– Scripture:

                  (Red Flags) Doing It Our Way

Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife.” His parents said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the one I want—she’s the right one.” (His father and mother had no idea that God was behind this, that he was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines. At the time, the Philistines lorded it over Israel.) Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When he got to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came at him, roaring. The Spirit of God came on him powerfully, and he ripped it open barehanded, like tearing a young goat. But he didn’t tell his parents what he had done. Then he went on down and spoke to the woman. In Samson’s eyes, she was the one. Some days later, when he came back to get her, he made a little detour to look at what was left of the lion. And there a wonder: a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass—and honey! He scooped it up and kept going, eating as he went. He rejoined his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he didn’t tell them that he had scooped out the honey from the lion’s carcass. His father went down to make arrangements with the woman while Samson prepared a feast there. That’s what the young men did in those days. Because the people were wary of him, they arranged for thirty friends to mingle with him.

                                      Judges 14:1-11 MSG

 – Reflection:

The church message today was very good. We are still in our series called “Red Flags.” The message surrounded Samson and the red flags he should have noticed as he went through the early stages of his ascension into the power God had blessed him with. A few of the red flags that he should have noticed were choosing a woman outside the Israelite faith was the first one, going down to a vineyard was the second, and killing something without a tool so his hands don’t touch something dead. We all know and have heard the stories of Samson, and these are the red flags he posted for me, at the beginning of his walk with God. He was supposed to be the one who saved the Israelites and gave himself over to the power of God; instead, he used the power of God for himself; in a roundabout kind of way, God still got what he wanted in the Philistines taken out in the end, but his tragedy had to happen for it to take place.

Where do we go from here?

What has God placed in your path that you can or could have helped, and everything went every which way but right? Somehow, though, God still was able to reap a reward from that power grab or drug deal, or adulterous situation. The thing is, if we had just done as he asked first, the reward from our Father would have been so much sweeter and more gratifying. Doing it our way is what gets us late to the blessing table. Since starting my walk a few years ago I can a lot of things where if I had only listened the first time; man!!!! Now from where I started, things are so much better. Problems no longer seem so big, a conversation can cure a lot, trickery is not necessary anymore. Find you a place to pray the Lord’s Prayer and the prayer of acceptance and begin your walks with Christ. You will see, too, the peace that will come into your life as well.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for helping me to spot “Red Flags” and notice the things that may make it difficult. All the glory and praise you are honored with by us each is well deserved if only because of the things you remove from our paths. Thank you, Father, for keeping our homes and jobs safe while we dwell within them and while away. It is an honor to be in your presence each and every day. Amen.