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July 27, 2007
God has really been speaking to me about having singleness of heart and one vision. In Acts 2:42-46, The Holy Spirit attributes signs and wonders with the people having singleness of heart. In Matt. 6:22-24, Jesus speaks of having a single eye and the eye bringing light. The worst thing that can happen to us is to lose our vision. When we lose that, the enemy will be able to stop us in our tracks. We all need to have a God-given vision that causes us to get out of bed in the mornings, an eternal vision. The Lord has led me to several things lately that have really spoken to my heart. One is John Bevere's "Driven By Eternity" series and another is some teaching by Bishop T.D. Jakes on singleness of vision. I highly recommend both. I think it's important that as ministers we continually glean from others and continue to grow.
One of the stories in the Bible that talks about vision is the story of Samson. There is a whole lot to learn about vision with this man. He was in covenant with God as an Azurite and running with God's predetermined vision. Then he fell in love with a Philistine woman and married her. However, when he went into her with a gift to consummate the marriage, he found out she had been given to his best friend. He loved her and was crushed. His ego was hurt. He had been betrayed. Then he became angry and bitter and told the Philistines, "don't blame me for what I'm about to do to you". Judges 15:3-5. From that time on, he began to look back and was distracted. The enemy tries to disrupt our vision and cause division. We will always be looking back at some painful experience that happened in our lives. It takes our focus off of what is in front of us. It could be anything. It might be something that happened on your first job and now you're full of bitterness and frustration. You're trying to prove something to someone. You can continue to fight but for all the wrong reasons. Samson now wages war against the Philistines not according to the plan of God but out of the bitterness of what he went through. No one can afford that. It affected how he fought and helped the Philistines plot against him. They knew he liked their women and was still hurt over the one he lost. It would eventually bring him down. Whatever doesn't get healed in you will kill you. It will always be the thing that catches your eye & pulls you backwards. You must quit trying to win people that will never be won.
You and I cannot have two agendas or we will always be frustrated and never at peace. There will always be contention and strife around you. Now Delilah is sent to Samson. The Bible says he loved her. It wasn't just that he lusted after her as many of us have been taught. It goes deeper. He was vulnerable because he had never been healed up. He said to himself "I'm not going to lose this one. I'll stay with her no matter what she's doing." She was trying to kill him and he knew it. He was foolish and thought he could handle it. He was playing with dynamite. He should have ran like Joseph did with Potipher's wife. You must run from anything that takes you away from your vision and God-given purpose. Samson's judgment and perception was off. She continued to seduce him for his secrets. Whoever you give your secrets to, you give your heart to. The Bible says that out of the heart flows the issues of life. In Judges 16:15-16 we see that she pressed him daily until his soul was vexed unto death. When that happens, you begin to make poor decisions and need to get a grip on your emotions. Be careful when someone is sent to get on your nerves. It's important to get rid of any vexation. One of the best ways is through worship. You cannot worship God and stay irritated. God will give you a clean heart and renew you. Delilah's cunningness was the problem, not her cuteness. Her vexation was effective because of what had already happened to Samson. Eventually, he lost his eyes and his vision.
It's so important that we quit looking back and responding to something that's gone and out of our lives. We must say, "I renounce it. This is my new beginning. I won't allow anything to separate me from what God has for my life." Samson told her all his heart. His covenant wasn't in his hair but his heart. Don't give up your heart. You can't serve two masters. Your heart must be single for God. In Judges 16:17 he gives the secret of his strength. Samson wasn't buff like we've been told. It wouldn't make sense for someone to ask him where he got his strength from. He fought like Arnold Schwarzenegger but looked like a wimp. That's a sign of anointing. When you have something that it doesn't look like you're supposed to, you aren't trained for or qualified for, aren't capable of, it means the anointing of The Lord is upon you. You can do things you shouldn't be able to. It doesn't make sense to others. They struggle but you can do it. As long as you keep one heart and one vision, they'll never be able to take it from you. When he gave his heart, he lost his vision. Thank God that it's not the end of the story. One day a little boy led him out to put his hands on the pillars of the coliseum and he discovered envision. When you can't see it outwardly, you must envision. This has to do with what you see on the inside. You must see yourself overcoming your struggles and possessing the promises of God. You have joy and strength on the inside and that's what the enemy wants to kill. If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible. If you've lost your vision, then envision it until you get it back. We're going out of here in victory.!!!!!
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