Living Day to Day - Part Two

II. We should respect His power.

Judges 14:4-7 (NIV)
- Samson fancied a girl in a Philistine village and wanted to marry her. This was God's plan to give Samson a reason to begin taking away the ruling power of the Philistines.
- The Spirit of God came upon Samson in power and enabled Samson to kill the lion.

Judges 14:19-20 (NIV)
- The girl Samson fancied betrayed him. She told the men of her town Samson's secret because she feared for her life. Samson, having lost his wager, killed 30 Philistines and gave their clothes as payment for his lost bet.
- Again the Spirit of the Lord empowered him.
- Unfortunately, Samson did not follow through in his marriage arrangement, and his wife was given to another man (the clock is ticking now)

Judges 15:12-15 (NIV)
- Samson finally decided to go get his wife, but found that she belonged to another man. He became quite angry.
- He tied 300 foxes together in pairs and tied flaming torches to them. He released them in the Philistine fields and burned all their crops. The Philistines became angry.
- In fear, the Israelites in the area went to Samson and demanded he turn himself over to Philistines. They were afraid but Samson asked them not to kill him, and they agreed. They would be done with a trouble maker. Unfortunately, they did not recognize God's hand at work.
- The Spirit of the Lord empowered Samson, and he killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Talk about the empowering hand of God. Never under estimate the power of God. You just might find yourself missing out on a great move.

If our steps are directed by God, then how can we understand the way? God's Spirit is the answer. He empowers us to accomplish tasks we never thought we were fit to accomplish. A task at work that seemed insurmountable, a sickness that seemed unrelenting, a marriage that seemed unrecoverable, a friend or family member lost in the fog of uncertainties and pains...He directs our paths and empowers us to face each moment and rewards our faithfulness with the ability to work through each one.

Walking every day directed by God seems implausible until we respect the power His gives to accomplish it. God's Spirit empowers us to live when life seems impossible, to love when loving is impossible, to care when caring is impossible...

But there is an underlying warning for which we must prepare, when we do not properly respect the Spirit's compelling touch or His empowering hand.

III. We should respect His absence.

Judges 16:15-20 (NIV)
- Samson's desire for women was catching up to him. He slept with a prostitute and tore down the fence posts of the town to keep from being captured.
- Samson later falls in love with another woman, Delilah. Delilah must not have loved him too much because at the offer of a lot of money she started pestering Samson to reveal his secret strength. After three attempts which Samson used to show off, he relented to her nagging.

Judges 16:21-22 (NIV)

- Samson loses his eyes. The lust of the flesh had been his greatest weakness. Samson had lost God's Spirit due to his desire to satisfy himself. And now he lost his eyes as a consequence of his own failing in sin.

Samson used his spiritual gifting to serve his personal, sensual lusts. His own actions paved the way for his ruin. His actions led towards a great inaction in helping his people. - Dr. Stanley Horton

In the midst of ruin, however, there rests hope. The hair on Samson's head began to regrow. I can imagine that as he worked daily in the mill without the ability to see, Samson had a great opportunity to talk to God and to allow God to change him.

I wonder how many of us would truly recognize the absence of the Holy Spirit? Respecting God's Spirit in our lives helps us to respond appropriately to His agitation, His power, and His absence. I pray you will not have to experience the absence of God but if you do, remember that the hair regrew – God forgives, forgets, and moves on the behalf of those who love Him.

Don't fall for the worldly use of God's gifts in your life which calls for self gratification. Do not let your actions lead to inaction. Respect the agitation and respect the power. Go and let the Spirit be the difference in your life today.