In reading Judges 14 during a recent personal devotion time, I came away with some thoughts which I wish to share with you.
Do not trust your emotions; trust God’s spirit within you!
Have you ever made an emotional decision? Your struggling with a project, a plan, a grand new and exciting adventure. You have put everything you have into this decision. You have a great deal invested emotionally, financially, physically, even spiritually. You think you know what you are to do and you are following the process as best as possible.
You keep at it, working through the particularities of the plan. Yet other things are vying for your attention, taking your focus off the grand plan you are working with and causing headaches, sleepless nights, and personal issues. You become sidetracked, your focus is changed or distorted. Stress overcomes you as the external factors begin to intervene and the end does not seem as clear as the beginning, as the waters get really muddy.
At last you make an emotional decision. You give up; you give in. You abandon the plan that has taken so much out of you. The pressures are more than you can bare.
Pressure when it is too much is a huge factor to the change of mind; but it is only the beginning of the real problem. The real problem comes when you begin to deal with the fallout of giving in and giving up. Explaining, excusing, even entering into a time of depression over the great loss is a real problem.
We are emotional people. Some say that women are more emotional than men, but the truth is we are all emotional beings. It depends on how we deal with the emotion. There is nothing wrong with being emotional-it is the way God made each of us. The problem is how we deal with our emotions. When we allow our emotions to drive our actions that is when we get ourselves in trouble.
It is where we find Samson in Judges 14:11-19
When the Philistines saw him, they brought 30 men to accompany him. “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes. But if you can’t explain it to me, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let’s hear it.” So he said to them: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle. On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?” So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so ⌊why⌋ should I explain it to you?” She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people. On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? So he said to them: If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow, you wouldn’t know my riddle now! The Spirit of the LORD took control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house, and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him. Judges 14:11-20 (HCSB)
Pay close attention here to Samson. He allowed his impulses and his emotions to lead him into doing something rather drastic. This was instead of being led by God’s Spirit. He made one wrong decision after another. Never did Samson correct course, but even with it is time to pay the consequences for his own actions, still, God’s strength never leaves him.
Our strength comes from the Lord. He made us to be warriors and this is the reason we must let Him and His Spirit within us to lead us.
We must discern what, when, where, how to fight and fight for only the thinks worth fighting for.
Do not trust your emotions; trust God’s spirit within you!
JWF