Old Habits Die Hard
Old Habits Die Hard
Judges 16:1-2a
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city.
Whether you’re male or female, young or old, a new believer or a seasoned saint, look yourself in the mirror right now, straight in the eyes, point a stern, prophetic finger at your reflection, and say these words—“I am so weak—I am so poor—I am so wretched—I am so unfaithful—I am so incapable of giving God the purity and loyalty and righteousness His love deserves—I need the LORD’s help!” Then say that same thing again tomorrow, and the next day, and two months from now, and twenty years from now, and don’t let up until the good LORD calls you home.
Friend, if we stop preaching the hard truth of our condition to ourselves first, if we convince ourselves that twenty years of spiritual service and successful leadership makes us bulletproof against lust and greed and bitterness or perhaps gives us leeway to enjoy some sinful pleasure on the side as a reward for our service—like the prominent pastor who was recently caught in a web of adulteries, yet proclaimed that his harem was a gift from God for years of ministry—then we’re leading our souls and our households and our churches toward a cataclysmic fall.
Maybe Samson thought he could get away with a little promiscuity here in Gaza, that word wouldn’t reach his parents, that he could serve God in public while embracing sin in private. Or maybe he’s at his strongest point spiritually, and he’s been pure ever since the Philistines burned his bride decades earlier, but this alluring call from a seductress suddenly catches him off guard and thrusts him right back into that old habit of following his eyes rather than God’s Word. Whatever the case, Samson must’ve looked himself in the mirror that morning and saw a strong, successful man, rather than a weak, frail man in grave need of God’s sanctifying strength.
Friend, we’ve got enemies lying in wait outside our door today, ready to ambush our faith the moment we try to walk out in your own strength. Let’s keep them waiting for all eternity, shall we?