You kept wanting what you want. Somehow you justified God would not mind that much.
As believers, It’s a constant fight between the flesh versus the Spirit. And we know what we are following based on the fruits of our lives.
Gal 5:19-21
"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
But if you live in the Spirit, the fruit will manifest in your life—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
If you’ve been a Christian long enough, you experience that your fire is not always on for God. You know the right thing, but you begin to abuse His grace to live your own version of truth. There is a question posed in Galatians 5:7: "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” It highlights the ongoing struggle between our will and God's will.
Rich Wilkerson emphasized in a recent Sunday sermon on identity, "What you behold and spend your time in will shape your life. The life you are creating, it is because you learn about it somewhere. Choose where you fix your focus on.”
Samson and Delilah: The Perils of Uncontrolled Desire
We look at the story of Samson & Delilah and see the consequences of unbridled desire. Samson lusted after Delilah. He married into darkness, knowingly defying God's instructions. His thought pattern could be clarified such that:
"I want it, and I deserve it, I should take it.”
Samson’s attitude was portrayed when he marched down to Timnah demanding his desires be met, ignoring God's instruction. His downfall began when he allowed small compromises. He ate honey from the carcass of a dead lion, a direct violation of his Nazirite vow. Furthermore, by sharing this honey with his parents, he led them to unknowingly break their vow as well.
You see, when we begin to sin, others would be compromised too.
Modern-Day "Delilahs"
Today, there are many Delilahs—money, fame, entitlement—that lead us down a path of destruction. Many fall in their faith journey as they fixate more on the gift than the gift-giver, feeling either entitled or expendable. Consider Vincent Van Gogh, who tragically ended his life because he felt unappreciated and expendable.
If we adopt an entitlement spirit, like Samson who said, “I fought the young lion, thus I deserve this honey,” we fall into the trap of making small compromises. It’s weird to announce this, but I first realized that my choice today is my responsibility when I was 27 year old. I realized I am an adult, and I cannot continue to blame my parents to my unhappiness. You may come from abused family or divorced family too and start saying, “No one gets me, I deserve to have fun little fun.. too have a little honey. This is who I am.” You begin justifying small sins.
However, these small compromises have consequences. When we slowly start breaking our own principles, our integrity and moral compass begin to slip. They not only impact our spiritual health but also potentially lead others astray.
Ultimately, as believers, we are responsible for our choices. We must align ourselves with God’s will and not succumb to fleeting desires.
To follow God’s will:
1. Stay Attuned to the Holy Spirit: Constantly seek guidance and conviction.
2. Guard Your Desires: Ensure that your wants align with God’s desires for you.
3. Be Accountable: Surround yourself with a community that keeps you rooted in biblical truth.
4. Recognize and Resist Delilahs: Be aware of distractions and temptations that lead you astray.
Remember, a life led by the Spirit will bear much fruit, and ultimately leading you to a fulfilling, Christ-centered life. Whereas by constantly giving in to the toxic pattern of "I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it," we risk losing sight of our God-given purpose.
The Deeper Descent
Samson's story doesn't end with his initial compromises. He threw a Philistine wedding and immersed himself in seven days of drinking and partying. As the judge and deliverer of Israel, Samson was not supposed to drink. When God first called Samson, He set Samson apart by telling him not to drink.
During this time too, pride sets in, he met few gamblers and began gambling, associating himself with people he was not supposed to meet. People who will end up taking advantage of him. The moment he started saying, “I got it, God, I got it.”, He started aligning himself to people who he should not trust.
You are supposed to rescue people, not marry people in darkness. Nor spend all your leisure time in darkness.
“We cannot love what God hates. We cannot fulfill what God calls us to fulfill when we constantly flirt with the very thing that He said it’s dangerous. ”
When sin infiltrates our lives, it works its way in subtly, inch by inch, not by miles. We don’t ruin our calling at one moment, but with one compromise at a time.
In my own life, thankfully there are friends who speak the truth to me. Over breakfast one morning, my friend Julia reprimanded that If I do not change here, I would miss the persons God has for me. You would never be able to live into the full potential for what God has for you.
She was warning me, compromising my values now would mean compromising my future and the wonderful plans God had for my life. I needed to really change my course.
Winning the Spiritual Battle
So, how do we succeed in the spiritual battle of faith? Winning isn't about fighting every demon and resisting every temptation on our own. It's about where we place our focus. Remember Hebrews 12:2—"Fixing our eyes on the founder and perfecter of our faith."
When we fix our eyes on Jesus and seek His guidance, the desires that lead us astray will lose their power. Sin grows from unchecked desires, as described in James 1:15: "Each person is enticed by their own desires. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Some of us love the thing that kills us. We die inside while we hold on. We do that because we are not finding our fulfillment in Christ. WE KEEp looking for something new—new relationship, new hobby, new job, and new community trying to fill a hole and look always to something new.
From fixation to fury, Samson is starting from infatuation to being angry.
Anger is the main inrgredients to anxiety, depression, addiction. It’s controlling you.
Samson was angry and finding himself self-medicating with gambling, power, adn
The desire itself is not a sin. It is following our desire that will be a sin.
Always ask yourself: If it breaks God’s heart, why do you think it will fulfill yours?
Seek His will above all else, and you will surely find the strength to overcome, the wisdom to discern, and the peace that transcends all understanding.
God calls us, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Gal 5: )
Let us walk not by the flesh, but by the Spirit Fam!
He has taught me to renew my mind, my heart & my strength so that I can live in God’s purpose for me. With a year older, I am a lot less naive and a lot more hopeful still. There’s one thing that never left me, that is wonder. For all this year has to unveil, here is my prayer to the Lord: