Powerful lessons from Samson

When dealing with a reoccuring sin habbit the Lord God once said to me, “Delilah.” What He was saying with that one word sermon to my heart was this. The enimy was attacking my area of weakness to render me ineffective for His kingdom in the same way Delilah and with Samson.

My Promise to you is this: Read this entire message and pray the prayers encluded in the text and you will be blessed.

Judges chapter 13:1

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years,” (Judges 13:1).  The backdrop of the story of Samson begins with God’s people living in rebellion.  Having chosen to reject the ways of the Lord and live instead in the ways of the world around them, God’s children were given over to bondage by the neighboring Philistines. 

Point to Ponder

Ancient Israel had rejected God and desired the ways of the Godless people with whom they lived.  In turn they became dominated by the very thing they desired.   The same is true for us today.  When we choose to reject God and live for the pleasures of this world, we become enslaved to the very thing we desire.  Drugs, alcohol, and pornography are obvious examples of this.  The more we chase after these things the more they dominate and destroy our lives.  Less obvious are the hidden sins.  These include things like greed, pride, and unforgiveness.  Yet, they two dominate and begin to destroy our lives.  We are in danger of being in bondage to any evil, sin, or rebellion we have against God. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in Heaven, how I pray You forgive me for things I have allowed to become more important to me than You.  Reveal anything in my life that is displeasing to You.  I repent, turn away from, sin and turn back to You oh God.  Wash me clean by the blood of Your Son Jesus and use me today as I surrender again to Your will.  Help me Holy Spirit, I pray.  Re-direct my heart towards You oh God.  I confess I have surrendered to some of the thigs of this world.  Here and now, I surrender to You oh Lord.  Take me I pray in Jesus Name.  Use me I pray in Jesus Name.  Help me pursue You with the same passion I have chased after the things of this world.  I pray these things in Name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Judges 13:2-5

“There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Point to Ponder

Here we see a glimpse into the will of God.  God had chosen Samson before he was born to be set apart for His kingdom, to do His will.  The same is true of us today.  The Lord God spoke to Jeremiah saying, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” (Jeremiah 29:11).  God had a specific plan for Jerimiah and has a plan for us as well.  In fact, we were created to serve Him with good works according to Ephesians 2:10.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, I know You have a plan for my life.  I pray You forgive me for the times I have not fulfilled Your will in my life.  I pray as the Apostle Paul said, that I might take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Here I am Lord.  Use me in my family.  Use me in my work.  Use me according to Your will.  I surrender to You.  In Jesus Name, Amen.” 

Judges 14:5-7

Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.

Point to Ponder

2 Chronicles 16:9a says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”  God strongly supports those who’s hearts are surrendered Him.  When we face lions in our lives God give us strength to overcome.

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, show me any area of my life needing to be surrendered to You, I pray.  Father, here and now I surrender to You.  Your will be done in my thoughts, words, and actions.  Help me I pray, face each challenge I face with courage knowing You are my strength.  I pray this is Jesus Name, Amen.” 

Judges 14:8-20

8 After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9 He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.

10 His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 11 As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, 13 but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14 And he said to them,

“Out of the eater came something to eat.

Out of the strong came something sweet.”

And in three days they could not solve the riddle.

15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” 16 And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” 17 She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

“What is sweeter than honey?  What is stronger than a lion?”

And he said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,

you would not have found out my riddle.”

19 And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.,

Point to Ponder

God uses imperfect people to do His will.  Here we see Samson making a very large wager with the Philistines.  This questionable behavior was followed by the unwise decision to tell his wife the riddle, resulting in him loosing the bet.  Although Samson may not have acted wisely, God still had a calling on his life.  God’s will was to use Samson to begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  God showed Samson grace and mercy by continuing to use him despite his foolishness.  The same is true of us today.  God truly is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy.  Thank You for not giving up on me even as I live imperfectly.  Forgive me, I pray, for the times I have been foolish.  Help me live in Your wisdom Lord, I pray.  I ask all of this in Jesus mighty Name, Amen. 

Judges 15:9-15

Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. 10 And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” 11 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.” 12 And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” 13 They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men.”

Point to Ponder

  Samson was used mightily by God when he was empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Yielded to the Spirt of God, Samson began fulfilling his purpose to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  The Bible says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure,” (Phil. 2:13).  When we allow God to work through us we begin to take hold of that for which God took hold of us.  We begin to fulfill Gods purpose in our lives. 

Action Step

Many of us are so distracted by the world around us we fail to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirt.  The Spirit urges us to surrender to Him that He might use us mightily.  Pray, “Father in heaven, how I love You!  You are truly great and greatly to be praised.  Father, You know I have lived in spiritual weakness when all the while You offer strength.  I have lived in confusion while You offer clarity.  I have lived in brokenness while You held out Your hand offering healing.  Father, I want to be used more and more by You.  Help me to surrender fully to Your perfect will for my life.  Yours is the kingdom!  Help me live today for Your Kingdom.  Yours is the Power!  Help me live today by Your power.  Yours is the Glory!  Help me live today for your honor and glory.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.” 

Judges 16:1-3

Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” 3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

Point to Ponder

Although Samson was called and equipped by God for a special mission he still sinned.  God did not immediately rebuke Samson for his sin, rather He showed grace and mercy by rescuing him from an ambush that threatened his life.  2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  We read in Romans 2:4, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”  These verses teach that God is patient with us when we sin.  God’s will is not that we suffer punishment for our sin rather that we experience His grace and mercy and come to repentance. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, how I thank You for mercy!  If You oh Lord punished me for everything, I have done against Your holy will I would be undone.  Father, I pray You encourage my heart to quickly repent when I find my thoughts, words, or actions are sinful.  Here and now, I confess all unholy thoughts I have had.  I confess all unholy words I have spoken.  I confess all sinful things I have done.  I pray You wash me in the blood of Jesus, for without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness, the Bible says.  Forgive me I pray in Jesus Name.  Thank You for Your amazing grace to heal and forgive.  In Jesus Name, Amen.” 

Judges 16:4-22

After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.”

7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web.[a] And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Point to Ponder

Delilah relentlessly pursued Samson until she found his weakness and then exploited it until he was no longer able to fulfill his purpose.  The enemy works the same way with us today.  The enemy knows our areas of weakness and attacks us there.  Like a lion who kills the weakest animal in a pack demons work on our personal areas of weakness.  For some it is drugs and alcohol.  For others it is sexual sin.  Still others are week in the areas of pride, envy, or selfishness.  Some are given to anger, anxiety, or depression.  All of these and countless others are areas the enemy will exploit to keep us from fulfilling our destiny.  The devil and his demons work in the unseen spiritual realm to steel, kill, and destroy our lives, livelihood, and God given purpose. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, here and now I renounce the spirit of Delilah at work in my life in Jesus Name.  I break, uproot, and destroy every demonic attack against me in Jesus Name.  As a child of God, I command every demonic spirit working against me to leave in Jesus Name.  GO!  Father, I pray Your forgiveness for participating with the enemy in sin.  I surrender my weakness to You in Jesus Name and pray You become my strength.  Help me to live in Your power I pray, in Jesus Name, Amen!

Judges 16:23-31

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Point to Ponder

Samson paid the price for his poor decisions.  The same is true for us today.  We truly reap what we sow.  Samson stayed with Delilah after he knew she meant to cause him harm and he suffered dearly for it.  You and I sometimes do the exact same thing.  We flirt with sin believing the lie that we can handle it.  We believe that just a little won’t really hurt, or perhaps no one will know.  We believe we are in control, and it will not get out of hand.  All the while the enemy is working to dominate and destroy us. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven help me to surrender all my sin to You before it is too late.  Help me, I pray, to live a life of radical obedience to You that I may live the life You created me to live.  I pray in Jesus Name.  Amen. 

Point to Ponder

Samson had been defeated by his enemy.  He was betrayed and taken advantage of.  He had failed and was suffering the consequences.  Yet, through it all God was faithful.  The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  Samson believed God could still use him despite his failure.  He called out to God asking if God would bless him with one more miracle of supernatural strength to accomplish God’s will through him.  God answered Samson’s prayer.  The Bible says that God’s will for Samson was to use him to begin to save Israel from the hand of their oppressors, the Philistines.  We are told that Samson put to death more Philistines in that one act than those he had killed throughout his entire life.  The same is true for us today.  God can still use us although we may have fallen or failed.  We may have had to suffer the consequences of our actions, but God can still use us. 

Action Step

Pray, “Father in heaven, how I pray You use me.  With the time I have left may I be found faithfully serving You.  Strengthen and empower me for Your work.  Give me wisdom I pray as to how and where You want to use me.  Make me aware of Your leading I pray.  Help me start fresh today living for You.  I ask these blessing in the Holy Name of Jesus my Savior, Amen!

Living with God

The Bible paints a picture of God’s people living and working in union with Him.  We see in Psalms 1 a picture of a tree firmly planted by streams of water.  The tree is constantly nourished both day and night by the life-giving water.  This is a beautiful picture of the relationship God desires with us.  He is there to nourish us, but we must make the choice to be planted.  We are called to abide in Christ.  The choice is ours but Jesus is calling us today to come home, and live with Him! 

Psalms 1

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law^[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

John 15:1-5

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Psalms 130:5-6

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

6 my soul waits for the Lord

    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning.

Brian H. Fontaine

Recovery is Possible

According to the July 2020 article at drugabuse.gov 40-60% of people who seek substance abuse treatment will recover without relapse.  Although relapse is a common part of recovery this fact offers hope.  Recovery is possible.  A separate article from drugabuse.gov states, “Even people with severe and chronic substance use disorders can, with help, overcome their illness and regain health and social function. This is called remission. Being in recovery is when those positive changes and values become part of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle.”  Recovery is possible! 

You might be surprised to learn that internal pressures are actually more to blame for your substance abuse than external pressures.  This has to do with the 20-80 rule.  Life is about 20% of what happens to you and 80% how you handle it.  In substance abuse you can become your own worst enemy. 

Here is what I mean.  When you tell yourself that, “I know I’m going to mess up again; I always do.  It’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy,” you are training your brain to relapse by reinforcing the belief that for you recovery is not possible.  That is simply not true.  Recovery is possible for you! 

Millions of people all over the world have severe substance abuse disorder who are in remission and are living fulfilling lives.  Countless stories abound of men and woman who have gone from near death to a satisfying life, from down and out to up and coming, and from hopeless to hopeful.  You can too.  Recovery is possible! 

I am going to be frank with you.  One reason some people don’t believe recovery is possible for them is because of the fear of living a sober life.  The idea of going through life without their drug of choice is scary.  It is easier to believe that recovery won’t work for me anyway.  That thought lessens the pain of guilt and shame for continued use.  The truth is Recovery is possible for you!

A second reason some people believe that recovery is not possible for them is arrogance.  It sounds harsh I know but hear me out.  In our active addiction we often feel very bad about ourselves.  We have a low self-image.  We might even say things like, “I hate myself, I’m unlovable, or fundamentally flawed.”  These kind of thoughts are extremely painful.  It is comforting for some to believe that at least they are a very special case.  The reason I’m in active addiction is because I’m one of the very few who have tried everything and still can’t recovery.  This also plays into the victim mentality.  If I see myself as a victim of the terrible thing called addiction it is easier for me to accept the fact that I continue to use.  The truth is you can recover! 

To process this information will take time.  To truly discover why you believe you can’t recover and accept the fact that you can will require the following:

1. You must identify and overcome your fear of recovery.  Yes recovery is scary but you don’t have to do it alone.  You don’t have to do it perfectly.  But, you do have to do the hard work.  Recovery is possible.
2.  Accept the facts.  Millions of people recover.  You can too. 
3. Stop deceiving yourself!  You are not unlovable, you are loved.  You are not fundamentally flawed, you have an addiction and are seeking help like a responsible rational person does.  Stop telling yourself that you are going to keep using and that it is only a matter of time until you mess up.     
4. If you are playing the victim stop.  It is not uncommon for a person who have suffered the kind of things you have suffered to turn to substance abuse to ease the pain.  But ultimately you are responsible for the choices you have made.  Accepting that fact you are now ready to what is needed to recover. 

You have a tremendously difficult job ahead of you.  It won’t be easy.  But you can do it!  You can RECOVER! 

Brian H. Fontaine  

True Fulfilment

God has used Troy Black’s ministry to bless and speak to me so many times.  Recently Troy heard a word from the Lord saying God’s people are too often like waves.  In the same way waves come into shore only to retreat into the ocean so too do we as Christians push into the presence of God only to retreat into this world.  Sadly, this is a fairly good illustration of my spiritual life.  I like ocean waves have come to the Lord, pressed into His presence, only to retreated back to the sins of the world.       

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  According to Jesus, righteousness satisfies.  By now most of us have likely come to the conclusion that although sin can be fun and exciting it doesn’t truly satisfy.  Sin leaves us feeling guilty, ashamed, empty, and unfulfilled.  Yet, the question remains, if righteousness satisfies, why do I still sin?

In Jeremiah 2:13 the Lord spoke through His prophet saying, “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”  What the Lord God was saying was not only had His people rejected the source of fulfillment they had run after things which can never fulfill. 

In the same way, I have tasted the living water.  I have experienced the love, grace, and mercy of God in profound ways.  He has saved me and filled me with the Holy Spirit.  He has gifted me and begun to use me for His purpose and glory.  He has given me a richness of life beyond what I could have ever imagined.  Time in the presence of God is glorious.  Words can’t describe the feeling of the manifest presence of God through the Holy Spirit. 

Perhaps you have felt it too.  It is the amazing feeling of communion with God when we pray and praise.  It is the closeness of God we feel when we study His Word and do His will.  It is amazing.  God is the very source of life and fulfillment.  Yet, I sometimes seek fulfillment in the things of this world, why?  How is it possible, to have drunk of the living water which satisfies the sole and yet be thirsty for things of this world?   

The answer is in part that we can become deceived into believing the lie that there is greater love, joy, and peace outside of the will of God.  We convince ourselves that these fleshly desires do satisfy.  Another reason we seek to be satisfied by the things of this world is that we stop drinking the living water and eating the bread of life.  In our culture we often look for the quick fix.  We want to set it and forget it.  We want one and done.  But that is not how God works.  He wants us to be satisfied with the living water as we thirst for more and more of Him.  He wants us to be satisfied with the bread of life as we hunger all the more for Him.  As St. Bernard wrote, “We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.”

Like Mephibosheth in the Bible, we have an opportunity to sit at the very table of the King.  But it is up to us stay.  We have the option, whenever we want to dine else ware.  Like the Israelites in the Bible who ate mana from heaven we have the opportunity to experience supernatural fulfillment from God.  Yet the Israelites had to collect the mana every day.  We too must go to God daily for a fresh filling! 

I do not want to live in deception believing true fulfilment can be found anywhere apart from God.  I want to continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  I want to be filled with fountains of living water and drink deep of the Holy Spirit of God.  I want to be satisfied with the goodness God provides with the Bread of life. 

In closing I want to share a prayer written by A. W. Tozer in his book, The Pursuit of God.  I hope you make this your prayer today as well. 

Tozer prayed, “O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” 

Growing in God

Hey guys, this past Sunday God gave me a word of encouragement for spiritual growth that I’d like to share with you. 

“Father in Heaven, how we pray Your will is accomplished through this message.  I pray you speak to us through this message and Your Word.  I pray anything that is not of You will fall away.  God meet us here today and make known Your glory I pray as we turn our attention to You.  I pray this in Jesus Name.  Amen.”

So, I got up early Sunday morning and spent some time reading the Bible before the family got up.  I was sitting at the kitchen table in prayer.  As I sat with my eyes closed waiting on the Lord, I saw a vision of the throne of God.  Around the throne was very green, green grass.  Suddenly fully bloomed flowers started popping up everywhere there was grass.  Then I heard Him say, “New growth happens in the presence of the Lord.”

It seems like God is teaching me the same thing over and over.  Back on March 23^rd I had asked God for a word.  He said to me, “The word is fire.  Let it burn bright, let it burn eternal.”  I believe what God is saying in different ways is this.  Allow the Holy Spirit to burn bright inside of you.  Don’t settle for a small flame.  There is a blaze of God’s glory He wants to reveal to you.  Again, the Lord says that new spiritual growth happens in His presence.  Did you catch the theme here?  God is encouraging me to get in and stay in His presence.  In the presence of God there is Holy Spirit fire to burn bright in your own life and to lead others to Him.  It is in the presence of God where new growth occurs.  I believe God is encouraging me, and I’d like to encourage you to spend as much time in the presence of God as possible. 

In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

If we want to bear the supernatural fruit of God in our lives, if we want to see a supernatural love, joy, and peace in our lives, we must abide in Christ.  The word abide means to live.  Where do you live?  Where to you abide? 

Psalm 91 is a powerful Psalm of Gods protection of His people.  It is a powerful word to declare over your life and in spiritual warfare.  But the promises of Psalm 91 are contingent on one thing.  The promises are for those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, and those who have made the Lord your dwelling place. 

My encourage for you today is this.  Don’t allow the enemy to distract you from spending time in the presence of God.  Take time daily to pray and sit in His presence of listen for Him.  Allow God to send His Holy Spirit fire upon you!  Ask God to cause new growth in you.  And don’t forget to praise Him for He is so, so worthy! 

God bless you. 

I love you.

Brian H. Fontaine

God gave me a word: FIRE

Often when I pray, I will sit in silence waiting upon God in the Spirit.  I will ask God to speak to me.  Sometimes I ask God to, “Give me a word.”  What I am asking God for is a message specific for me that day.  On occasion, God will literally respond with a single word.  About three months ago I was praying and asked God for a word.  He spoke to me, “Peace.”  Then He said, “Peace in your heart, peace in your mind, and peace in your spirit.”  That video is titled, God gave me a word this morning.  You can see the whole message here:

Last Wednesday, March 23^rd as I got ready to make the video, He is God of Today, I prayed and asked God to give me a word.  God said this, “Fire.  The word is fire.  Let it burn bright. Let it burn eternal.”  Then as I sat in silence waiting on the Lord, I saw a vision of treetops.  The trees were on fire.  As the wind blew from left to right in my vision, I saw other trees catching on fire. 

I believe the message from the Lord was that I needed to be on fire and stay on fire.  I needed to let it burn bright.  I need to let others see God through me.  I also need to let it burn eternal.  Don’t let the fire burn dim, or worse, burn out.  I believe the wind in the vision represents God the Holy Spirit.  The trees in the vision represent those who are on fire by God’s Spirit.  The only way the fire spreads by the power of the Holy Spirit working through those already on fire! 

I am reminded of an old song by Steve Camp.  The song is titled, Living in Laodicea.  The first verse and chorus of the song says this:  

Oh Lord, take Your plow to my fallowed ground

Let Your blade dig down to the soil of my soul

For I’ve become dry and dusty, Lord I know there must be

Richer earth lying below

For I’ve been living in Laodicea

And the fire that once burned bright, I’ve let it grow dim

And the very Word I swore that I would die for all has been forgotten

As the world’s become my friend

The first encouragement for us today is this.  If you have been living in Laodicea, If you have let the fire of God grow dim in your life because you have become distracted by the world today is the day to ask God to reignite your flame.  Pray, “Holy Spirit Come!  Revive me I pray in Jesus Name.  Breath new life.  Help me experience You in a new and meaningful way today.  I pray in Jesus Name!  Amen. 

In his book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote, “Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame. W. Tozer Chicago, Ill. June 16, 1948

Friends, I have messed up so many times in my life.  I am only a picture of the Grace of God who forgave a sinner unworthy of His mercy and goodness.  My fire may not be large, yet it is real.  I pray in Jesus Name that you might experience the fire of God in your life today!  I pray in some way, you may light your candle on the flame that is burning in me by the Holy Spirit.  The word is fire!  Let it burn bright in you to be the man or woman, husband or wife, parent or child God created you to be. 

Pray: Father in Heaven how I pray, revive us!  Holy Spirit fall on us new.  Let Your fire consume us! 

If you are a child of God and are trusting in the sacrifice Jesus made for you to forgive you of your sin, say this out loud, “Father in Heaven, thank You for dying on the cross in my place.  Thank You filling me with the Holy Spirt so that You can work power in me.  Here and now, I renounce any participation with sin known and unknown.  I turn from it in Jesus Name.  I break, uproot, and dismantle any demonic contract with my name on it in Jesus Name.  I destroy every Astro projecting spirit, every witch and warlock attack on me in Jesus mighty Name.  I call Holy Spirit fire on every demonic attack on me in Jesus name.  Father in Heaven, I pray You send angels from Michaels quarters to war over me in the heavenlies.  Help me God to live by Your power to Your glory in Jesus Name.  Holy Spirit come.  I welcome You.  I need You.  I want to hear from You today I pray in Jesus Name.  Let Your fire burn bright in me.  Burn eternal in me.  May I burn so fiercely for You God that others catch Your fire.  I pray in Jesus Name.  Amen. 

God bless you! If this word was a blessing to you consider sharing it with others.

Love you all.

He is God of Today!

He is the God of today!

Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  On one hand my guess is no one reading this would disagree with the statement.  Yet, if you are like me you may struggle with the application. 

Guilt and shame condemn.  They point to your past and cry out, “Guilty!”  They accuse and condemn you saying, “How could you?  How could God love you?  How could God forgive you?  How could God ever use someone like you?” 

The truth is this, confessed sin is washed clean beneath the blood of Jesus.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9).  If you have confessed your sin to God, you are clean.  You are clean.  You are clean!   What can wash away my sin, the old song askes and then responds, nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

Mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve.  The Lord is merciful.  Grace is a gift given that the recipient does not deserve.  The Lord is gracious.  God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  You need to know you are loved by God today.  In fact, He is abounding in love for you! 

Let me gently, lovingly encourage you.  Stop living in the past.  God is the God of today!  The past is over.  The past is dead.  The enemy would love to keep you tied up in guilt, shame, and condemnation because of things you have done or failed to do.  But God wants to set you free from the prison of your past today!  “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” 

My daily Bible reading this morning took me to Isaiah chapter 12.  This brief chapter says this:

Isaiah 12

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

    for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

    that you might comfort me.

2 “Behold, God is my salvation;

    I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation.”

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

    call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

    proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

    let this be made known in all the earth.

6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,

    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Brothers and sisters, with joy we drawl water from the well of God’s salvation!  Set free from the prison of our past we walk in Joy with God the Holy Spirit, having been forgiven and made clean from our sin by the substitutional sacrifice of God the Son, Jesus the Christ. 

God is the God of today.  The past is gone.  Let’s live by the power of God, in the forgiveness He gives out of His great mercy and grace! 

I love you. 

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you, let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.  May He look upon you with favor and grant you peace. 

Brian H. Fontaine

God is not a machine

When you flip the switch, the light comes on.  That is how it works.  It is how it has always worked.  Machines are activated by pressing buttons, pulling levers, flipping switches, and turning dials.  It is not so with God. 

I have grown so accustomed to spending quiet time in prayer, waiting upon the Lord, and experiencing His manifest presence strong in the room, that when, the other day, I had prayed, and not felt the powerful glory of God I wondered if I had done something wrong.  To be completely honest I was a bit upset with God.  I thought to myself, I had done everything right.  I had confessed every known sin.  I had been faithful in my study of God’s word and in daily prayer.  Every other time I wait upon the Lord I feel His manifest presence.  To make matters even worse, I had just heard a message from on of my favorite Bible teachers who talked about a recent encounter he had with God that was so intense he felt as though Jesus Christ Himself had walked into his room.  He described the glory of God as the very essence of love.  It was a sweetness he couldn’t fully explain.  In my quiet time I had greatly hoped for such an encounter.  Instead, I felt very little. 

The next day as I was getting ready for work the thought occurred to me, God is not a machine.  I had hoped if I could just do all the right things, push the right buttons, and pull the right levers, God’s glory would fall.  But God is not a machine.  Christians often say, Christianity is not about religion it’s about a relationship.  Yet what I had done was try to turn my relationship into a religion.  I was doing X, and Y, to receive Z. 

That morning as I was getting ready for work these verses came to mind. 

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul encourages us not be anxious but to talk things out with God in prayer.  He encourages us to ask God to intervene on our behalf through supplication, and he reminds us to give thanks to God for all of His blessings.  Then comes the wonderful promise.  The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts, and minds in Christ Jesus. 

As I was getting ready for work that day I turned my attention, not to religion, but to my relationship with God.  I began thanking Him for what He has been doing in my life lately.  I spent the rest of the morning in thanksgiving.  During that time, by Gods great grace, His glory fell upon me.  His presence manifest, and I felt His loving presence. 

God is not a machine.  We don’t put in our time of Bible reading and prayer in exchange for His glory.  We don’t do X, and Y, to receive Z.  Rather, we live daily in close relationship with Him, listening to His Word, and the Holy Spirit, praying, giving thanks, and waiting on Him.  We go throughout our day doing everything as unto the Lord as instructed in Colossians 3:23. As we live our lives in every situation and circumstance by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, we make our requests known to God, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let us live in loving relationship with God our holy, loving Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Amen

I love you.

Brian H. Fontaine

You can’t make rain

Not long ago the Lord expressly instructed me to begin teaching His Word and will.  He gave me the vision of an air traffic control tower and explained to me that, “You will direct traffic for My Kingdom.”  An air traffic controller leads people to safety and away from danger.  I took that to mean I was to serve as a way to direct people to Jesus and away from danger spiritually speaking. 

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I began thinking about what my next video should be.  But then I remembered how my previous videos and blog posts were born out of my Bible study and quiet time with the Lord.  As I sit quietly in the presence of God He speaks.  It is from those encounters with God I get words to minister. 

Today I sat down with the Bible.  My daily reading took me to Isaiah chapter 6.  Here Isaiah recorded in Isaiah 1:6-8, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies.

The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,

“Woe to me, for I am ruined!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah’s ministry flowed out of his encounter with the living God.  I remember when I was a pastor of a small church in Northwest Indiana a member of the board proposed a 24-hour prayer service.  He envisioned having the doors of the church open for 24 hours on a given day where anyone could come by at anytime to pray.  Leaders would take shifts to insure someone was in the sanctuary every hour of the day and night.  This was, by the way, a good idea.  But when trying to encourage the rest of the elders and deacons to get on board with his idea he said, “I think we should do this, and I really think God is with me on this one.”  I think everyone knew what he meant but he sure made it sound like he came up with an idea and afterward decided God was with him on his idea.  Too often we live our lives that way. 

This morning after I read Isaiah 6 and had prayed, I sat in silence in the Holy Spirit.  After some time, I saw a vision of my house.  Rain was pouring down and gushing out of the downspout.  The Lord didn’t say anything, but I believe God was telling me he would supply the rain, the blessing, the refreshing, the fulfillment, and satisfaction.  My job is to direct the flow.  What a beautiful picture of ministry.  God provides the rain.  We direct the flow to bless God’s creation.  Let God love through you today.  Let God bless others through you today.  Spend time in the presence of God today so that he can supply the rain and you can direct its flow. 

God bless you. 

I love you.

Brian H. Fontaine

Are most Christian drunk?

I was recently watching a video of Isaiah Saldivar titled, “Spiritual Drunkenness.”  It was quite literally sobering.  He shared a powerful new way to look at what it means to be drunk and a new way to view sobriety. 

It is almost as if we are drunk on our culture.  We wake up and check social media before going to the bathroom.  Before breakfast we have been on Instagram, Facebook, Tick Tock, and YouTube.  We like, follow, comment, and subscribe and it doesn’t stop.  From the time we wake up until the time we go to bed we are intoxicated.  Our eyes are fixed on phones, computers, and TVs. 

Then we go to church on Sunday morning, hear a Biblical message, or spend some time in prayer.  Suddenly it is as if we have sobered up for a time.  In this moment of clarity, we hear the voice of God, feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, and have a renewed love for Jesus. 

The problem is we go right back to our lives lived in drunkenness with our culture.  We live as self-proclaimed followers of Jesus who are addicted to social media, streaming services, and popular music. 

The truth is this, our lives are flavored by that in which we marinate. 

Social media, streaming services, and music is not all bad.  It is not all sin.  But it can be intoxicating.  It can dull our senses to the point we are led to unholy thoughts, words, and actions.  And it can keep us in a state of apathy distracted from the work God has called us to.  It is time for us to sober up and live in the moment in the presence of God. 

Let’s take a look at Ephesians 5:18.

Ephesians 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

I’d like to focus not on the command, do not get drunk with wine, but on the reason for the command, for that is dissipation.

Other translations say do not get drunk with wine:

 which leads to reckless living

wherein is excess

which produces depravity

wherein is riot

The command is not to get drunk because it leads to a place of depravity where we live recklessly.  In the Greek the Bible says do not get drunk with wine where in is Asōtia, meaning reckless, extravagant, or wasteful.  It could be translated as dissipated living, the squandering or wasting of money, energy, or resources.

Many Christians abstain from alcohol all together, not wanting to fall into the sin of drunkenness and to steer clear of the negative consequences.  Yet as Isaiah Saldivar pointed out, we are often drunk with our culture. 

Alcohol lulls a person into a state of sedation.  It dulls the senses and lowers inhibitions.  This leads one to say and do things he might not do under normal circumstances.  Being immersed in the culture can do the same thing.  It can dull our senses and lull us into a place of apathy.  We waste time and sometimes resources God would have had us devote someplace better. 

I don’t want my Christian life marked by small periods of sobriety separated by a meaningless life of drunkenness.  I want to go from glory to glory.  I want to daily live in the presence of God, for the kingdom of God, by the power of God, for the glory of God!  The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that we would have life, and not just life, but an abundant life.  Don’t let drunkenness in the culture rob you of the abundant life God has planned for you!

God bless you. 

I love you. 

Brian H. Fontaine