Welcome to the In Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, July 13th. Are you trapped in a bad habit you just can't seem to break? Today's podcast offers the encouragement and truth you need to find freedom and avoid the consequences of uncontrolled weakness. All of us have areas in our life, areas of strength and areas of weakness. Those areas of strength God has given to us in order to be able to accomplish and to achieve those things that God has set out for us in our life.
Somebody says, Well, what about those weaknesses? Those weaknesses are there. In order to remind us how absolutely, totally dependent we are upon God. And not only that, When we handle our weaknesses properly and carefully, What it does is they drive us. into a relationship with God.
A deeper, intimate relationship with Him because of our sense of dependence upon Him and our need of Him. And we find ourselves crying out for God to help us or to strengthen us in those particular areas. I want to take this passage of scripture today because The title of this message is simply this, and that is, The Consequences of Uncontrolled Weakness, because that's a problem in many people's lives. They know that there's something there, they can't quite figure out what it is, or they deny that there is some particular weakness in their life because they're too proud to admit it, and yet it is there, they don't know how to handle it, they don't know what's going on, and as a result, they find themselves oftentimes in great disappointment and disaster because they never learned how to deal with those areas of weakness in their life. And when I think about that, I think about what can happen to a person whose weaknesses are unguarded.
denied, undisciplined, and uncontrolled.
Well, the passage of scripture we're going to deal with is a very graphic illustration. of what happens when a person does ignore that area of weakness. And it is uncontrolled, and when a person is undisciplined and does not recognize that what Is a weakness, could have been one of their greatest strengths if they had only responded in the proper fashion.
So I want you to turn, if you will, the judges, and this is the account. of a man, listen, who was known for his strength. but who was destroyed as a result of his weakness. And I want to give you a little background here, but I just want to read one verse to start that background in the 13th chapter and the first verse to give you a little idea of the kind of environment in which Samson grew up in. And the kind of environment that's going on while he is one of the leaders of the nation of Israel in this time.
So chapter 13 verse 1 says, Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years.
Now you recall that God told the nation of Israel, when you go into the promised land, destroy all the wicked.
Now, once in a while, somebody will ask you more than likely, how can God be a God of love? and at the same time have him go in and destroy all these other people.
Well, what you have to ask is what's the purpose of God? The purpose of God for the nation of Israel was to bring up a nation through whom the truth that there is one true God could be spread throughout the world. And the Jews, that is Israel, knew who that God was, Jehovah God, Adoniah, Elohim. That is Jehovah. And so God's purpose for them was to spread the truth that there is one true God when all these nations of the world believed in all kinds of gods.
And so in order to keep that nation pure, He Place them in an area. And in order to do that, to keep them from intermarrying and causing the race to become weakened, or when the race became weakened by intermarriage and trade and so forth, what happens is also their ideology, their philosophy, and their theology also began to be weakened. And before long, they would no longer believe in one true God because there would be so many other nations that believed in all these other gods. Instead of staying pure, they'd become like them.
Now the period of the Judges was the dark ages for the nation of Israel. And if you'll turn to the last chapter in Judges, the 21st chapter, here's what you'll find. You'll find a description of how the people in that day were thinking. And here's what the last verse says. In those days, there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Anytime you have a society in which everyone's doing what's right in their own eyes, you have a society that is destined to bondage, all types of bondage, and certainly destined to the disciplined hand of Almighty God. Yet this is the kind of nation we find.
Now, the scripture says concerning that, that in those times, for example, that God chose to do something about it. And that is, if you will look at this 13th chapter, and notice, if you will, beginning in verse 3. Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren. And have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.
Now therefore be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Behold, you shall conceive, and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, but the boy shall be a Nazarete to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
So God now speaks to this couple who could have no children. Announces to them that they are to conceive and have a son. He's to be a Nazarite. That is, he is to be separated unto God. And one of the indications of that was that he could not cut his hair, could not drink any strong drink, and could not come close to a person who had died.
So it was a very strict kind of relationship. And so God sends this son into their lives, and naturally. If you'll notice what he says, he says, he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. And if you'll notice also in that same chapter, in the 24th verse, it says, Then the woman gave birth to a son, named him Samson. And the child grew up, and the Lord blessed him.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. And so, what we find is, we find God beginning to work in his life at some age, probably early. God beginning to work in his life because he came upon the scene for a very specific purpose.
Now, I don't want you to forget that. He didn't just get born. God sent him into that time, in that season, the dark ages for the nation of Israel for a very specific reason, and that was to deliver them from the bondage of these ungodly, pagan, heathen Philistines who believed in many gods, one of whom was named Dagon. Don't forget that.
Now. Sampson had an uncontrollable weakness.
Now I want you to listen carefully. Don't think about somebody else's weakness. I want you to ask yourself the question. What weakness do I have in my life?
Now listen, don't ask the question, God, do I have one? Yes, you do. Every single one of us has one or more areas of weakness in our life. It could be one of many things. It could be, for example, a problem with greed.
You just got to have more and more and more. You say, well, I'm not a wealthy person. You know, you can be poor as you can be and still be greedy. Or you can be wealthy and be greedy.
So it may be that that weakness is greed. Or it could be your weakness is gossip. You've just got to talk about somebody and tell something that you don't know or that you want people to think you know. Or it could be. That the weakness in your life is you have to be number one.
It doesn't make any sense. What you're doing in life, you've got to be number one. You've got to be the best. You have to have some position, or some authority, or some place in life. or it may be as Samson's weakness.
And that is a lust, a sexual lust. This was Samson's weakness. A lust. Sexual involvement that is gratifying something inside of him. And so, whatever it may be.
What you have to ask is, what is that weakness within my life? Because remember, We all have strengths that God gave us to enable us to equip us to do what He wants us to do. He also has allowed each of us to have our weakness or weaknesses in order to remind us how dependent we are upon Him and When we utilize and respond correctly, it drives us to God, motivates us to get into a deeper, intimate relationship with Him so that whatever this weakness is, it may be controlled. And we can live our lives successfully and faithfully, fruitfully, and devotedly to God.
Now With Samson, it's very clear what his problem was. He had a very definite weakness when it came to his sexual lust. And so If you'll notice there are three women here that are mentioned, there could have been 33 because the Bible nowhere tells us all the details that go on in any given instance. And so what you have is you have this woman at Timnah. And then you have this prostitute in Gaza, and then there's Delilah.
There are only three of them mentioned. But all three of them, I want you to think about this for a moment. Not a single one of these persons. is good for Sampson. But Delala is not quite like the rest of them.
She has this awesome, overwhelming impact and effect in his life. And the scripture says, verse 4: After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek. whose name was Delilah.
Now, each time the Philistines have done the same thing.
Now, watch this. The Philistines, the Lord of the Philistines, came up to her and said to her, You see, they already had been watching him and knowing that. she being the kind of woman she was. What was going on between them? They knew it, and so they said.
Entice him or how do you think? They expected her to entice him, just talking to him, not indeed. Entice him and see where his great strength lies. and how we may overpower him, that we may bond him to afflict him. We'll each give you 1100 pieces of silver.
Now that 1100 If it were just $1,100 instead of each one, it'd been about $5,000 in our time today, but So she had the opportunity of being a very wealthy woman. The scripture says he loved her. That is She really made an impression on him.
So Delilah said to Samson, now can't you hear her saying this? Oh, please tell me where your great strength is. and how you may be bound to afflict you.
Now isn't that a stupid question? You think any man in his right mind would say, why would you want to bind me and afflict me? I thought this was supposed to be a wonderful relationship and We're both satisfying each other.
Now, you're asking me. How you can bind me to afflict me, but watch this. Weakness blinds the human heart. Weakness, sin blinds the human heart. blinds the mind.
Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound them with them.
Now she had men lying in wait in a room, and so she said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. But he snapped the cords as a string of toe snaps when it touches fire, so his strength was not discovered. You think, no, wait a minute, what kind of woman is this? Been going to bed with each other, having sex, let's just face it like it is. And she wants to know how to afflict him.
She told him: How do I afflict you and bind you? And so he gives her some deceitful answer, and sure enough, that's exactly what she does. This will show you had deeply in bondage. Sampson was. His lust.
His sexual lust was so strong He had to know. This woman is not good for me. There's something wrong. Blinded. Listen what happens.
Then Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies.
Now, please tell me how you may be bound. He said to her, If they bind me tightly with new ropes, which have not been used, then I'll become weak and be like any other man.
So Delilah took new ropes, bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. For the men were lying in wait in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.
Now you'd think any man in his good common sense at all would say, two strikes and you're out. Two strikes and you're out. Listen to this. Then Dilava said to Samson, Up till now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be bound.
And he said to her, if you weave the seven locks, of my hair with a web, and fasten it with a pin. then I'll become weak and be like any other man.
So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web. She fastened it with a pin and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web. Three times. What does it take to get your attention?
Three times she does it.
Somebody says, I'd never let that happen to me. It depends upon how many times you've already given in to your area of weakness. Look at this. It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him. that his soul was annoyed to death.
What happens between this man and Joseph are two different things. The Bible says that Potiphar's wife, day after day, came on to Joseph, trying to entice him to go to bed with her. and he would not do it.
So, same situation. It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him that his soul was annoyed to death.
So, he told her all that was in his heart. and said to her, A razor has never come on my head. For I've been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man. Then Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, Sent and called the Lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up once more.
He's told me all that's in his heart. The Lord's Philistines came up to her and brought her money in their hands. They believed him. She made him sleep on her knees. Called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair.
Then she began to afflict him and his strength left him. She said, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. He woke from his sleep and said, I'll go out at other times and shake myself free. But he did not know That the Lord had departed from him. What a tragedy.
over and over and over again. God warned him and warned him and warned him and warned him. And what happened? His weakness now was not cords. and robes.
and chains. His Bondage now. was that his heart His mind, his spirit was absolutely, totally given over to the indulgence of lust for sex. Absolutely bound him. And what happened when he gave away the secret?
He jumped up to do the same thing he'd always done. And all of a sudden, He didn't have the strength.
Now. Here is the strongest man. destroyed by The weakness, one weakness, a lust. for gratification. By sex.
Didn't work. Never works, can't work. It's not the will of God for it to work. You see, weaknesses are not to be played with. They're not to be toyed with.
They're not to be ignored. that to be recognized. You say well, how do I deal with it? Here's what you do. You're honest enough.
to identify what that weakness is in your life. You acknowledge it. And you confess it to God, God, I just have to acknowledge this is an area, or these are areas of weakness in my life. And then you ask God. to make you alert.
God make me alert. to the first moment. I see This weakness popping up in my life. to express itself. Make me alert.
Quickly. to identify it. And then you cry out to God, Oh dear God. Strengthen me. Enable me to walk away from this, or not to look at that, or not to get there, not to grasp this, not to go there.
Oh God, strengthen me. And enable me to walk in your will and your way, crying out to God. How many times did David cry to God? He said, this poor man cried out to God and God delivered him. And that's why he tells us to cry out to him to deliver us.
And then listen. What you do is you walk away from You turn your eyes from You no longer seek after You do not manipulate. You choose to walk in the will of God. You say, but I just don't know that I can do that. If you're a child of God, you have within you the Holy Spirit.
Who is there to enable you, strengthen you, guide you, guard you, protect you. Listen, you can be obedient to God if you choose to do so. But if you continually gaze at something, That is an area of weakness in your life. You cannot continually gaze at it or go in that direction or become a part of or relate to something that is going to destroy you and pray, Oh God, help me on your way there. That's not the way it works.
It is confession. And listen, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit. to enable you to walk away. That's how we deal with those weaknesses. Thank you for listening to The Consequences of Uncontrolled Weakness.
For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
