“Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”… And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson! So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.” – Judges 16:1-21

The Devil Always Hides Behind A Delilah

“Having men hidden in the inner room…” (Judges 16:9)

Samson couldn’t see the Philistines, but they were there. Delilah wasn’t the danger in the circumstance —what was behind Delilah was. This is the dilemma: the devil won’t always show up with a pitchfork but a pillow. He’ll come disguised as comfort, compromise, and cultural safety. He won’t tempt you with something obvious; he’ll tempt you with what you’re already desiring.

The Devil’s algorithm is that he customizes temptation based on your appetite.

The Devil's algorithm is that he customizes temptation based on your appetite. Share on X

A. You Can’t Defeat What You Don’t Define

The first way to defeat the enemy is to know there is one.

Phrases the enemy wants us to say include:

• “If I knew it would lead to that then I wouldn’t have done that”
• “I didn’t think that would have happened to me”
• “How did I end up here?”

The word of God is the blueprint to overcoming the enemy’s plan.

B. It’s Impossible to Defeat the Devil when you are in bed with Delilah 

Today’s compromise becomes tomorrow’s chains. Chains become cycles. 

We can’t be transformed if we are conformed (Romans 12:1-2). Share on X

God Offers An Encounter While The Devil Offers An Escape

“When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it[a] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.” – Genesis 28:11-13

The world offers an escape. God offers an encounter.

• Escape will cost you your future.
• Encounter will release your purpose.

Ask yourself: Where do I go when I don’t know where to go? Where do I lay my head when I’m weary?

Be Careful that what you escape to doesn’t become what you’re enslaved to. Every escape the devil offers has a price tag, and you will always overpay. Samson got Delilah, but lost his vision. Judas got silver – Lost his soul. Esau got soup – Lost his birthright. You may get what you want, but you won’t want what you get. The devil always overpromises and underdelivers. 

If it costs your integrity, your faith, or your prayer life—it costs too much. When you’re spiritually starved, you’ll start seeing sin as sweet.

“One who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.” – Proverbs 27:7

• If you aren’t satisfied with Jesus, you’ll settle for Delilah.
• When you’re filled with His Word, you won’t feast on the world.
• That’s why the vision of this house is so crucial—daily encounters with God.
• You can’t resist Delilah if you’re not resting in Jesus.

Three Things Contributed To Samson’s Downfall

1. WHO surrounded him (GAVE UP HIS SAFETY)
2. WHAT he said (GAVE UP HIS SECRET)
   • The devil wants us to sacrifice the anointing by what we say with our mouths: 
     • Cursing (Proverbs 16:28)
     • Gossiping (James 3:10)
     • Lying (Proverbs 12:22)
     • Complaining & Grumbling (Philippians 2:14)
     • Blasphemy / Taking God’s Name in Vain (Exodus 20:7)
     • Slander (Ephesians 4:31)
     • Self-Cursing / Speaking Death Over Yourself (Proverbs 18:21)
     • Flattery & Manipulation (Psalm 12:2)

• God wants us to step into the anointing by what we say with our mouths:
  • Prayer (James 5:16)
  • Praise (Psalm 150:6)
  • Preaching (Romans 10:14)
  • Proclaiming (1 Peter 2:9)
  • Prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:3)
  • Encouraging (Hebrews 3:13)
  • Testifying (Revelation 12:11)
  • Teaching (Matthew 28:19–20)

3. WHERE he slept (GAVE UP HIS STRENGTH)

Do you know the best way to know where you get your rest? Ask yourself: Where do you go when you don’t know where to go? What do you do when you don’t know what to do? The correct answer is go to Jesus!

Delilah Leads to Death, But Jesus Leads to Life

Even after failure, even after compromise, even after Delilah, there is a way back.

• Samson’s last act was his greatest victory.
• He was led by a young boy—a reminder that it’s never too late to rise again.
• He tore down the enemy’s temple—not in strength, but in surrender.
• God’s gift to us is salvation; our gift to God is our surrender. 
• But as long as you have breath, there is still grace.
• Today you can return to the altar, you can return to the presence, and you can return to daily encounters with God.

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