Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

. in one fell swoop, he takes out a huge part of the Philistine population, by faith4. Samson’s spiritual maturity came when he could recognize a higher power than himself andthat he was subject to God’s mandates; his blindness was figuratively healed as his strength returnedwhen he called on GodII. Practical ApplicationsA. Flirting With Sin1. most children are fascinated by fire; that is why we warn axiomatically about playing withmatchesa. we understand that fire possesses destructive capabilities, but the awesome power and edgydanger of fire entice us to flirt with it just a bitb. we like to run our fingers through a flame, tempting it to singe the flesh a little2. when we reach adolescence, we find that sin holds the same appeal and we begin a similarrelationship with hera. while not jumping bodily into her arms, we commence a flirtation and hope she will winkback; we are not looking for spiritual adultery, just a little flingb. enticement becomes the bait on the devil’s fishing pole that lures us close so that he canreel us in3. perhaps that is why God is so adamant that we steer wide and clear of temptationa. Paul quotes a Greek poet in First Corinthians 15:33: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”b. but how we love to flirt with danger and dare the devil to make his movec. we see him as a pussy cat when in fact, he is a roaring lion seeking our souls to devour (cf.First Peter 5:8) (Second Corinthians 11:14-15)d. we become willing participants in the deception, agreeing to the fantasy that the devil purrsbut never bites4. consider some examples of flirting with temptationa. hanging out with people who drink, do drugs or fornicate but asserting that you will not beinfluenced or pressured to join in (Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1)b. attending immoral forms of entertainment with the pretense that you will avert your eyesand ears every time something objectionable appears (Job 31:1)c. engaging in heavy petting before marriage or attending dances with the promise thatnothing will happend. going to places where sin is the prime objective and pretending that you are there foranother reason (cf. e.g. bars and nightclubs)5. the worst mistake we can make is to see how close we can get to sin; instead, we should stay asfar away as possiblea. if you have ever seen a burn victim, scarred by his own carelessness, you have seen afigure of a person burned and scarred after flirting with temptationb. we can commend the weak brethren in Rome for at least erring on the side of safety inturning away from things they thought could be sinful (Romans 14:23)B. Unfaithfulness Renews Slavery1. Samson’s betrayal of his vow landed him in slavery to his most hated enemy, thePhilistines2. our unfaithfulness to God lands us in the hand of our great adversary, the devil (Second Peter2:18-19 and Galatians 4:1-7)3. it is not so amazing that almost every sinful thing has an addictive nature to it, an intangiblequality that plants a seed in a sinner’s heart to remind him of iniquity’s forbidden pleasure and entice himto return once more4. it is paradoxical and ironic that many consider rebellion to be a mark of strength whenrebellion includes addictions and shortcomings that a person is too weak or ignorant to overcomea. sin is shortsightedness and blindness, an impairment of discernmentb. sin is license, not liberty and ultimately is enslavement to the eternal enemy of mankind5. putting the manacles of sin back upon your hands and feet brings harsh judgment (cf. FirstPeter 2:20-22)54! Jeff S. Smith