David Diga Hernandez - Don't Stifle the Holy Spirit

What are the consequences of ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the life of Samson. Now, Samson began well; in fact, his very birth was announced by an angelic being. You can reference that in Judges chapter 13, verses 2 through 5. At his birth, also found in Judges chapter 13, we see that Samson was stirred by the Holy Spirit, and that’s Judges 13:24–25. We see that Samson was also given this incredible strength by the Holy Spirit; that strength enabled him to kill a lion (Judges chapter 14, verses 5 through 6). It enabled him to kill 30 men in Ashkelon (Judges chapter 14, verse 19) and to kill 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone (Judges chapter 15, verses 14-15).

Now, in each one of those references of Scripture, you’ll see that the Bible gives us this very key phrase: the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. Now, there is a difference between the Holy Spirit within you, God’s presence, and the Holy Spirit upon you, God’s power. Now, that’s a very important distinction, and I’m going to tell you why that’s important in just a moment. But first, again, we see Samson began well. He was given divine strength; he had the power and the ability that the Holy Spirit enabled him with.

Then we see later on in chapter 16 that Samson finds temptation—temptation either found him or he found it. Either way, Samson finds himself in a situation that is quite compromising. In Judges chapter 16, I’m going to read from verse 4 onward. The Bible says this: sometime later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, «Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.»

Verse 6: So Delilah said to Samson, «Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.» Now, already right here, this seems rather suspicious, but Samson is so blinded by his love for this woman that he lacks any and all discernment. Now, I am certain that the Holy Spirit was directing and guiding him. I am certain, because I know the nature of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit was clearly speaking to him, yet Samson ignored that warning. Samson ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit.

How do I know that? The scripture tells us again and again that the Holy Spirit was upon Samson. He stirred Samson; he was with Samson. Samson ignores the voice of the Holy Spirit. So we read in verse 7, Samson replied, «If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.» So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them. She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her house and she cried out, «Samson, the Philistines have come to capture you!» But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire, so the secret of his strength was not discovered.

So here we see that Samson lies to Delilah. Now, this tells me that he knows it’s not a good idea to divulge this information to this woman. He knows, deep down, that this is not something he should be doing. But still, Samson, instead of just cutting this relationship off, instead of just having discernment and recognizing that Delilah is out to get him, he stays in this relationship. Now the first time should have caused him to become suspicious, but that didn’t cause him to become suspicious. Why? Because he lacked discernment.

Now surely, the second time this happens, Samson should wake up, but that’s not the case. Verse 10: after Delilah said to him, «You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies. Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely, ” Samson replied, „If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.“ So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, „Samson, the Philistines have come to capture you!“ But again, Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread.

Then Delilah said, „You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies. Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.“ And again, Samson replied, „If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.“ So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric. Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle and she cried out, „Samson, the Philistines have come to capture you!“ But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.

Then Delilah pouted, „How can you tell me I love you when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you strong.“ She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. Now, here you would think that after three times, Samson would finally hear the warning, the voice of the Holy Spirit. But he lacks discernment; he’s not listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. He’s living in compromise.

Now, if that woman had put you in that compromising position three separate times and supposedly, coincidentally, the Philistines just so happened to be there, wouldn’t that cause you to become suspicious? But no, Samson was so stubborn he refused any instruction of the Spirit. He was so stubborn that he failed to see what was obvious. Now, we may look at Samson and say, „What a fool! I would never do such a thing!“ But in our everyday lives, we do it constantly.

I want you to pay close attention to the fact that Samson’s lies to Delilah become closer to the truth the more she wears him down. So it began with something that was completely unrelated to the truth, and now this fourth time Samson tells her that if you braid my hair or put it in the loom, that I’ll become as weak as anyone else. Now he’s getting closer to the truth. Remember, this temptation is not an event; it’s a process. Here we see Samson going down this line, going down this process, compromising every step of the way, and I know that I know that I know that the voice of the Holy Spirit was speaking to him. But while the voice of the Holy Spirit was speaking to him, the voice of temptation was nagging him. To which voice will you give your attention: the voice of disobedience or the voice of the Holy Spirit?

Delilah nagged him and persisted until she wore him down. Samson’s mistake was that he didn’t cut her off. Our mistake is that we don’t cut temptation out; we don’t cut disobedience out. You see, we don’t mind it being near to us because we lie to ourselves, telling ourselves that we have control over it, that we have things in order. But we don’t. Be warned. Now, if we do not flee from temptation, if we flirt with it, if we play with it, if we keep it near to us, eventually temptation will wear you down.

So we continue to read. Finally, Samson shared his secret with her: „My hair has never been cut, ” he confessed, „for I was dedicated to God as a Nazarite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.“ Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth. So she sent for the Philistine rulers: „Come back one more time, ” she said, „for he has finally told me his secret.“ So the Philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands.

Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way, she began to bring him down, and his strength left him. Then she cried out, „Samson, the Philistines have come to capture you!“ When he woke up, he thought, „I will do as before and shake myself free, ” but he didn’t realize the Lord had left him.

Now here, I want to talk to you about some of the things that may concern you with regard to your salvation. Now, first of all, let me point out that this happened incrementally to Samson, and each time he came closer to falling until finally, he is in this very compromised position. You and I may find ourselves in places like that sometimes. What I’m about to tell you is both a warning and an encouragement. It’s a warning to those who have yet to fall in detrimental ways, in ways that are detrimental to their call, and it’s an encouragement to those who have fallen in a detrimental way because there is still hope for you.

Now, back to my point that I brought up several minutes ago about the difference between the power of God upon you and the presence of God within you. Remember that the key phrase in those scriptures that I gave you that spoke of the demonstrations of Samson’s strength—the key phrase was the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. Now, the Spirit of the Lord had to repeatedly come upon him. Why? Because the power comes and goes. The power came upon him and then it left. That’s why it had to come back each time the scripture referenced the Spirit of the Lord coming powerfully upon him.

The Spirit upon you comes and goes, but the Spirit within you abides. The Spirit upon you is God’s power; the Spirit within you is God’s presence. The Spirit upon you is for ministry; the Spirit within you is for salvation. The Spirit upon you is for you to act or to do; the Spirit within you is for you to be—it’s your identity. No matter the state of the power of God upon you, the Holy Spirit will never leave a true believer. A true believer will never be abandoned by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit abides with the…