The Necessity Of Daily Renewal

Judges 16:20

 ‘And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.’

In the ministry and equally important in each Christian's life we must learn never to rely on past victories or past accomplishments to keep us fresh in our walk with God. Our spiritual vitality is never further than our fellowship with God. While it is true that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, that's a promise anchored to our unconditional position in the Lord Jesus Christ! The peril for the Christian’s walk, witness, worship is the distractions, distance and departure from the Lord!

Many of God's blessings of power, provisions and particulars are conditional. Samson's life serves as a testimony of the importance of obedience and the cost of neglecting one's daily renewal or staying fresh with the Lord.
Consider then;
I.Past Victories Will Not Suffice For Fresh Vision: Ministry life cannot thrive looking in the rearview mirror. ('Oh the good old days') Praise The Lord for the past, but setting up camp there can become a fatal attraction. It can and will lead to spiritual disgrace, spiritual defeat and spiritual degradation.  Let's review Samson's resume' of past victories;
1.Samson Slew a lion with his bare hands. Judges 14:5-6  'Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand:'
2.Samson

Slew a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of an ass: Judges 15:16 'and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.'
3.Samson Supernaturally  carried off the Gates of Gaza. Judges 16:2  'And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.'
That's a rather impressive list to say the least, but that was life's, yesterdays.   

Gaza was one of the five major cities of the Philistines. The city's gates were of great significance. The difference between a city and a town was that a city had a wall with gates, and the gates symbolized the city’s strength. In addition, city business was conducted at these gates. Sampson took not only the gates but the posts as well. One estimate is that the gates weighed between 5 and 10 tons, based on a 10 x 10-foot opening. That's beyond impressive that’s supernatural. 

We are to thank God for past victories, but we cannot live there. Everyday the Christian must remain aware that this new life is anchored in the person of Christ. John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.'

Paul never lost sight of this great truth and said so in Gal 2:20 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,' So Past Victories Will Not Suffice For Fresh Vision:

Notice then;
II. Present Spiritual Vitality Demands Daily Focus:18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.'
Samson was spiritually out of focus and that led to his demise and delusion found in the words, ‘I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.’  Samson had given his heart to the enemy, the Philistines.
Present Spiritual Vitality demands that our hearts be focused on the Lord daily. Each day we rise the Lord should be sought for a fresh renewal of power, provisions, purity. Note the phrase ‘I will go out as at other times before,' Familiarity is the mother of contempt! Proverbs 3:5-7 'Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

8. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.'  This is a principle taught throughout the Word of God. The Psalmist understood this great truth and expressed it in

Psa 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.'  Notice finally then Samson's;
III. Perpetual Vilification of Divine Favor:  Samson was warned that the constant vilification of the vow on his life was undermining God's blessings upon the nation and his personal life.
The phrase ‘and I shall...be like any other man,’ should make us shudder. Who would have thought that this mighty man of God would have been brought to a place of such ridicule in the eyes of the enemy and surrendered to the enemy what was divinely his, but we have seen this repeated over and over through the years. Perhaps you have found yourself on the road of shame more than you would care to admit. Perhaps we fear ever saying such words, but our actions, attitudes and aspirations betray God’s call and claim on our lives. We who are believers in Christ are not, 'like any other man.'  We are called to be separated from the world and unto God. We are in the world, but not of the world. 1Pe 2:9 KJV  'But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:?'
So how can we stay fresh in our Christian walk, witness and worship with God?

1.Do not be satisfied with past victories. Start each day asking God for new victories in your worship, witness and walk. Psalm 92:8-13 'But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. 9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. 11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.'

2. Start each day as a  prayer warrior.  Even if it is a simple prayer of acknowledging God's presence and that will refocus your heart for victory.  Jer 33:3 'Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.'

The mighty servant of prayer E.M.Bounds said; ' God is not looking for better methods or machinery, but rather God is looking for bended men.' Someone has correctly said said, 'We never rise higher than when we are found on our knees.'

3. Thank God for His great call on your life and then practice Psalm 1 for the blessed life. 'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.' Remember you're not like any other man or person. You are a Christian and a man of God! You represent Christ Jesus the Lord! Paul said in Phl 3:13-14 KJV  'Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.'