The Family Of God (Part IV) Strength

By Odon Bulamba (31 August 2001)

Strength is a free gift from God. To be in God’s family we need this strength. When a child gets a fright they always ask for their parents and when a child is punished from friends they will get their father. If a child knows their father has a financial power, the child knows his or her father will buy them anything. If the child believes that his or her father is stronger than anyone, the child will say, “my father will punish you”.

In God’s family strength is one of the most important attributes for spiritual growth, if you are not strong you are weak and the weak don’t have any room in God’s family. The Bible says that those who are strong must assist those who are weak so they can become strong.

What is the importance of strength in life? Strength is necessary for our words, strength is necessary for activities, and strength is also necessary for our production. If you are not strong than you are soft, and if you are soft in God’s eyes I don’t know what you will tell Him. From the beginning God constructed man and created him in His image. Because God is strength and man was created in His image, man also has this strength. If you don’t control the strength God gave you, be assured that you will be weakened.

God said to Adam, “I created you in My image so don’t eat the fruit from this tree”. Adam, who was stronger than death and suffering, became weak because he ate the fruit. Adam is now weaker than death and suffering. Suffering and death could attack him easily and Adam couldn’t defend himself anymore. When God gives us a certain situation and we are not able to control it, we are going to be weakened.

There was a man in the Bible called Samson. Before Samson was born God told his parents, “Do not cut his hair for this child will deliver his family from the hands of the Philistines”. Samson’s mother was given conditions, she wasn’t allowed to drink any wine while pregnant with Samson otherwise she would destroy God’s plan. “If you cut this child’s hair, it will be terrible for the whole nation”. Samson’s mum respected God’s conditions. From Samson’s youth he was told that no one was to cut his hair. He could cut his nails but never accepted anyone to touch his hair. There might have been lice in his hair or there could have been dirt, but Samson was careful not to have it cut. This was the condition that God gave him.

One day Samson faced a tough situation. According to theologians, when Samson was 14 he went somewhere with his parents. The Bible says that Samson was big and strong, this strength was not only physical but also spiritual. When Samson was walking with his parents he came across a lion. Samson ripped the lion in half with his bear hands without his parents knowing and Samson carried on his way. Read Judges 14:1-9.

This is the way God works. Samson was an enemy to the Philistines and from birth he was told this. The philistines were considered as the uncircumcised and as sinners, but now God wants to use Samson to do something in the camp of the Philistines. He was to deliver God’s people from the camp of the Philistines. God knows that deliverance cannot happen without strength, and God knows that our thoughts can help us and knows that strength is needed for deliverance.

God knew that at that time many young people from the camp of Israel could have been soldiers, but God didn’t want to use an army but chose to use Samson only. God put the desire in Samson to love a Philistine woman. This was against Moses’ law and the Israelites couldn’t accept this. But because the Holy Spirit was pushing Samson to get the woman, nobody could go against the Spirit of God. Samson told his parents, “I must have her”. Manoah had a revelation and knew what Samson was doing had to come from somewhere. Manoah accepted what Samson wanted so they went together to get the Philistine woman Samson desired. What inspires us Christians today to make decisions? Is it the Holy Spirit? Samson knew that what he was doing was from the Holy Spirit, but when we do something where does this desire come from? Where does this strength come from? God gives strength that is positive and Satan gives strength that is negative. Between these two kinds of strength, what one are you using? How do you know that the decision you make is from God?

Samson’s parents had no problem with him marrying a Philistine woman. When Samson was going to get married he came across a lion and he had to kill it. Imagine confronting a lion, to hear it roar is bad enough. Samson forgot about fear because his strength came from God and because he didn’t fear he knew that God would control the situation. Samson completely forgot that death existed and he knew that the lion couldn’t do anything if God was with him.

Samson remembered that God had given man the power over all the animals on earth and said, “God has given me the power to defeat this lion”! Amen! When we have the power of God we have the assurance of victory and death will never frightened us. God is always with us to protect us.