| Photo by Laura Baker on Unsplash
Someone said: “If you play with fire long enough, you will get burned.” This is the same thing with temptation; if you play with temptation long enough, you will sin. This is the story of Samson in Judges 16:
In verse 17, “Finally, Samson shared his secret with her…” He finally gave in and disobeyed God and told the secret of his strength. Samson fell asleep, and she called in a man to shave his head. In verse 19, “In this way, she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.”
She calls Samson. The Philistines have come to capture you. And here is one of the saddest verses in the Bible: “When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free. But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.”
How often do we compromise and play with temptation, and when we give in, we lose His Peace, Presence, and Power in our lives?
That is why we must flee temptation and not play with temptation. Samson gave in to temptation, and he paid a great price.
Lord, help me to follow Jesus in the times of temptation. “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” Lord, that is my prayer today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Church (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
