- SAMSON’S STORY OF MIGHT
Samson was anointed by God for mighty works. He killed a lion with his bare hands. He killed 1000 enemies with a donkey’s jawbone, and He pulled down a building and killed 3000 people in one act of might. How did he stir up an anointing?
First, let us read this phrase: “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” This phrase appears many times in his story: In Judges 14:6, when he killed the Lion, in Judges 14:19, when he killed 30 men for their robes, and in Judges 15:14, when he killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey.
In order to find out how he stirred up the power of the Holy Spirit every time he faced a challenge, we’ve got to get into his ordeal with Delilah. He fell in love with her and would visit her often. One day, the 5 rulers of the Philistine nation hire her for $15 million in modern currency to uncover Samson’s secret. Unable to withstand her constant pestering and wailing, Samson reveals to her that he was consecrated to God as a Nazirite, and as a symbol of his commitment to God, he hadn’t cut his hair, not even once. Delilah then calls for a barber and gives him the world’s most expensive haircut and the scripture says that the Spirit of God left him.
Judg 16:20 is our key – He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
It says that He didn’t know that the Lord had left him – by this we can know that he didn’t know it when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him at every instance of his life.
So then, how did he do mighty works? Look at the previous statement – “”I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” Wow! Do you see this? Every time Samson faced a challenge, instead of waiting to “feel” a tingling or a vibration-sort- of- effect, he acted boldly in faith and began to do what was on his heart and then the Holy Spirit who was on Him manifested his power and performed the supernatural. Bold Faith was the key behind his mighty works.
POWER POINT #1 – Bold faith is what stirs up the anointing
Husbands, wives, businesspeople, pastors, fathers, mothers – prayer and planning have their place. But without bold faith, you will not see the success you want in life.
>Rev. B. Ramesh Babu once told me, “Faith is like a gun; every Believer has it, but only a few have the boldness to pull the trigger.”
POWER POINT #2 – The power of the Holy Spirit and bold faith go hand in hand
Acts 4:29-31 – After being warned, Peter and John gather with the leaders. They pray for boldness. God and the Spirit fill them. They then preach with boldness.
- DANIEL IN THE LION’S DEN
Dan 6:19-22 – Daniel was thrown into the Lions’ den for praying to God, and the King, who loved Daniel, rushed very early to the den, and when asked if his God came through for him, Daniel replied, saying that God sent his angel to shut the mouth of the lions.
Nearly every depiction of this scene shows a frail Daniel, huddled in fear of the lions. However, the Holy Spirit gives insight into what might have truly happened in the lions’ den.
Hebrews 11:34 – What shall I say about the prophets? They shut the mouths of lions.
This clearly refers to Prophet Daniel. The Greek word for “shut,” FRASSO, is in the Aorist Active Indicative. The active voice indicates Daniel stepped forward boldly in faith to hush the hungry lions, and then the angel of the Lord, who was also present, supported him by shutting the lions’ mouths.
Prophet Daniel, an ardent Jew, clearly believed the scriptures. These said, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear the Lord” (Ps 34:7) and that the righteous shall be bold as a lion (Pro 28:1). Bold faith was again the key to this astounding miracle.
- DAVID – THE LION, THE BEAR, THE GIANT
Another lion story that comes to mind is David and his courage. David recounts killing the lion and the bear to King Saul in 1 Sam 17:34-36: But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it, and killed it.”
Notice how David, though anointed, went after the lion and the bear, struck them, seized them by the hair, and killed them. He initiated the attack, and the power of God backed him up, accomplishing the extraordinary through him.
It is this raw, bold faith with which David approaches the battle with Goliath. He speaks out in boldness. He runs to Goliath (1 Sam 17:48). When he releases the stone from the slingshot, it hits Goliath’s skull and penetrates it. When he acts in bold faith, the Holy Spirit shows up with His anointing!
Smith Wigglesworth, who flowed in the mighty power of God, once famously said, “If the Spirit does not move me, I move the Spirit.” He went by bold faith and saw great miracles.
THE CONCLUSION
As we bring this sermon to a close, here is another important truth to remember
POWER POINT #3 – Bold faith comes from knowing your identity and understanding who your God is.
This means that when you are clear about who you are and who God is to you, your faith can become stronger and more courageous: Samson knew he was a Nazirite. Daniel knew he was righteous and blameless. David knew he had a covenant with God. Dan 11:32 – They that know their God shall be strong and do great exploits.
In my life, a revelation of who I am in Christ gave me boldness. It empowered me to drive out demons, preach the gospel, heal the sick, and lead the Church to where we are today. Bold faith results from revelation. You must know who you are in Christ and who your God is. To flow in the anointing, know who you are and whose you are.
>>In his book “Anointed for Burial” Todd Burke recalls ministering the gospel in war-torn Cambodia. Once, as he preached on the streets about Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus, the public challenged him to heal a blind man they brought to him. As Burke prayed, believing God for a miracle, the blind man suddenly shouted, “I can see! I can see!”
Beloved Child of God, you are anointed! The Anointing on your life is permanent, but maybe you have let it stay dormant. You ought to stir it up by bold faith. Take up that job, accept that challenge, face that fear, and deal with that addiction boldly. When you do that, as in the life of Samson, the power of God will work the supernatural; as for Daniel, the angels of the Lord will go to work on your behalf; and, as for David, you will see the giant tumbling down, in Jesus’ Name. God bless you!