I have watched Superman the movie and its sequel up to Superman 4. And it amused me to watch a man given the ability to fly, bend steel and having an invulnerable body. When I was a little boy, I imagined myself as the man of steel; I took my beach towel and turned it into a cape and imagined flying in the air. Superman was amazing! But he wasn’t indestructible; even if he had all these abilities and powers, he has one weakness; KRYPTONITE! This kryptonite weren’t ordinary rocks from space. They were debris (left-over or remains) from his destroyed home planet, Krypton. This debris is only lethal once it is near him. The effect causes him to become weak; like an ordinary man. He became like us; prone to sickness and death.
There is one such superman mentioned in the Bible and his name was Samson. He was the strongest in the lands of Israel and in the lands of the Philistines. No one can defeat him and he can kill a thousand armed men with just a donkey’s jawbone as a weapon. He can kill a lion with his bare hands. He was an impossible opponent to defeat in the face of the Philistines. But he has a weakness, his own kryptonite in the person of Delilah - the woman whom Samson loved (Judges 16:4). His love for Delilah was more than his trust on the Lord and allowed her to manipulate him; defeating him by the Philistines in the process.
Reasons for being WEAK
Wants
Sometimes as human beings, we are defeated by our own wants. Repeat after me: “I just can’t get enough”. Even the Chinese sage, Confucius, had written, “There is nothing in the world so big that the mind of the moral man can conceive of something much greater than the mind of the moral man can hold. There is nothing in the world so small that the mind of the moral mind can conceive of something much smaller than the mind of the moral man can split.”
What did Samson want? He wanted the love of Delilah, a Philistine woman. Look where he ended up; he lost both his eyes LITERALLY; he was made a mockery, a fool in the presence of his lover’s people.
Sometimes when you want something, it turns out to be a disaster rather than a blessing.
Expectation
If our expectation was never realized, it causes us to stumble. Samson expected that his strength lies on his hair. But it wasn’t. His strength lies on the covenant between God and his mother (Judges 13:4-5). When his hair was shaved, the Lord departed from him. Some people believed that his hair was endowed with power, but it wasn’t. When he told his secret to Delilah, she ordered a man to shave the seven locks of Samson’s hair. From the moment the covenant was broken, the Lord left him.
Appreciation
If we can’t have the appreciation of man, especially by the person we esteemed high and dear, we tend to fumble. Samson wanted to be appreciated by Delilah. He wanted her love so much that he gave himself away. He was beaten, bruised and humiliated by his lover and her people.
Knowledge
This is where many people fall. The category of being wise is sometimes being dumb. Some people thought that college degrees (in theology) make a man a man of value, honor and respect. Some people thought that gaining such degree makes him any wiser. To tell you with all honesty, most theological seminaries produce dangerous and hazardous products or fruits. One example; a pastor who doesn’t have a degree in theology went to a theological seminary to earn a degree in theology. Before he entered, he was a Bible-believing Christian, devoted in studying the true words of God. But when he earned his degree and finished his schooling, he became skeptical about the Bible; that there is no perfect word of God. He became a debater rather than a good witness of God. He became a theologian rather than a Christian. Note that degrees are only as good as the paper it is printed; to wipe the dirt that we learned from bible colleges. Not all bible colleges and seminary promotes God’s true words; they profess to have God’s words but they don’t believe that there is a perfect bible. Gaining knowledge leads to a two pronged street; one leading to a life of perfection and holiness and the other to a life of conceit and boasting.
Samson thought that he knew everything. He thought that he had everything under control. But he was wrong. He thought that he can control his weakness (Delilah) but his weakness controlled him instead. There is only one way of gaining true knowledge; if a new found knowledge conformed to the true words of God then it is coming from the Lord but if not, then better reject that new found knowledge and settle for the old ones.
The S.S.S. of Weakness
In times of weakness, we need something or someone to aid us; to help us overcome that weakness and turn it into something more productive.
Seek the Word of God - Only through seeking His Word can we overcome our weakness. Through the guidance of His Word and the Holy Spirit, we can establish victory over our weakness. It is like turning the tide in our favor.
Speak out - Declaration is part of victory. Declaring God’s goodness in our lives in the midst of problems strengthens us. In martial arts, if you feel weak, do a KIAI or ‘spirit yell’. It shakes the weakness off our bodies. Kiai is not some special move but an ordinary shout. The same with spiritual weakness; declare/confess to God and man about the promises of God. Speak out your heart and overcome that weakness.
Show - In martial arts, weakness is not seen. That is why even if a martial artist is physically weak, he can project his strength through his aura; what he shows to his opponent(s). Sometimes it takes a matter of show of force to win a situation. Even in historical battles, a show of force immediately declares the victor. Thus, Christianity is not showing weakness through action or facial expression; it is about showing God’s strength in us, through us, by us and with us even in times of problems, persecutions and weakness.
Staying Fit for the Lord
The best way to avoid our weakness is to stay fit for the Lord. We must Study God’s Word, Trust in Him at all times, Abide in His words, Yield unto His voice. We must STAY fit to remain strong in the Lord and for the Lord.
There is one such superman mentioned in the Bible and his name was Samson. He was the strongest in the lands of Israel and in the lands of the Philistines. No one can defeat him and he can kill a thousand armed men with just a donkey’s jawbone as a weapon. He can kill a lion with his bare hands. He was an impossible opponent to defeat in the face of the Philistines. But he has a weakness, his own kryptonite in the person of Delilah - the woman whom Samson loved (Judges 16:4). His love for Delilah was more than his trust on the Lord and allowed her to manipulate him; defeating him by the Philistines in the process.
Reasons for being WEAK
Wants
Sometimes as human beings, we are defeated by our own wants. Repeat after me: “I just can’t get enough”. Even the Chinese sage, Confucius, had written, “There is nothing in the world so big that the mind of the moral man can conceive of something much greater than the mind of the moral man can hold. There is nothing in the world so small that the mind of the moral mind can conceive of something much smaller than the mind of the moral man can split.”
What did Samson want? He wanted the love of Delilah, a Philistine woman. Look where he ended up; he lost both his eyes LITERALLY; he was made a mockery, a fool in the presence of his lover’s people.
Sometimes when you want something, it turns out to be a disaster rather than a blessing.
Expectation
If our expectation was never realized, it causes us to stumble. Samson expected that his strength lies on his hair. But it wasn’t. His strength lies on the covenant between God and his mother (Judges 13:4-5). When his hair was shaved, the Lord departed from him. Some people believed that his hair was endowed with power, but it wasn’t. When he told his secret to Delilah, she ordered a man to shave the seven locks of Samson’s hair. From the moment the covenant was broken, the Lord left him.
Appreciation
If we can’t have the appreciation of man, especially by the person we esteemed high and dear, we tend to fumble. Samson wanted to be appreciated by Delilah. He wanted her love so much that he gave himself away. He was beaten, bruised and humiliated by his lover and her people.
Knowledge
This is where many people fall. The category of being wise is sometimes being dumb. Some people thought that college degrees (in theology) make a man a man of value, honor and respect. Some people thought that gaining such degree makes him any wiser. To tell you with all honesty, most theological seminaries produce dangerous and hazardous products or fruits. One example; a pastor who doesn’t have a degree in theology went to a theological seminary to earn a degree in theology. Before he entered, he was a Bible-believing Christian, devoted in studying the true words of God. But when he earned his degree and finished his schooling, he became skeptical about the Bible; that there is no perfect word of God. He became a debater rather than a good witness of God. He became a theologian rather than a Christian. Note that degrees are only as good as the paper it is printed; to wipe the dirt that we learned from bible colleges. Not all bible colleges and seminary promotes God’s true words; they profess to have God’s words but they don’t believe that there is a perfect bible. Gaining knowledge leads to a two pronged street; one leading to a life of perfection and holiness and the other to a life of conceit and boasting.
Samson thought that he knew everything. He thought that he had everything under control. But he was wrong. He thought that he can control his weakness (Delilah) but his weakness controlled him instead. There is only one way of gaining true knowledge; if a new found knowledge conformed to the true words of God then it is coming from the Lord but if not, then better reject that new found knowledge and settle for the old ones.
The S.S.S. of Weakness
In times of weakness, we need something or someone to aid us; to help us overcome that weakness and turn it into something more productive.
Seek the Word of God - Only through seeking His Word can we overcome our weakness. Through the guidance of His Word and the Holy Spirit, we can establish victory over our weakness. It is like turning the tide in our favor.
Speak out - Declaration is part of victory. Declaring God’s goodness in our lives in the midst of problems strengthens us. In martial arts, if you feel weak, do a KIAI or ‘spirit yell’. It shakes the weakness off our bodies. Kiai is not some special move but an ordinary shout. The same with spiritual weakness; declare/confess to God and man about the promises of God. Speak out your heart and overcome that weakness.
Show - In martial arts, weakness is not seen. That is why even if a martial artist is physically weak, he can project his strength through his aura; what he shows to his opponent(s). Sometimes it takes a matter of show of force to win a situation. Even in historical battles, a show of force immediately declares the victor. Thus, Christianity is not showing weakness through action or facial expression; it is about showing God’s strength in us, through us, by us and with us even in times of problems, persecutions and weakness.
Staying Fit for the Lord
The best way to avoid our weakness is to stay fit for the Lord. We must Study God’s Word, Trust in Him at all times, Abide in His words, Yield unto His voice. We must STAY fit to remain strong in the Lord and for the Lord.
THE CHRISTIAN’S KRYPTONITE
By Ptr. JC Balao
And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Judg 16:4
By Ptr. JC Balao
And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Judg 16:4
