Judges 16:4-6 KJV — And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. [5] And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. [6] And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Inspired by the story of the life of Samson in Judges 16, I want to exhort you to protect your connection to your source of power. Samson, as we know in the scriptures, was a very strong man whose strength came from being a Nazarite. His hair had never been shaved until, the love of his life, Delilah, enticed with money from the Lord’s of the Philistines, shaved, afflicted, and handed him over to the Philistines.
I have learnt a few lessons from the narrative of Judges 16, and I believe any man or woman who would want to stay deep spiritually and move in the influence and power of the Spirit must pay attention to.
Judges 16 narrates the story of two women that Samson encountered. The first was a harlot in Gaza and the second was Delilah, a woman in the valley of Sorek, whom Samson loved. Judges 16:1-4, narrates how Samson slept and was safe with a harlot in Gaza; but was deceived, shaved, afflicted, and delivered like a parcel to the Philistines by a woman he loved.
In life, there are times when those we love and trust are the ones that hurt us badly. Samson lost his connection to his source of power because he trusted blindly. He loved and trusted Delilah and that is how he lost his strength, vision, and life. May you never fall prey to betrayed love. May the Lord help you to be smarter and able to escape every entrapment.
Let me share five to six things you must cut off if you want to retain your anointing, visions, and preserve your life:
- Cut off anything that tries to disconnect you from your source of power: Every man or woman has a fireplace where they recharge; learn to cut off anything that tries to disconnect you from that source of power. Cut off whisperers, offended people, mixed multitudes, and tale bearers.
- Cut off anything that nags you until your soul is vexed even into death: Delilah nagged Samson, until his soul was vexed even into death. She pressed until she got what she wanted. All Samson could have done was to cut her off; but it is not that easy to cut off people you love dearly.
- Cut off anything that bargains with your enemies: Listen a friend of your enemy is an enemy and a trap. Samson lost his strength, vision, and life because he allowed Delilah to stay in touch with the Lord’s of the Philistines. Most people will betray you because they don’t respect what you have with them. Delilah betrayed Samson because she did not respect what she had with him.
- Cut off anything that tries to put you to sleep: The great enemy of triumph is sleep. It is dangerous to fall asleep or to be put to sleep on the laps of a woman who has a deal with your enemies. If Samson had not slept, he would have escaped! Delilah put Samson to sleep. Beware! While men slept the enemy sowed tares!
- Cut off anything that gaslights and distort your reality: Delilah called Samson as if she loved him. She was the one who told Samson that the enemies were upon him; meanwhile she was actually part of the plot thr whole time. May the Lord make you smart. May you not be too familiar with the grace of God. May you become sharp and escape all entrapments!
Beloved, arise and escape! The enemy is after your anointing! Protect your connection to power. Remember that when you get disconnected, you don’t die immediately! It takes time, so don’t be fooled by the results you seem to be getting. Stay connected!
Prophetic prayers
- Pray and ask God to deliver you from all friend-enemies. May the Lord empower you to escape the traps of Delilah! May the Lord disconnect you from love that is in bed with your enemies!
- As you pray, may God restore your connection to power and the fireplace. May your seasons of isolation and rejection be periods of regaining and reconnecting! Receive the grace and blessings of staying connected!
- As you pray, may the Lord sustain you with bread, wine, and oil.
Stay blessed!
