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Foreign
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this episode is brought to you by no CD. Have you guys ever had a really stressful unwanted thought pop up during worship? Maybe it made you feel like you needed to start your prayer over because it wasn't right or perfect, filled you with shame or caused crushing guilt because it felt like it offended God. A lot of people have thoughts like these, including me and Ange. And trust us, we know how scary and isolating they can be to struggle with. They can even lead to compulsive behavior like constantly asking for reassurance, punishing yourself or having bad thoughts, or worrying about participating in religious practices like praying incorrectly. But here's what changed for us Learning that these thoughts aren't character flaws or signs of weak faith. They might be symptoms of religious ocd, also known as scrupulosity. OCD is really misunderstood, so a lot of people are surprised to learn that it can focus on religion. But it's true. OCD can latch onto anything you deeply care about, including your faith. And when it does, it can be devastating. But there's hope because with the right kind of therapy, OCD is highly treatable. That's where NOCD comes in. With nocd, you can do a virtual therapy designed specifically for ocd. There are licensed therapists that deeply understand OCD as well as your faith and how important it is in your life. They'll help you work through these thoughts using Exposure and Response Prevention, or erp, a type of specialized therapy that's the most proven treatment for ocd. NOCD also accepts major insurance plans including United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna and more, and provides always on support between your therapy sessions. If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone. NOCD can help. Visit nocd.com to schedule a free 15 minute call and learn more. That's nocd.com to learn more and book a free call from Lashes for days
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That's thrive Cosmetics. C A U S E M E
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T d I c s.com shine26. All right, ladies. Wow.
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Ladies and men, Ladies, I meant you
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and Jesse slash Andy.
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Andy. Andy. He's starting to look like an Andy, isn't he?
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No. At least not his poor name is. His name is Jesse. Not his poor name. Did you get your eyebrows laminated?
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I didn't. I filled him with. Him with eyeshadow this morning.
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That's what I do.
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I actually love it. Does it look bad?
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It looks really good.
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Really?
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But. But you. Does it look.
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Picasso.
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A
Picasso. But did you, like. Yeah. Glue them up?
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Yeah.
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What is it called? Nut glue. I can't see anything.
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Yeah, I glued him up. I glued him up. Glued them up.
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Glued them up. Glued them up. All right, guys, today we're talking about sex.
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I actually. Today we're talking about Samson and Delilah. And I told my girlfriend, she is from where I'm from, and she moved to Miami. And I told her how we were reading Samson, Delilah, and she was like, samson and Delilah is the reason how I found Jesus and how I changed my life. And she wrote me this text. I go, why? And she told me, I can read it out loud, but can I read it to you guys? I thought this was so. I love her. Me too.
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I'm not jealous of Ari having other friends, guys. I'm not.
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I love her. She wrote. I go, why did it. Why did it change you? And she said, the book of Samson and Delilah changed my life. Because a few days before they dissected those pages in church, I was struggling with sin and feeling so empty. I was getting sick of the temporary highs. The money and sex weren't fulfilling me. And I saw how Samson only felt pleasure for a season. A quick fix. I knew certain people in my life were causing me to go in the opposite direction that God wanted me in. She said, I felt like Jonah. I was in the belly of the wheel. But God dropped me off right where I was supposed to be that day. He met me right there when the summary of the text was, what are you flirting with? I. Because that's what they said in her Bible study. And she said, I knew I was flirting with temptation, but at this point, it had taken over me. I learned God's grace through the text and saw that time and time again, God showed up for Samson even though he wasn't deserving of it. Right then and there, I gave my life to Jesus. I refused to miss the calling God had on my life for my own temporary desire.
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Let's go. Okay, little miss Preacher.
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I was like, oh, my gosh. But I remember when she was studying Samson and Delilah.
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Wow.
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And her whole life transformed through that Bible study of it.
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Well, I am so excited. I truly believe that people's lives are actually gonna get transformed by reading Samson and by reading this book or this chapter in Judges today. Really quick. Hi, I'm Angela.
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It was the first time you said Angela.
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I know. I didn't like it. Hi, I'm Ange.
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Let's say our full names today.
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Okay? Hi, I'm Angela.
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And I'm Ariel.
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Who's that? Hi, I'm Ange.
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And I'm Ari.
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And this is Girls Gone Bible. We are a faith based podcast where we talk all things spirituality, mental health, relationships. We basically take people and walk them through the Bible. We walk them through journeying with God. We love Jesus so much here. He saved our lives, transformed our lives. If it weren't for Jesus, we'd be dead in a ditch.
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We would be dead in a ditch.
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Literally. Not kidding. I can't do anything. I was talking to some people the other day and I was like, whatever. I'm asking, like, about spending time with Jesus. Like, what's a pro? Like, you know, I just am curious of what people's measures are and how much time they spend with Jesus. And I talked to someone who's kind of like, you know, gave the argument that you don't have to spend that much time with God, like, in quiet. I don't obviously agree with that, but I genuinely came back and I was like, can I ask you a question, though? What about for people who are like a little bit, like, unwell, like, come from a really broken background and dark history, like, I. Like I. And he goes, they're like, no, no, no. That's good. Some people really do need. And it's good to know, like, if you need more time with him. Anyway, I say that to say, like, I need Jesus because I go, I fly off the handle quick.
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Do you think that's why Paul said it's good that you have a thorn in your flesh because it keeps you so close.
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Yeah, yeah. That's the point of it. So it's power. It could be made perfect in our weakness.
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You were talking about how your anxiety, all this stuff. I'm thinking about when my mom said, Ariel, she called me up to me and Angela talking about our toes and our feet and how hers look like a hand and my toes curl over. And she goes, you guys really got to take it down a notch. I mean, you want to get married and you talk about how your toes curl over.
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I know. We were so unhinged that day. It was not okay, by the way. The updo is up doing so well right now.
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The up doing is up doing
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it. I love it. You look so. It's beautiful.
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I love a good little updo once in a while.
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You look so good.
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I'm sick of my hair half up every day.
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If you weren't a minister of the gospel, you would be acting in period pieces. I'm being so serious. Why?
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I'm with child.
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Okay, guys, before we get into the whole episode today, we want to remind you that we came out with a devotional. It's called out of the Wilderness. It's called out of the 31 devotions to walk with God through your hardest seasons. And we love this devotional now more than we ever have. I think the testimonies that have come out of this devotional are absolutely breathtaking and insane. To Ari and I. Our biggest prayer with the devotional, with Tor, with the podcast, with Instagram stories or Instagram posts or little videos that we make is that they lead you to an encounter with Jesus. Everything that we do, we just pray is never done in vain, and that it just leads you into God's presence. And I feel like we've gotten so many messages of people being like, I am experiencing God through this devotional, and that's so crazy. And I think, like, we're surprised because we're like. You'd never know. You'd never think. We had no idea. We just. We. We. We can't even believe it. So thank you to every single person who's gotten our devotional. We'd love to hear your comments about it in the comment section and tell us. And, yeah, I just. I think it's really good for. It would be good for every single person to get this devotional and learn from our mistakes and our tragedies and our experiences and see, like, the faithfulness of God through it.
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Yeah. You're not alone.
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Right.
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Because we've been through it all, and we wrote it all in that book. Yeah.
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So I just want to read you guys a little bit out of my devotional, because we're reading from Judges, chapter 16 today. The story of Samson and Delilah, where basically, Samson, it's all his fault. It's really not Delilah's fault, but we all have Delilah's that get sent into our lives to manipulate, to deceive. Sometimes they don't even do it on purpose, but, like, anybody can use. Be used in a way that's not actually beneficial for your life. And so I wrote about this relationship that I was in that was a very short relationship, and it was many years ago. I had. I was very young, just started following Jesus, like, basically Just got sober. Love my exes. We love them all.
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Sure.
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We love everybody. This was so long ago.
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We really do love everybody.
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And it was so you. And it's basically. It's basically, it's called what's Done in the Dark. I want to show you guys our devotional cutie. It's called what's Done in the Dark. And I basically talk about the only time that I've ever been kind of cheated on. And basically, long story short, I write all about it. I caught my boyfriend, who I was, like, so in lust with, like, thought I was so in love with. So much lust, so much deception. Weird soul ties. Obviously not walking in purity. Absolutely no shame. This is the life that I was living. That's who I was. And I had no idea. And it was really. I had, like, just started following Jesus or just like started loving Jesus. And I write about this betrayal that I went through. And like Samson and Delilah. So Delilah ultimately betrays Samson, but Samson trusted her. And, like, the whole point of walking with Jesus is that he gives us discernment. And the Holy Spirit speaks. The Holy Spirit speaks and he tells you maybe not right away, and maybe he allows people into your life to build that discernment, to build that faith in God. But this person came into my life and our whole relationship was built on lust. And I was so blinded. And so. And you'll read in Samson and Delilah, like, Samson also was blinded by the temptation, by the manipulation, by the deception. And so I'll just read a little bit of this. Like, I've always enjoyed my birthday. However, the year I turned 26 was different. It was sad, to say the least. Mainly because it marked the one and only time I was cheated on. I had been dating someone new and it was the most beautiful, whirlwind romance. I loved him and he loved me. I was convinced he was the one. Thank you, Jesus. To the thank you, Jesus. That the ones that we thought were the one ended up not being the one. If you're watching this right now and you thought that was your one or the one, I just want you to know it wasn't the one. And, like, I'm just so grateful. Be grateful. Yeah. If you're in the thick of a breakup, you're in the thick of heartache, you're in the thick of betrayal. Just know you will get to the other side of it. No feeling is final. You're not always going to feel like this. I thought I was going die from the situation. A few days before my birthday, I sensed A shift in the relationship. The intense love I had been experiencing had turned cold. There was a massive disconnect, a withdrawal. If you've ever been intensely loved and then had that person draw back, you know what I'm talking about. The shift caused me so much anxiety, so much confusion, so much pain. I knew something was wrong, but I just didn't know what. Fortunately, my faithful Holy Spirit was moving and speaking and doing things in his perfectly divine timing. I spent days in constant desperate prayer asking God to reveal to me what was going on behind the scenes. Had I done something wrong? Did he just not love me anymore? Was it all in my head? I was impatient and anxious and I begged God to give me an answer. But it felt as though God had gone silent. Still, amid the soul crushing anxiety, I faintly heard his voice encouraging me to be patient. The answers would come. And then basically I go into the story about how literally the Holy Spirit got this person to tell me the truth about a situation he was lying about. And I write all about it. You guys want to get the book? It's crazy.
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It's a really good story.
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A
And I just, I. I read this because I want you guys to know this was a situation that I was under so much deception. This was not love. This was all lust. I was so blinded, I couldn't even see the red flags in front of me because I was so full of sin. First of all, I wasn't. I didn't have the spiritual awareness, I didn't have biblical knowledge to know, you know, Corinthians 13, that like what love is, that it's patient, it's kind, it's real, it's pure. I didn't know these things. And so I was settling for a counterfeit community too, right? Nope. Community. It was me and sermons and like not nothing, Nothing. I had nobody. And I had so much sin in my body and it blinded me. Sin blinds you. You can literally hear if you have sin, like running rampant in your body, in your life, you can hear the truth of God and it do nothing to you and it will not pierce your heart. Cuz you're so blinded. And so in this situation, guys, I was so blinded by lust and I just want to encourage anyone who's listening and that if you're in a relationship that's full of lust, it's not love. True love is not lustful. True love is not what you can gain. True love is not somebody leading you to the bedroom to have sex with you outside of marriage. It's just not. And I Know that can be really confusing. And I know that it's so hard, but I know that if you're watching right now and you're in a relationship, even if you guys aren't having sex, you. But, you know, there's lust. You know, there's like something. This man or this woman isn't looking at you. Right. They're sexualizing your body. They're sexualizing you. A girl is coming to you and. And being promiscuous and leading you somewhere that she shouldn't be. Like, you know, this isn't right. Or a guy is looking at you and he's just sexualizing you and speaking to you in ways that don't honor you or honor your body. Like, this is your sign, and this is the Lord speaking to you specifically. That is, it's time to be honest with yourself and that God has something so much better for you, so much more pure, and it's just not real love. And it won't lead you to a good place. This. Luckily, Jesus got me out within, like, three months. It exploded, and it took me a long time to recover from it because I was so deeply woven in. Lust is something that, like, gets its nails into your neck, it's claws into your neck, and, like, will not let go of you. So I just encourage. I don't have anything, like, amazing to say other than end it while it's. While it's early. Do not let yourself be in this, like, lustful entanglement for longer than you need to because it gets that much harder to get out of. And then it's that much more destructive, you know? Yeah.
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Sin leads to death, guys.
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Yeah.
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And there's consequences and soul ties when it's not in the covenant in marriage.
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Yeah.
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That's all I'll say. Yeah.
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And we want pure relationships. We want holy relationships. We want relationships that honor God. We want people. People to look at us in a way that is like, oh, that's how Jesus looks at me. And he doesn't look at us in, like, a dirty, weird way. Yeah. Today we're reading the story of Samson and Delilah. We're going to turn to Judges chapter. I think Ari and I would encourage you guys. We're just going to read from chapter 16 today, but we would encourage you guys to go and read the whole story of Samson, which starts at Judges. Judges. Judges 13 to 16.
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Or.
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A
No, it's longer than 16. The story of Samson is really, really insane. So basically, the whole book of Judges, it's in the Old Testament. It is a Story of the Israelites running away from God after they had finally got to the promised land. We see the Israelites in absolute chaos, absolute destruction, consistently falling to disobedience by means of idolatry. We see the Israelites complaining, disobeying, being so unfaithful, falling away constantly, like it really is a mess. And during this time, they have no king. And so God keeps sending judges. That's why the book is called Judges. God would raise up these judges from children to be like his chosen one, to go and lead and deliver the Israelites. And. And the issue was that the Israelites were disobedient. And then the people that God would choose to bring up and raise up are also morally flawed and weak, and they would also fall into idolatry and they would also mess up. And so it was judge after judge after judge. Like the Judges were meant to rescue the Israelites, bring them out of oppression, but they would find themselves doing the same thing that the Israelites were doing. And so it was. It's this cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance, which is like what we go through all the time. You sin and then you get oppressed and enslaved by your sin, and then your entire life is a mess. The Israelites are under so much oppression, so much slavery, and then eventually, finally, they cry out to God and they say, please forgive us. Please come rescue us. This is their repentance. And then God is faithful to always come and rescue them and always come and deliver them. But he does it again and again and again and again. And so Judges, I think, is like 21 chapters where almost every single judge, except a select few, all fail. And I was talking to my pastor who told me that, like, the book of Judges is not a story of redemption. It's not a story. Like it's. It's literally a book telling you who not to be and what not to be be.
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Exactly.
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A
You know, and just like the frailty of being human and how easily manipulated we are, how easily deceived we are. What do you think about Samson?
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Oh, Samson, it's just. Teaches you exactly what not to do. Samson was a man who had the favor of God and did the complete opposite. He was egotistical. He thought, I have so much favor, I can do whatever I want. He abused God's grace over and over and over again. So we just read through this. I just. Please, after we. We really don't have time to. I honestly look at all my notes I write. I went crazy reading this story because it's so good. It's so good. But just if you guys can, after this episode or when you have time.
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A
Yeah.
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Read the story of Samson before 16. So really start on 13.
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13, yeah, start on chapter 16.
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It shows his rebellion and all the little sins that up and how he completely just went against God and how he was the strongest man in the Bible, and you see how weak he is.
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A
So I'm, like, reading commentaries, and I wanted to read you this. The difference between Samson and Deli. Like, listen to how crazy this is. So Samson was a Nazarite, chosen by God to deliver Israel from the Philistines. So he was a judge, raised up from birth. And, like, the whole point of Samson's story is that, like Ari said he was, he had insane strength because the spirit of God was within him. With the spirit of God within it, within him, he was actually unbeatable. And God gave him, like Ari said, so much favor to deliver Israel from the Philistines. He was known for supernatural strength, which was tied to his uncut hair as part of his vow to God. So Samson basically was, like, covenanted to God from birth, saying that you're never allowed to drink alcohol and you're never allowed to cut your hair. The second that his hair would get cut, all of his strength would go away. And Samson basically represents all that's wrong with Israel during the period of Judges and really what's wrong with us today. He's dedicated from birth to be God's special servant, but he consistently breaks his vows. And every single one of us are dedicated from birth to be God's chosen one, their daughter or his daughter or his son, with a plan. Like a really specific, unique plan for your life. And we often times give away our favor and give away God's plan for our life because of these little things, the little foxes, the little idolatry, the little things that we get caught up in. And the word Nazarite means to be consecrated and separated. So Samson's whole story is that he is meant from birth to be consecrated and separated unto God, just like we are. Yeah, every single one of us. And then Samson's name in Hebrew means little son. Brightness. The brightness of the sun. Like he was meant, created to be the sun, to be bright, to be light in a dark world. Delilah, the woman that we're going to read about, who comes and seduces Samson, she ultimately betrays him to the Philistines because she discovers he actually gives her the secret of his hair being cut, makes him lose his strength. And her name means to weaken or to bring low.
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Yeah.
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A
And it also can mean night.
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10 Temperance of the night.
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Is it temptress of the night?
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Temptress of the night.
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A
That's so crazy. That's so crazy. Which is a complete contrast and opposite to Samson being the light. And he lets in and is manipulated by Delilah, who is the earth. Samson is the sun, and he's manipulated by Delilah, who is the knight. And her name literally means to weaken. Right. So imagine how many Delilah's we have in our lives. This is a story about light versus darkness, and that's the battle that we're in right now.
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Yeah.
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A
So we're so excited to talk about this.
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B
Let's read Samson and Delilah. Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah who lived in the valley of Sirach. The rulers of the Philistines went to her. And said, entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you a thousand pieces of silver. So Delilah said to Samson, please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely. Samson replied, if I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.
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A
He's lying. Obviously. He's gonna basically give her a few things that are lies and not the actual way to lose his strength.
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Go ahead, turn.
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A
So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them. She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her, and she cried out, samson, the Philistines have come to capture you. But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string. As a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. Let me tell you right now, we are not meant to move light through life in fear and in suspicion and in paranoia of people's motives and all this stuff. However, we are meant to move through life with really strong discernment, being aware that there might be people in your life who have Philistines secretly in your room trying to catch you, trying to throw you off. You know what I mean? This is just like, you have to be so careful who you trust. Yeah. Afterward, Delilah said to him, you've been making fun of me and telling me lies. Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely. Samson replied, if I were tied up with brand new ropes that have never been used, I would Become as weak as anyone else. So Delilah took new rope and tied him up with them. Them the men were hiding in the inner room as before. And again Delilah cried out, samson, the philistines have come to capture you. But again, Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread. Then Delilah said, you've been making fun of me and telling me lies. Now tell me how you can be tied up securely. Samson replied, if you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shut, Then I would become as weak as anyone else. So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric. Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, samson, the philistines have come to capture you. But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom in the fabric.
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B
Then Delilah pouted, How can you tell me I love you when you don't share your secrets with me? You've made fun of me three times now, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong? And she tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death with it.
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A
Wow.
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B
Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. My hair has never been cut, he confessed, For I was dedicated to God as a nazarete from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else. So she sent for the philistine rulers. Come back one more time, she said, for he has finally told me his secret. So the philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands. Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap. And then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way, she began to bring him down, and his strength left him. Then she cried out, samson, the philistines have come to capture you. Then he woke up. He saw, I will do as before and shake myself free. But he didn't realize the lord had left him. So the philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. But before long, his hair began to grow back.
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A
Let's even just go back when it
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says
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A
you've made fun of me three nows, and you still haven't told me. It says she tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. Imagine how satan sits all day Long nagging you with the same thing day after day after day. You can never think that you're so strong that you won't eventually give in to the nagging. That's why, like, literally, give us our day, our day, our daily. Like, give us our daily bread. Feed me today so that I have what I need, need to fight today. Because he will never stop. Satan will never stop coming after us with the same thing, the same nagging. And if we don't choose every single day to be full of the spirit, to be full of the Word, to be full of God, we will without a doubt, get sick to death about it and also give into the temptation.
- [29:38]
B
Well, that's why I said he was so strong. But you are never too strong when you don't have Jesus. And that was Samson's problem. He was so ignorant. He had such an ego. He thought he had all this power that he could do whatever he want and God would just keep giving him grace after grace. And if you look at the beginning of the story, it says when he met Delilah, it says Samson fell in love and lost with a woman named Delilah. He said, I want her. He never went to Jesus for anything. It was all about Samson. It was all about his desires, his lust, what he wanted, his. He was a maniac. And. And so when I read this story, like, when I read this part, yeah, I thought to myself, this isn't Delilah's fault. This is Samson's fault. He chose all of these little sins like he wanted her. He flirted with. With temptation over and over again. Oh, I'll be tied up. Like, I'll joke with her. Let me do it again, let me do it again. So he kept doing it and doing it. And then he kept getting tormented and tormented instead of saying, no flirting, I stop that. And I love what you said. That's why if you're not filled with the spirit, because if he was filled with the spirit, if he went to God first, if he went in his Bible in the morning, if he wasn't so arrogant and filled with ego and all of these things where he thought he could do whatever he wants. He reminds me of the rich men today that think that they have all the money and they can live however they want, do whatever they want, and they're successful and they're whatever. And then they always end up falling.
- [31:26]
A
He reminds me of me when I think it's okay to even remotely flirt with temptation.
- [31:31]
B
That's right.
- [31:31]
A
When I think it's even remotely okay to joke a little bit. Like this. Or talk like I used to, or it's okay, you can just, like, have this type of conversation. You get it? Like, it's just like little. Little compromises here, little compromises there that add up to this moment where you just completely get demolished by evil.
- [31:52]
B
And that's what I wanted to say to you guys. Like, I thought to myself, like, where does temptation occur in your life? Because it occurs in all of our lives. And when I sat down and thought about me, I thought, like, when I'm super lonely, when I turn on those again. I know this sounds so crazy to someone, certain people, but this is why I don't watch certain things. This is why I don't go certain places. Like, that sounds so crazy to the world. But when I decided, like, I don't care how crazy I look, like I live for God, not for the world. Because if I lived to the world, I'd end up just like this guy. Crazy me, you know, Egotistical. That's why we have to be so close in communion with Jesus.
- [32:35]
A
I think something about this story that, like, stood out to me a lot, which doesn't, like, necessarily go with the devotion. But I think what I've been dealing with a lot lately is like. Like, Samson let someone in that. He. Samson broke so many vows, like, there. He. He was never supposed to eat from a. Like, the carcass of a certain type of animal. And he got honey from a dead animal. He married a woman he wasn't supposed to. He then, obviously is flirting and being with a prostitute, like, consistently betraying God. But I just think, like, him letting Delilah into his life, trusting her, thinking it's not a big deal, letting her voice in, thinking he could trust her again, like, we're not meant to move through life paranoid or, like, skeptical of everybody. But what I've noticed in my own life and, like, what you're speaking to, like, the little compromises, the little flirting with, like, the whatever. I feel like I will hear so clearly from God. Like, I will literally hear him tell me, like, I want you to do this specifically. I want you to take this out of your life, or I want you to start doing this with me. And it'll be specific, and I'll. I know that it's him. I believe that it's him. And then I implement it into my life. And I can tell, like, there's fruit in that. Like, this is. Yes, what he said would happen from this is happening. And then I will have either little voices in my own head that make me doubt what God said.
- [34:07]
B
Right?
- [34:08]
A
Or I've noticed sometimes even, like, voices that I trust in my life, they're not saying anything bad, but it'll be something that's just like one degree off. Yeah. And it makes me be like, okay, maybe he didn't say that. Maybe I am being too serious. Maybe I am being too much. And I am, like, in such a battle in my own mind because I'm like, like. But I know what God. I know what he's asked me to do and I know what he wants. But then I'm like, letting other people kind of, like, confuse me and they're not doing it on purpose. But I do believe that Satan is able to, like, give. Plant little seeds even through people who love us, who don't mean it. And that's why God's voice is a million times more important than anybody else's. So I just say that to say the people you let in your life. Life, it's the most important decision that you make. And. Right. Ari and I would be friends with anyone and everyone. We love everybody. We love everybody. We would be friends with the mailman, but, like, we're not going to let the mailman speak into our lives if we don't know him that well, you know? And I've been asking God, lord, just show me what voices I can trust the most. Show me. Just show me. Like, I'm asking him all the time. So I just say that to say, like, yeah, just give, like, bring everything to Jesus. And if there's any voice or any little thing that someone says that contradicts what you feel, God has spoken to you personally. Because what he says to me is not what he says to Ari. You know, your own convictions. Your own convictions. And. And so, yeah, that's what I'm wrestling through right now.
- [35:44]
B
Yeah, I love that you say that about, like, one degree off, right? Because it's not just like you sin and like, oh, my gosh, it's all these little sins that are defiled up that end up breaking you. Like, and this is what I love about this story is like, it was all these little sins that added up to him being completely defeated. Yeah.
- [36:04]
A
So good.
- [36:05]
B
So I love that you can't even be one degree off. You can't. Like, you said that to me. I said I was like, you really can't because you end up falling.
- [36:13]
A
You do. It's confusion. You get confused.
- [36:18]
B
I'm just thinking. Yeah, I'm listening as you're talking.
- [36:20]
A
No, I just think we get confused and I think Think about the devotional that I'm going to read, guys. Like, I know we all want to be in relationships so badly and we all. And, and. And I totally get it. And I want to be in a relationship and I want to be married and I want all the same things. And I'm just sitting here being like, you have to be so careful the person that you're with. Like, you really do. I think about like, people we know and things that have happened and pe. Like, you lay down with the wrong person and you don't know you'll end up from God. It's crazy. And it happens so fast and it's really. It like makes me really sad.
- [37:03]
B
It makes me sad too, you know
- [37:05]
A
that people have a destiny in Jesus. They have a path in a way that they should go. And then something come. Somebody comes into their life and takes them the completely wrong direction.
- [37:15]
B
It's the most important thing. Do you have. You could. Like. You can't be with someone. Unequal yoke.
- [37:23]
A
Period.
- [37:23]
B
We've been seeing it so much lately and it just doesn't work. It really doesn't.
- [37:28]
A
I have goosebumps all over my. Me too. No, seriously.
- [37:33]
B
Want to finish the story?
- [37:35]
A
Okay, let's get it. To Samson's final victory. Let's finish the story because this is crazy how this ends. It's Judges 16, chapter 23 or verse 23. Sorry. The Philistine rulers held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their God. God Dagan. They said, our God has given us a victory over our enemy. Samson. They have no idea who they're messing with. When the people saw him, they praised their God, saying, our God has delivered our enemy to.