SAMSON 3

WELCOMING ADDRESS

Hello and welcome here.

Again

This is the third part and we explore futher on the major themes the character of Samson shows us.

Let’s ride in…

CANON BALL

Some time had passed and Samson decided to visit his bride. His plan was to spend time intimately with her since he had left in anger the previous time.

When he arrived and requested for his wife, her father told him that she was now someone else’s wife and it was no other person than the man that had been his bestman. Instead her father offered her younger sister and this infuriated Samson.

He caught three hundred foxes and tied their tails before torching it with fire and setting them loose into the plantations of the Philistines.

When they realised the damage that had been done and connected the dots to Samson’s ex father-in-law, they retaliated by killing the man and his daughter. Then they searched for Samson to also kill him.

Samson had begun his journey back home when he met his people who told him that he was being looked for. Samson agreed to surrender as long as they did not hurt him themselves.

However, when he was confronted by the aggravated Philistines, he had an unexplainable rush of might come on him and using the jawbone of a donkey, he killed about a thousand men.

He was thirsty and tired by the time the fight wss over and he cried out in desperation “God will you allow me to do after this great victory?”

God then created water from the ground around Samson from which he drank from.

He named the place Enhakkore.

He judged Israel for 20 years.

(Story culled from Judges 15. Read chapter for more context).

FIREBALL AND THE JAWBONE

At this point, Samson could be termed as the man with unbridled passion. He had strength but it was not under control.

Power should come with control.

God is God because only He can control the power He holds and that is where His character of being just comes in.

Samson was oblivious. He was a passionate man but lacked wisdom to guide his passion. The wife he had left had been given out and in his passionate fury he turned on the same people who had insisted on coats.

Passion without wisdom will yield haphazard results

He had not thought of the consequences of his actions and this led to the demise of the woman he had wanted to marry.

Another interesting thing to note is that despite being a leader of his people, yet they could not identify or associate with the display of strength he showed. Samson was unable to connect with his people in a way that could direct their focus on the source of his strength.

Using the bone of a dead animal under the supernatural strenght endowed from God, he prevailed over a thousand men.

With God, we will always have victory.

Sometimes, like Samson we are able to trust God for big things but not for simple things. If God was able to deliver Samson with a jaw bone then was it water he could not provide?

Sometimes, what kills our faith in God are the seemingly small things

Samson was a superficial man with a great gift. He knew the purpose of his gift but it was mainly directed towards his personal goals.

Our depth with God will always depend on our ability to take responsibility.

We should take responsibility for the position, and gift God gives us. Only then can we maximize them.

God will do His part, will you do yours?

SUMMARY

LIFE APPLICATION

Knowing what to do with our lives is a big question that we are faced with answering because it determines the decisions we take and affects our life long path.

Purpose is discovered daily but what we do with these discoveries matter more than knowing them.

Abuse is inevitable if we do not understand a purpose of a thing.

REFLECTIONS

  • What are the little things in your life testing your faith in God?
  • Have you been abusing your life?
  • What have you taken responsibility for?
  • Have you lost focus?

Thank you for being here.

Kindly share this post.

See you in the next part.

Stay safe and God bless.

THE DEBORAH SERIES: 3

Preamble

Welcome to the third part of this series.

I will call this part the crux of this series. I am hopeful that the lessons from this part of the study will be a blessing.

TENDER HANDS CAN KILL: AN ORDINARY WOMAN WHO HAD WEAPONS NOT FIT FOR WAR

Judges 4:17-24 (KJV)

Judges 4:17-24 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Jael was the woman that Deborah had prophesied about.

NOT ALL SOFT HANDS ARE SAFE

Jael was the most unlikely woman but that did not make her a safe woman for Sisera.

She was a house wife who supposed to know only how to milk her goats, knead floor and clean the children’s mess.

Sisera confounded with battle ran to a place he believed he would get succor and rest.

He did not go to the company of men but to a woman whose home was deviated from the place of battle.

She was supposed to be a distraction from those pursuing him

Jael’s hands were supposed to be soft and that meant whatever heavy work that would stress her palms were out of the way.

Therefore, just because a person appears gentle and soft, does not mean that they are.

The judge of a person’s character is what they do with situations.

NOT ALL HELP WILL PROTECT YOU

Sisera ran to a family friend’s house and the moment he saw Jael, he felt at ease. She without showing any difference asked him to come and get cover.

She had a different plan for him outside protection.

But he did not know

Not every help is help. Some help offered are invitation to death.

There are help that need to be rejected because in long-term and with far-sight, such help will only lead to destruction and thus should be avoided from the beginning.

Jael went out of the comfort of her home to be easily accessed by Sisera. She offered him milk when he asked for water.

For a man that was stressed, milk was going to place him on a deep rest mode.

Water was going to quench his thirst and keep him alert. Milk, on the other hand was going to make he feel relaxed to the point of sleeping deep.

The help Jael offered was different from the help Sisera asked for

This brings me to say that it is good to observe the help we are receiving when we seek for help.

He proceeded to ask her to stand by the door and distract anyone looking for him but he was not observant enough to realize that he had drank a bottle of milk and not a cup of water.

At his lowest point, he lost alertness.

THE BEST TIME TO STRIKE

Jael had given him milk. He slept off and was under a cover. He had lost guard and was completely disarmed.

Jael knew that she could not attack the warrior when he was fully awake.

She did not have the ability to attack or combat with him when he was awake, so she maximized his sleep.

She used household tools to kill a commander of an army.

It did not matter the tools that were used to kill Sisera, what mattered was that in his position anything could be used to fatally harm him because he could not defend himself.

Matthew 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. (KJV)

This brings me to say that the best time the devil attacks is when we are weak, alone and isolated from real help.

Jael could succeed in striking Sisera down because he had nobody who realĺy cared for his life around. He was alone with her and unfortunately he trusted someone who sided with his enemies.

1 Peter 5:8-9  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (KJV)

Staying in isolation is preparing for danger. It is healthier to be in a company of people who will help truly.

It is important to watch out carefully about our spiritual walk and the way the word of God is transforming and renewing our lives.

When we become lackadaisical about our relationship with God, we gradually let our guard down until all boundaries are crossed to our detriment.

Letting our guard down happens gradual and therefore intentionally seeking God out keeps us on check.

Unexpected attacks give more casualities.

RUN TO GOD

Run to God because your life depends on the action of running to God.

In God, our protection has no ulterior motive.

Sisera’s end was a prophecy fulfilled and he was a man who did not run to God because he had no relationship with God.

Anybody can run to God but a relationship solidifies the request for help

Barak ran to Deborah who ran to God and through prophecy encouraged Barak to go ahead and fight courageously.

Sisera came with armies and in the end was defeated and ran to a woman who ended up being the one to bring him down forever.

Without fighting Sisera directly, Barak only received the end of his enemy.

THE VICTORY GOD GIVES IS FINAL

Questions

  • Do you trust easily?
  • Do you ask for help?
  • Have you been betrayed before?
  • Have you betrayed someone before?
  • What concept do people insinuate about you that is untrue?
  • How eaily do you slack in the things of God?
  • Have you gotten a victory that you did not have to work for?
  • Do you run to God easily?

Extra Thoughts

There is high probability that Jael was fully aware of what was going on for she seemed ready to destroy the enemy of those she could call family.

Even though the Kenites had a good relationship with both sides, they were more affiliated with the Israelites.

Jael shows us that even the least expected person can be harmful.

She fulfilled the prophecy that Deborah. She was the prophecy, the woman who would succeed where Barak failed.

The Bible is heavy on trusting in the Lord and even though this could be hard for many Christians, the truth remains that it is in God can we find the “Peace that passes Understanding”.

It could be difficult trusting God for things that are taking too long but with this study, God is far much able to bring His word to pass. Amen.

SUMMARY

CONCLUSION

The past week has been intriguing and filled with details I am grateful to be part of.

God in His kindness has been teaching me multiple lessons and I trust in His grace to carry me through.

This part is coming at the tail end of the day but in all, I am grateful to write it out before the day ends.

A little note: With what is going on in Ukraine at the time this post is being written, it is important to keep them and other countries that are struggling with war in prayers.

Do not forget to share your thoughts, corrections and suggestions in the comment section.

Kindly share, like and subscribe (if you have not).

A podcast will be shared soon and on the 1st of March, an announcement would be made on ROSECAST

Until next post, stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

BlogMas 3: DAY 19

PEEAMBLE

Today is the 19th day.

It is 6 days to the end of this series.

It has been interesting to be attentive to themes to share daily.

Let’s ride in..

HOW IT WORKS

Every organisation works according to a system.

That is why it is an organisation

Choosing to be part of an organisation yet intentionally against the way it works is paradoxical.

Unless you are a spy

For a system to work, it functions according to a set of rules and to be part of it is to comply with these rules.

Unless you are a revolutionarist with seperate ideas or a self-proclaimed super hero

Therefore, before becoming a part of any body, it is good to know how it works and if you are willing to become part of it.

Amos 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (KJV)

However, there are times when systems undergo reform in how they work and this too can be a point of contention.

We make it work when we can agree and this depends on a collective understanding of the main goal.

That is if the main goal is accepted

FIGHTY FIGHTY

Still talking about systems and agreements. There are those whose main aim of being part of any system is to cause dissension.

They joined for that purpose

They have reasons which may be noble according to them. However, their presence only causes more division.

Division is not always negative

Sometimes, division can be an opening for liberation from systems that have proven to be harmful.

Paradoxical right?

However, this is not the norm. It is not usual to be part of a system with the sole aim of causing havoc

As per fighty fighty the fighter

It is not noble to always be the troublemaker.

And the one fill of bad language. Aka

NOT EVERY TIME

It is not every time you respond.

Sometimes allow people.

Including the ones who refuse to be reasonable

It is not every time you respond.

Sometimes keep quiet and save your spit.

It will still waste one way or the other

It is not every time you respond.

Some people do not deserve to be responded to.

Because they have proven they do not want your response or will not consider it

NOW TO YOU

Do you believe in systems?

Are you often the troublesome one in group settings?

Did you dream of ever being a spy?

What does ‘normal’ mean to you?

CONCLUSION

Today was unique.

Church was great.

However, I dealt with paradoxical emotions and spent some time on documentaries.

Recently, I feel like I need a secretary for my life.

That would be a post for another day.

Until day 20, stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

30 Days of Intentionally Seeking God: Day 7

Preamble

Today is the 7th day.

Today is one week of this series.

Thank you for being here.

Keep Fighting

Do not give up.

Hold unto God.

Remember His promises.

Do not forget.

God is working.

Do not cave in.

Do not be discouraged.

God is working it out.

Keep fighting.

Fight with God.

Allow God to help you.

Allow God to guide you.

ThE harsh verse

This verse of the Bible is one that is very harsh but is perfectly right.

I am learning to accept it and stop fighting it.

Proverbs 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.(KJV)

The day you give in is the day you lose.

Honestly, it may seem harsh to keep telling a weak person to keep fighting but….

The day you give up is the day you lose.

Everyday is a battle to remain in the will of God and that is why the Lord’s prayer says “Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Remaining in God’s will is a battle.

However, we do not fight with physical weapons. These daily battles are the ones of the mind. Therefore, we need to always be in a state of a sound mind that can be properly functional.

Our minds can be wrecked by unhealthy thoughts which will in turn affect our output, hindering what God desires we do.

How to fight?

You fight from the proper knowledge of who God is and what God has done.

What did God do?

God won. God wins. God keeps winning.

With this knowledge, we have confidence that God backs us up.

There is a passage in the bible that clearly tells us how.

Ephesians 6:10-18  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (KJV)

Recently, I have had to wrestle with thoughts that hurt my mind. They are not kind words from God but lies from the enemy. Lies to dampen my spirit and distract my attention from God’s will for me. However, God in His kindness always gives me reminders (talked about that on day 6)

On my part, I am practicing to meditate on God’s word consistently (Day 4) and pray it into my life.

I sometimes get tired of hoping on the word of God but I know that it is the only thing that can give my spirit relief.

With God in your battle, you have assurance that you will win.

You have God’s backing and so you have unshakable peace. Peace that cannot be altered.

I am enjoying this peace even in situations that are draining and this peace has been a source of comfort and strength.

The confidence that the end will be well is found in God.

The last day of battle

The day we end our daily battle is the day we die.

That is the start of rest for those who have fought well.

Rest is assured for those who did it well.

Prayer

LORD, thank you for today. Thank you for my life. Help me to fight well. Help me to hold on. Grant me strength to keep moving. Help me to be courageous and not cave in. Help me to realize my position and to remain there knowing you are with me. Today, I surrender and rest in your strength, knowing that I am a conqueror. In Jesus name. Amen.

Conclusion

Today, I meditated on God’s peace and how it has helped me so far and still helps me.

My weeks have been filled with events that test my trust in God and I have been scaling through.

God’s peace is real and it is a powerful weapon to keep the mind sane.

Thank you for being here.

Your comments are warmly welcomed.

Stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?

Preamble

Hello!

Finally, this topic is off my drafts. This is one of the topics I have been making too much noise about.

I cannot pinpoint why I found it hard to share it but here I am, finally doing it.

Lets gooo!

Voom🚙💨

Activist

You like to fight for the less privileged?

Eh?

You want to be superman?

Eh?

You want to be a hero?

Eh? Repeating lines

Do you love fighting for rights?

Fighter

Do you love standing up for others?

Or are you standing up for yourself?

Why?

Why are you fighting?

What is the reason?

What is the catalyst?

Who offended you?

Why are you an activist?

Purpose

What are you hoping to achieve after the fight?

That is if you win

Do you think you will win?

Or you know you will win

How will you continue?

As in, what next?

Should anyone learn from you?

Is what you are fighting for worth learning from?

Do you even know where you are going with this your fight?

Or you just want to make noise

If others decide to join you, are they on their own?

As per, watch out for yourself

The Bigger picture

Many of us want to be relevant and if that means joining any crowd, we do not mind.

We just want to be relevant.

Let it be you did not do anything with your life

And sometimes, some of us go as far as jumping into rickety vehicles without realizing that they can harm us in the long run.

Tetanus!

We give our precious time and mind away to poisoning ideas that do not take us anywhere meaningful.

In the name of activism

There is a bigger picture to every smaller picture. There is a reason behind every movement. There is a purpose for the struggle and if you don’t know when will you?

Understanding the purpose of any cause will help you know when its end has come and when confusion has set in.

Many movements in our present day are full of confusion because those involved do not know what they are doing there.

When their supposed needs and demands are met, they look for a reason to create another.

Greetings

Sometimes, we fight for things that we know the answers won’t satisfy us because the trouble is within us and not outside.

Know your struggle.

Know what you are fighting for and why.

Flesh and blood

The Bible with confidence says

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV)

The fight we have as children of God is the one of the heart.

The devil is always seeking to steal our attention from God. Every slight opportunity is one to fill our minds with thoughts that displease God.

We fight against darkness

The real battle is the one of the mind. The place where the Holy Spirit guides us to make decision.

Everyday, choose God

Recently, I was in a conversation with a lovely sister and I shared with her how God had used certain people to teach me about my heart. I learnt to be conscious about my heart frequently and the amount of prayers I had to make in order to maintain a proper frequency with God was good enough to count.

All because of certain people

The devil always wants to poison our hearts with evil thoughts and suggestions. No space is too small for him.

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:(KJV)

And in moments when you feel so close to God, you will realize that the devil tries so hard to strike you down.

This minute you are so in love with Jesus, the next minute you are fighting a hateful thought.

You thought it was coincidence?

This minute you are so full of love for others and even spent time praying for them and showing them care, the next minute you doubt God.

You thought it was ordinary?

Realizing that the Christian life is a constant battle will help us to be vigilant and observant of our thoughts and actions.

What are you thinking?

It would also help us to evaluate our actions through the lens of God’s eyes (His word)

Is God pleased with me today?

I believe this is one of the reasons the Bible encourages us to pray always because in the place of prayer, God exposes us to His light and we see ourselves for who we are.

Psalms 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.(KJV)

When we come before God in humility, He let’s us know where we stand at that present moment before Him.

Nobody meets Jesus in sincerity and remains the same. If a man remains the same is because he was not sincere with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.(KJV)

And if you are like me who knows the fragility of her heart, you won’t allow the devil to plant evil seeds.

Destroy them before they destroy you

As you come before God with a pure heart, He will give you strength to win everyday.

He is always available

Conclusion

When we fight something but don’t what we know what it is for, we lose vision and soon confusion will overwhelm us.

I thought this post would take a different route but it decided to take this route.

Your comments are welcomed.

If you desire to share this post, go ahead please

Until the oldest draft is written…… wait…. until next post

Stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

Blogmas 2: Day 15

Preamble

Before I rush to meet up, I will share this post before time elapse or before time almost elapsed.

What I meant is I almost chose sleep but I do not want to repeat yesterday’s rush hour.

Let’s dive in.

…..Pause

Many things have happened and in retrospect, they are a summary of some of the topics I have shared since this blogmas began.

I don’t want to repeat myself

This blogmas series has been a documentary of my daily reflection and in honesty, today’s reflection would be kept private until when it is the right time to share.

So, for today I will say

Pause and breathe

I am also saying that to myself

Today is the 15th and in 10 days time, this series would be completed.

Until then, remain alive ❤

Keep breathing

Psalms 46:10-11  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. (KJV) 

Wait… .. Fight!

I will share this reflection.

And so today, I realized that there are certain things you may not experience or receive unless you fight for it!

Fight?

Yes! Fight!

I don’t like fighting. I don’t like shouting

Me, I no like stress

But I have been learning that keeping that attitide may not be helpful all the time.

There are times when you need to show that you are interested in getting what you want.

Today, I had to insist on examining a patient and the culprit was the same teacher I mentioned previously.

Even though he still had a way of still putting me off, I was pleased that I was able to do participate in what I wanted to do.

As I thought on it, this verse to mind

Matthew 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (KJV) 

Only those who are ready will be prepared.

Only the prepared ones are ready.

And this verse

 Proverbs 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. (KJV) 

This verse usually pokes me and I won’t lie, it is not a favourite but that does not stop it’s message.

……

Another pause……

Now to you

What you want to share?

STAY WELL AND BLESSED

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway