FAITH CAPSULE: A careless sleep over the word of God is a slip-up that will expose man to untimely death.

Judges 16

It is written, “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” (Judges 16:1-2) Samson could not be killed because of the word of God upon his life. Before he was born, God sent His word through His angel who declared that Samson should be a Nazirite (not to drink wine; not to eat anything unclean and no razor should touch his hair) from birth for the rest of his life. Time and time again he could not be brought down by forces of the wicked. Once, a lion caught up with him by surprise and he was able to tear up the lion like a young goat (Judges14:5-6). Power demonstration in the life of Samson was uncommon because the word of God was intact in his life.

The spirit of God constantly kept and delivered Samson from trouble. Samson was a mighty man of God. He was above all that attempted to take his life because the hand of God was upon him to keep Him awake and alive. Have you engaged the delivering word of God that is keeping you above or beyond any form of evil agenda? The word that is keeping man from evil agenda must be jealously secured and there should never be a careless sleep over the word of God in man’s life. A careless sleep over the word of God is the avenue to slip-up that will expose man to untimely death. Despite all that God deposited in his life, he overthrew himself when he had a careless sleep. Samson revealed what was to be kept secret to Delilah.

Samson should have seen the warning signs when he engaged Delilah whose name means lustful. Lust and temptation are birds of the same feather. Delilah the lustful one brought temptation to Samson in attempt to terminate Samson before his time. Indeed, Samson entered into a careless sleep after revealing the source of what God had deposited in his life. Judges 16:20 recorded, “And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson! So he awoke from the sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free! But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.’” Samson slip-up was a careless sleep which made him a victim of his enemy where he supposed to be victorious. Samson had a careless sleep; word of God vacated him and was delivered to his enemy. Are you having a careless sleep? Whenever the word of God is violated, becoming a victim of evil agenda is inevitable.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constantly awake in the word of God for your deliverance and preservation.