-January 23, 2023-
Good morning, happy Monday,
“Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, ‘You have given me this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?’ So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived.”
(Judges 15:18-19).
It is so often the case, after we achieve a great victory we often experience some trouble. The devil targets us, hoping to take us down; It is usually a little thing that trips us up. This happened to Samuel. He had just taken a fresh jawbone of a donkey and with it killed a thousand Philistines. Now he was very thirsty and actually thought he would die. It reminds me of Esau who returned from a hunting trip and was famished. His brother was cooking up red lentil stew. He was willing to sell his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of it. It showed that he didn’t value it. He said in Genesis 25:32, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
Even the prophet Elijah, the mighty man of God, after a great victory over the prophets of Baal, fled from the wicked queen Jezebel who threatened to kill him. He prayed that God would take his life, saying, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (See 1 Kings 19). The devil hit him hard and he went down for the count. God appeared to him and he ate and drank and the Lord strengthened and revived him. Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your faith is small.”
We must be on constant guard against the temptations, snares, and attacks of Satan. He looks to exploit our weakness and discourage and defeat us. At least Samson turned to the Lord for help. He provided water from the hollow place to return him to his senses and revive him. So whether we come to Him for help or are paralyzed with fear, He will come after us. He will never leave us in the pit of discouragement. God knows everything about us and what we are going through. It says in Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
Let us never rely on ourselves and think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. May we be on guard, watch and pray. Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. It is often the little problems, the little annoyances, the little interruptions that get to us. Have a blessed and watchful day.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 