"John 7:14-44
Be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit
Are there habits in your life from which you long to break free? Are there thought patterns you need to change? Are there spiritual bondages from which you need to be released?
If anyone was ‘wild at heart’ it was Samson. He had extraordinary strength, might and ability. But his life was hardly a model. The story of Samson’s life is bizarre, extraordinary, and perhaps a bit embarrassing.
However, Samson is highlighted in the New Testament as one of the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32). God uses all types of people. He uses us in spite of our sins and weaknesses.
In this passage we see that Samson’s strength and successes are the result of his being filled with the Holy Spirit. On three occasions in today’s passage we read that, ‘The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power’ (Judges 14:6,19; 15:14).
It is amazing what can happen when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon people ‘in power’. As so often, what God did in the Old Testament in a physical way, he did in the New Testament in a spiritual way.
On the third occasion we read that ‘the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands’ (15:14). This can be seen as a picture of release from bondage. The power of the Holy Spirit can release us from the things that bind us.
Lord, today I need your power to break the bondages in my life, to fill me with streams of living water, to satisfy my own thirst and the thirst of others. Help me like Jesus, to demonstrate not only the power of the Spirit, but also the fruit of the Spirit in my daily life."
1. Thank You, Lord, for using me, in spite of my imperfections. And hallelujah that You can release us from the things that bind us. Thank You, Lord.
2. Praise You for having people who put their interest in my post. Thank You.
3. Thank You for a cool night of visitors and language-learning.
