media age, we are trapped by outward commendation - likes on our social media pages.
   • This is a threat to the management of our appetites 
2. Failure to safeguard the source of power
   • Living on the edge- he lacked the seriousness to protect the source of his anointing 
   • Recognize that God is the source of your strength 
   • We must acknowledge God in everything we do
   • Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
   • He was clear on his purpose but had no regard for the nazirite vow or the law of Godssignment,  especially God given assignments have a set of values and behaviors that have to be followed
   • Making trade offs with the system you are supposed to fight weakens your resolve and ability to overcome
   • Don't play with sin- Samson's did not happen at once, he was overcame by the persistence of the enemy.
3. The pitfall of familiarity 
   • He was too familiar with presence of God 
   • Judges 16:20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
   • Never get so casual about the work of God in your life.
   • As beneficiaries of grace from God and people, we can overcome familiarity by the principle of honor
   • 1 Peter 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
   • The danger in our generation is we get too familiar with God and his presence because of a spirit of entitled. 
   • What we receive by grace is sustained by reverence to the benefactor. 
   • Samson thought he would do as as always, he was too familiar with the working of God 
   • The reason we are encouraged to pray at all times is not to remain in communion but also that we demonstrate our dependence on Him.
   • It is such that we don't take for granted the presence of God
4. Redeeming our purpose
   • Rediscover the secret of your anointing 
   • Judges 16:22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
   • What was broken by sin is redeemed by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
   • Prayer can go where our strength can't go
   • Judges 16:28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."
   • A contrite and a broken spirit God will never despise 
   • A sincere prayer and the resolve to change and embrace God's mercy can help us to redeem our purpose.
   • Our response to our encounter with God in lowest moments is a trigger for restoration 
   • Judges 16:30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived
   • After seeking God, what should our actionable response be like
   • Samson pushed with all his might. 
   • Some of us will to start pushing again, some will need to restitute
   • There is grace for imperfect people, the key is to realize our brokenness, seek out God and change our ways

Altar call

• Lord help me protect my purpose and anointing 
• Lord help me redeem my purpose