Daily Devotional
Do You Have a Divided Heart?
“And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, ‘Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.’ So Delilah said to Samson, ‘Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.’”
Judges 16:5-6
July 18, 2024
Ponder This
What was the secret of Samson’s strength? Sometimes when we think of Samson, we envision the Incredible Hulk, but he wasn’t that way. Had you seen Samson you would not have known he was that strong. He didn’t have mountains of muscles and bulging biceps. This is why Delilah kept asking for the secret of his strength. There was something supernatural about it. His strength was in the power of God. The Bible says the Holy Spirit would come on him and that gave him his physical strength (Judges 14:6). He is an illustration and a lesson to all of us who need the spiritual strength of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
What is tragic about Samson is that the Spirit of God was on him and yet he gave way to the appetites of the flesh. He fought the Lord’s battles by day and broke the Lord’s commandments by night. But he could not keep up that double life for long. His appetite for the flesh was destructive and led to his demise. We must be careful with this struggle: we cannot live a double life for God, asking Him to give us His power on one hand but living for selfish desires on the other.
- What are some ways you have seen God’s strength in your life?
- When have you given in to the appetites of the flesh? How did that affect your relationship with God?
Practice This
Brainstory with a friend the ways you can rely on God and battle against the appetites of the flesh.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
