And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto GOD from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. (Jdg 16:16-19)
So often, our earthly desires, which are of the flesh, can trip us up, if we are not careful to seek GOD and rely on Him to meet our needs. And if our faith is not exactly focused on Him and His Word, whether in the church, or the pastor, or a faulty idea of what GOD should do for us, when whatever our faith is in falters, or doesn't come to pass as we want it to, we stumble or our faith is shaken, because it was not built upon the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ and His Word. Our Salvation may have been real, built upon our repentance and faith in His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, but our continued walk with Him can get sidelined and sidetracked if our faith is redirected away from our Lord.
However, when we stumble, we have a GOD that is faithful. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation and we are to minister to those around us who are hurting and in need. Those who stumble, or lose their way for a season, can come back and be restored to the Father by repentance of sin and faith in Him. Those in Christ are to be loved and discipled, that their faith may be sure and focused on our Lord as we become more like Him and serve one another. We are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who don't know Him, that they hear and believe the Good News of a secure and loving relationship with their Creator through repentance and faith in Him that they may have life in His Name.
For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and the knowledge of the the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. GOD calls you to trust Him and what He has already done for you to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with GOD, forgiveness from GOD, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD who is GOD the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet