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holy living ahead. He understood that he
needed self-discipline and that he needs to
be careful and alert.
Even spiritual giants can be
disqualified. Hence, being watchful over
ourselves is of prime importance. If we are
not careful over ourselves, God would
bypass us.
Some argue that once we are saved,
we can live as per our whims and fancies.
But, if we do not maintain a daily
communion with the Lord, there is a
possibility that we might even lose our
salvation. Hence we need to work out our
salvation with fear and trembling.
3) Watch What You Watch
Samson was endowed with super
natural physical strength. He performed
mighty acts of valour. He was chosen by
God even before his birth. His mission was
to deliver the Israelites from the hands of
the Philistines who ruled over them for 40
years. But sadly Samson fell prey to his
own passions. He lost his strength and
anointing. He fell because he was not
careful about himself.
He trusted his own strength. He
trusted his past victories. He forgot that
his strength was given by God. He became
filled with pride and ego. He thought that
he was invincible. He remembered how he
fought the lion and tore it into pieces, how
he was bound by the Philistines but broke
away easily. He thought that he was
indomitable. This pride led to his fall. Does
not the Bible say, “Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall”(Pro 16:18)?
Jesus warned His disciples regarding
pride. When Jesus warned Peter about
the impending difficult times, Peter
trusted in his self and declared that he
was even ready to die with Christ. But we
know what happened later.
Not only was Samson filled with pride
but he was also lacking self-control. He
was not watchful over his eyes. He aptly
embodies, Proverbs 25:28 “A man without
self-control is like a city broken into and left
without walls.”
He was led by his eyes. He let them
roam freely. He went after women. He was
not watchful over his eyes. This led to his
downfall.
Are we watchful over our eyes? Do we
have self-control? Let us not be careless
like Samson.
We might face a lot of temptations in
our life. But we should be encouraged by
the fact that Jesus too went through the
same path. He helps us and also provides
us ways of escape as promised in I
Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has
overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and he will not let you be
tempted beyond your ability, but with the
temptation he will also provide the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Even Jesus was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted by devil (Matt
4:1). In the wilderness the devil tempted
Jesus through various tactics but Jesus
overcame all those temptations through
the Word of God. We should not be
defeated by sin in our personal lives. The
world, the devil and the flesh may be
against us. But we need to stand on the
Word of God.
4) Wrapped in Christ
When a hen senses danger, it calls
out its chicks. On hearing the warning
sounds, the chicks take shelter under
their mother's wings. Similarly, when we
foresee a danger, we need to take shelter in
the wings of the Most High. Let us confess
to the Lord that we can do nothing apart
from Him (John 15:5). Let us commit our
lives in His hands so that He will keep us
safe.
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