I. Judges 14 II

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Series: By Faith: Their Story, Your Story

SAMSON: Faith Busters—How to Maintain Spiritual Strength Judges 13-16, Hebrews 11:32

Lesson #2 

Pastor Jeff Gilmore August 24, 2014

When you get criticized, just remember... 1) If it is true, listen and learn from it.  You learn more from your critics than from your fans.

Three qualities that will weaken your spiritual life and minimize your ability to carry out God’s mission for your life:

I. _________________ _________________

2) If it is untrue, ignore it and forget it.

Samson’s First Mistake: He began to make decisions based on pleasure rather than principle. When we begin to live our lives based on pleasure and convenience rather than conviction—we are on our way to losing our spiritual strength, wrecking our lives, and abandoning God’s mission!

Lesson #1 

To maintain spiritual strength I must __________________ __________________ __________________!

II. ____________________________________

3) Ultimately realize that God is the only judge of your life

Judges 14

“Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, ‘I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.’” Judges 14:1-2

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To maintain spiritual strength I must __________________ __________________ __________________!

Judges 15

“And Samson said to them, ‘This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistine, when I do them harm.’” Judges 15:3

III. ______________________________________ 

Samson’s Third Mistake: Samson was careless by toying with temptation by seeing how close he could get without giving in. “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3 (NIV) “But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”

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You cannot hold onto grudges and to the Savior at the same time. Resentment will sap spiritual strength out of your life and you will not be in a position to finish God’s marathon. When you lose your cool, you lose your credibility!

Judges 16:20

“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21

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Consistent carelessness can lead to spiritual abandonment.

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No one has ever fallen off the cliff of character overnight!

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Failure of character happens when we fail to take God seriously.

“Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, ‘Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?’ And he said to them, ‘As they did to me, so have I done to them.”

Samson’s Second Mistake: Reacting rather than acting in faith to life.

If we are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power and stand against the Devil’s wiles: We have got to live above reproach!

“’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

“And Samson said to them, ‘If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.’” Judges 15:7

Judges 15:11

Judges 16

Lesson #3 

To maintain spiritual strength I must __________________ __________________ __________________! 

You are only as strong as what you are least committed to.