Freefall
Judges 15:14, “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands.”
Have you ever seen a magician who was bound in chains and handcuffs come free from those bonds to be free? That’s similar to what happened here, Samson had been bound by his own people, so that they could deliver him to the Philistines. I’m sure that when the Philistines took Samson they checked the bonds to make sure they were tight.(They might have even added more.) Samson had been causing all sorts of trouble for the Philistines, and they wanted him.
But, as the Philistines took control of Samson he was filled by the Spirit of the Lord, and his bonds suddenly fell free. He attacked the Philistines, and killed a thousand of them with his bare hands and the jaw bone of a donkey.
When the Spirit of God comes upon us there is no limit to what we can do. This story reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Zecheriah 4:6 says, “… “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. To many times we limit ourselves by thinking that we can only do the ordinary things that are common to all people, but God is seated on His throne in Heaven desiring us to come to Him so that we can do far and above what others think.
The story of Samson reminds me of Peter’s imprisonment found in Acts 12. Peter had been arrested for preaching the Gospel, but the Lord sent an angel to deliver him, and free him from the bonds that had been placed on him. The Bible tells us that when the angel came to Peter his chains fell off his hands, and he walked out of the prison between the sleeping guards.
The Jews and the Romans both feared the message of Jesus, and the promise of deliverance that He was preaching, so He was executed by the Jews in order to quiet the stir He was causing among the people; but in God’s timing He was delivered from the grave by the Spirit of God, and His message of love continues to this day.
Perhaps, you have heard of people who have seemingly been bound by restrictions, but they have risen above these bonds that were placed on them to a life far beyond what should be possible according to human wisdom. The only way that we can totally break from the chains of others is by the Spirit of God!
Only by His Spirit can we be free to live a life free from chains and restrictions!
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Father God, I thank You for setting me free to live my life for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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Yes, You Can Ministry 