Toxic Alignments in God’s Eyes- Part 2

Have you ever found yourself in a relationship and realized that you were bamboozled? Unfortunately, you recognized it all too late and the cost was extremely great?  Does this sound familiar to you? I'm talking about relationships that lulled you to sleep ; you didn't allow yourself to look closely at the red flags that were dead smack in your face. How does something like this happen?

Well, we are going to find out exactly how it happens.  Baby, today we are going to check out a real doozy in scripture. Samson, Delilah and the Philistines. Most are familiar with Samson and Delilah, but most overlook a key player in the story, the Philistines. Today, we are going to examine all three.

Do you have a Philistine type spirit in your life? I’m talking about the kinds of spirits that watch you, follow you and hire your confidantes to betray you. What about a smooth Delilah spirit that seduced you and made you so comfortable that you bore your soul to her or him, and laid on their laps for your quick demise? What are we talking about? We’re talking about a smooth as butter talker that betrays you for some shekels kind of relationship. What about you, Samson or Samsonista? What was your part? Are you totally innocent or is it time to own up to the truth?

 

Today we will gain insight on some of the ways extremely toxic relationships might operate. You will see some of the ways toxic relationships look in action from the lens of scripture. Understand that the same spirits that were in operation in biblical times are the same spirits that are in operation today.

 

Learn to recognize them and, please take heed. There are two toxic groups in this text that we will examine today. Of course, that's the Philistines and Delilah. What will you gain today? We are going to tear apart the Philistine spirit and we're going to see how it operated and find the red flags. We're also going to put a magnifying lens to the Delilah spirit and we will see how it maneuvered and we'll see the key red flags. Finally, we’ll take a look at you in the story, yes, you Samson or Samsonista, wherever the shoe fits! You are not off the hook my friend. Let’s find out the pitfalls that really snared Samson. We’ll look at where he went wrong.

So let me start with a disclaimer.  I am not a medical professional, a licensed therapist, a psychologist, or even a counselor. I am a disciple, I'm a mentor and a coach and a former elementary teacher. The information here that I present is biblical. It is for your education and for your information only. SHES DISCIPLED, LLC takes no responsibility for your life, for your life's decisions. If you need medical attention, please seek the help you need. Okay, so I'm so glad you're here, but listen, I do want to invite you today to join my weekly newsletter where you will receive weekly biblical tips, tools and strategies to help you Break the Pact.

 

By joining today, you can grab your free Analyzing the Philistine Spirit and the Delilah Spirit Checklist Guide. You can also grab a copy of our Podcast #5’s show notes that coincide with the information in this blog.  The show notes contain the key points and a summary of the podcast, action steps and a list of URL’s mentioned in the show. You can go to  www.shesdiscipled.com/e5-shownotes.  Please go listen to Podcast #5, Toxic Alignments in God’s eyes part 2 if you want to listen to a more detailed account of this same information that I am presenting you with today.  ( See the podcast link at the end of the blog)

Today I am going to recommend that you read Judges chapters 13-16 to give you a clear understanding of Samson’s life and his interactions with the Philistines. I will also suggest that you read about the Nazarite vow that Samson was a part of in Numbers chapter 6. However, the information presented in the blog today is primarily taken from Judges 16, the account with Sampson, Delilah and the Philistines.

Now, let's get into these spirits. Let's start with Delilah. Now understand that when we're talking about spirits, we're dealing with Delilah who was a woman, but the Delilah spirit can be in a man. The Philistine spirits were clearly men, but that doesn't mean that you won't see these spirits in women as well. I want you to keep that in mind when we're talking about these spirits.

The spirit of Delilah. The Bible tells us in Judges 16 :4 that Samson loved Delilah. Notice that it does not say that Delilah loved Samson. My friends be aware of whom you say you love. They may not love you back. The truth is, what we deem love often does not measure up against scripture. Scripture tells us in 1 John 2:5 that the one that keep it, the word of the Lord, the love of God is in him. (And I'm going to say, or her. ) We also know that we have two commandments now to follow; love God and love your neighbor as yourself. ( Matthew 22:36-40) Delilah clearly didn't love, didn't serve the Lord, nor was the love of God in her.

 

This of course made her incapable of loving anyone else. Is that true of you? The spirit of Delilah is incapable of love because he or she is in love with the things of this world and does not have the love of God in them. Delilah, my friends, was a lover of the world. She was willing to receive a bribe to betray Samson, a pretty hefty bribe. Delilah was likely a wealthy woman after this betrayal. We know that the word says that those who love the world are what? They're enemies of God. According to James 4: 4, adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is enemy of God.

 

I really wanted to know how much money Delilah sold out for; how much was the transaction?  Aren’t you curious too? I got this information from JesusisSavior.com. Shout out to them for doing the research. Well, according to JesusisSavior.com Delilah’s payment would have been $89,641. This payment was paid by the five Philistine Lords in the text. She would have been set for life.

 

She was willing to do this knowing that she would be set for life. Are those that you are linked up to, is the love of God in them? If not, my friend, they are likely lovers of the world. Lovers of the world can be bought often. Many have their eyes on mammon, greed. They often have a price.

 

Trust me, the enemy can certainly peep out those around you who can be manipulated. Are those that you surround yourself with anchored in the Lord? Imagine Delilah would probably want for nothing for the rest of her life. After this deal with these devils, Delilah saw herself as being a well taken care of woman, even if it was by turning over her lover for some shekels in a dirty deal.

 

1 John 2: 15 through 17 says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him. So for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but it is of the world. Delilah gave her ear to the devil's workers.

 

Are those around you eager to hear about what the world has to offer them? Remember, this was a temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world for worship. Who is around you? Do you have a Delilah spirit that is easily enticed by quick deals, excited about those that are connected to the elite, looking to come up by any means necessary? Or what about those who give an ear to shaky deals or ungodly counsel? In Samson's case, he wouldn't have known this, of course, because these were backroom deals. You can be sure that there were signs though that Delilah was a lover of the world. There are always signs; we usually ignore them, but we must rely on our discernment in this hour.

What is discernment friends? Discernment is recognizing the differences between right and wrong, but the discerning of spirits is recognizing the intent behind the words and actions. We see the spirits operating behind the words, the spirits operating behind the actions. Are they operating from the evil one or from the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord? You will know in the Spirit.

which spirit they are operating in. You will be able to distinguish this, judge this. It will be spiritual judgment. The Lord gives out his spirit as he wills, but it would behoove you in this hour to ask him for the gift of discerning of spirits. And you can find that in 1 Corinthians 12 amongst other gifts that are helpful for believers in this late hour.

 

Listen, friends in this hour, you must know that Delilah comes in a pretty package. He or she comes in just the package you like. She or he comes as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14. Satan transforms himself as an angel of light and so do his ministers. Delilah will not come with two red horns on her head. She will come with smooth speech, comforting words, listening and pretending to love you, pretending to have your best interests at heart. In this hour, we must be wise. The Bible tells us that we must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, Matthew 10:16. We are sheep friends, according to the word. Trust and believe there are Delilah wolves out there ready and willing to devour you.

You see, greed was one reason that Delilah could easily be used by the enemy. What does the Bible say about greed? Well Proverbs 1:17- 19 says surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird and they lay wait for their own blood. They lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone that is greedy for gain, which taketh away the life of owners thereof.

 

Isn't that what the Delilah spirit does? He or she sets a net for the unsuspecting. Their goal is to take away the life of the one they are spreading the net for. Don't be fooled by Delilah. She does not love you. She is not your friend. She is not your beloved family member. She is not your spouse, if she's acting that way. Delilah is a worker of iniquity. You can only see him or her through the spirit. They have given themselves over to an evil spirit, the one whose goal is to take the life away of the unsuspecting according to the word.

 

She was a secret backroom deal maker. She accepted bribes. Is there a price on your head? Are lots being cast on your behalf? Delilah was willing to be used by the enemy. She was willing to turn someone over for profit. But what does the Bible say about those who take bribes? Deuteronomy 27:25 says that the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person is cursed. Delilah, my friend, is cursed, according to the Lord. We also know that those who accept bribes, according to scripture, pervert justice and are greedy. (1 Samuel 8:3)

According to Webster's online dictionary, greed is an excessive desire for more of something such as money; more than what is needed. You know, only those who have been betrayed know the smell of a betrayer. If you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about. You can see the unsure look in their eyes, the slight tinge of fear that they might be found out, the hesitation in their movements, nervousness, the secret anger, the hate in their eyes, the lack of eye contact, the change in speech. Trust me, if you know, you know; if you would just connect with the Holy Spirit, it was there all along. Sometimes you don't see these things until later. That is if you're not rooted in God, if you're not close to him, if you're not at his feet, if you're not in an intimate relationship with him. You won't see this, but you will ever so quickly see when you are in relationship with him.  If this has happened to you, or anything like this, it just means you didn't trust the Holy Ghost that was sending you the clear yet subtle signs. Don't you dare ignore them in the future. The Spirit of God speaks with lightning speed. Believe what he is showing you.

 

Allowing yourself to sit back and observe them in action with few words will often give you everything you need. Somehow, they always reveal themselves, don't they? Delilah let it be known over and over by her words that the Philistines were the ones whom she made the back room deal with. Samson would have known this if he stopped to keenly listen.

Samson wasn't really close to God. Although he took a special vow, we'll talk about that a little later, he didn’t really have an intimate relationship with God. We don't hear about him praying like other people in scripture. We don't hear about him building an altar unto the Lord. We don't hear about him doing those things. So there's a question as to, Samson's intimacy with the Lord.

But let's get back to Delilah. Delilah has a lying tongue. In modern day times, Delilah was definitely doing something that we would call today as projecting. She was accusing Samson of the very thing that she was doing. Judges 16: 10, and Delilah said to Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. Delilah is telling him that he's telling her lies, but  she’s the one doing the lying. It really is a sly tactic, a secret of Satan.  That's projection 101. Boy, was she a master liar. The word mocked in Strong's Concordance means that you have deceived me. You have dealt with me deceitfully. This is the very thing she was doing. Pay close attention to those in your life who project. Those who are accusing you of doing the very thing that you suspect they are guilty of. Beware.

 

This is a lying tongue that is very skilled. What does the Bible say about a liar? Proverbs 12:22 says that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. Liars never expect to be caught. In fact, the lie is designed so that they won't be caught. Psalm 12: 2 -4, they speak vanity, which is falsehood. Everyone with his neighbor with flattering lips with a double heart, do they speak?

 

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said with our tongue we will prevail? Our lips are our own, who is Lord over us? So really it's a spirit that believes that nothing is going to catch them, that nothing is above them.  They don't believe they're going to be caught.

Delilah's a flatterer. Her speech is smooth; it’s easy to the ear. Psalm 55:21 gives us indication of how skilled and smooth a flatterer is. Flattery is a tool used by toxic people. It's a tool used to put you at ease. It is a tool used to dumb down your senses. The scripture describes the words of a flatterer. Their words are described as softer than oil and smoother than butter. These tactics are meant to be stealth. They are meant to go under the radar. The part of scripture to take note of is that even though the words are sweet, kind, articulate, caring, and calming;  war, baby, war is in their hearts. Their words conceal the condition of their hearts. Do you have a sweet talker amongst you? Do they use their words to lull you to sleep and make you feel safe in a war zone? They really have swords drawn behind their backs. Beware, the flatterer is up to no good. The Delilah spirit uses your love as a tool to manipulate you. She knows that you love her, so she puts on an Academy Award-winning act. Oh, what a performance to show that she cares while exploiting you. Delilah knows nothing of love. After all, we know that love is patient, we know love is kind, we know that love does no harm, we know that love is not self-seeking, and it does not think of evil acts. According to 1 Corinthians 13, Delilah wouldn't know love if it hit her over the head. Remember, the love of God is not in her.

 

Friends, love is just not in a Delilah. She ain't capable of love; not without the love of God. So, what do you expect? Can you expect this spirit to care for you? Can you expect this spirit to treat you well? Can you expect this spirit to honor you, respect you? I don't care who they are in your life. It matters not the relationship. If they have this Delilah spirit, they are not capable of love because they don't have God in them. No way is this the spirit of God.

The spirit of Delilah shares your secrets with the enemies. Delilah is not loyal, baby. She uses your secrets to bring your demise. Delilah is the worst kind of gossip. Can you imagine the one that you love sharing your deepest concerns and vulnerabilities? Can you imagine the one that you ignorantly love sharing your fears and weaknesses with the one who hates you? She is a secret informant. Delilah my friend is your frenemy. Delilah is a secret enemy that has aligned with those who wish to harm you. Do you know what that makes Delilah? Your enemy. Delilah is absolutely your enemy!

 

Beware of so-called friends, family, acquaintances, whomever; I'm telling you; you have to test every spirit in this hour. Beware of those that are cozied up to your enemies, those who have an ear to your enemies, those that you have told them are your enemies. Usually, you won't know that this is happening, but in some cases, Delilah is bold enough to allow you to see the interaction with your enemies. Take heed. Now we have all probably at one time or another spoken something to someone that we should not have about someone else. That's just the truth. We certainly must repent for that. But Delilah, Delilah baby does it with evil intention. Her intent is to harm.

 

Make no mistake about it. Delilah is a weapon, a mighty fiery arrow. She is part of the enemy's plan to steal, kill and destroy your life. Remember that is what the enemy does according to scripture in John 10: 10. What does the Bible say about a gossip? Proverbs 11: 13 says, a table bearer reveal his secrets, but he that is a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Some translations use the term gossip, others use the term slanderer, but Delilah shares your secrets for your demise and for her gain. Delilah is wicked. She's wicked to the core. This spirit is a destroying spirit that is a secret deceiver and a backroom deal maker. We have no business being in any proximity to a Delilah. Get away from this spirit. Have nothing to do with the spirit, y'all. If you discern her or him, they are absolutely toxic. Get away.

Do you have those around you that just seem to be asking you questions about your gifts or questions about your vulnerabilities? They are obsessed about the things you do, how you do them, what makes you tick? They want to know what you do well and how you do it so well. They are the ones who look to find your wounds, what hurts you. These people are not asking you just out of curiosity. Why would one keep asking you questions about your vulnerability when you express to them that you don't want to share that kind of information? These, my friends, are intel gatherers. Beware. Delilah is a hired hand. Hired to gather intel. She was not loyal. Maybe she was at one time, who knows? We must watch subtle shifts in relationships. Delilah's behavior must have changed. Every question suddenly had to do with finding out his vulnerable places, the vulnerabilities that would defeat him. She gathers the information, in regular intimate interactions with you.

 

The questions seem harmless. Remember they seem harmless because she uses flattery, a smooth tongue to gather this intel. But the Bible continually tells us to guard our hearts. Be observant in this hour, be sober and vigilant because Delilah is sly and cunning and a devourer. This spirit of Delilah is persistent and it is relentless and it never gives up. The Bible states that she pressed Samson daily, Judge 16:16. Notice she kept asking him the same question. Delilah wanted specific information. Usually that enemy is looking for specific information. She continued her enticing tactics until Samson finally gave her the information that she was seeking. They are in it for the long game. Believe me, when the information was given up, you are their discard.

 

Do you notice that Delilah shared very little of herself? Beware of those who probe you, but never offer anything in return or very little in return. The relationship is a one-way relationship. You are playing cards by yourself, baby. Delilah has no interest in being authentic with you, sharing her cards, her true self with you, her weaknesses with you, her dreams with you, her vulnerabilities with you? Nah, she doesn't want you to know the real her. Think about it. Did you really know Delilah? Probably not. You might actually see through her if she shared her authentic self. The whole focus is on you, my friend. You might even find that a Delilah spirit gives you false information just to engage your information. This spirit does not want you to discern them because their intents are evil.

Delilah will not accept no. You have made it really clear that you're not interested in sharing particular information with this spirit, but they still pull out all kinds of manipulations and stops to barricade past your no boundary. Delilah, doesn't like boundaries because she wants what she wants. Samson had this same issue. She will ignore your boundaries and pretend as though your boundaries are ridiculous. She’ll convince you that the boundary is keeping you from true closeness. Remember, she's an Academy Award winner; she uses love and closeness and fake intimacy as a tool of manipulation. She does not respect you. She does not respect your no. If you allow it, she will act as if no was never said and she will continue to barricade your no until you break.

 This is a ruthless spirit. Delilah will mingle with you until she gets exactly what she needs. She is willing to stay the course. Once she has the information that she has been sent to gather, she discards you. This spirit has no empathy and is absolutely cold blooded. One who can gather sensitive information and then toss you to the wolves is a cold, calculated, cold blooded spirit. This spirit has no conscience. It doesn't care who it hurts or harms. Matthew 24:12 says, and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. She was cold-blooded ; she turned Samson over for 1100 shekels of silver times five. She was able to discard him as if he were not human. He was an object to be used for her come-up. He was merely a transaction.

 

Let's move to the Philistines. I hope you got something from Delilah because these stories are not just stories for us to read, they are for us to dissect. These kinds of things are still happening today. It’s amazing that the Bible can share this kind of current, relevant information. Let's look at the Philistine spirit.  This spirit represents power. In Judges 16:5 we are told that there were five lords of the Philistines that approached Delilah. The word Lord in Strong's concordance means ruler or tyrant. These were men of power, governmental power. They were rulers and they had money to support their attempt to take down Samson. The Philistines were a continual thorn in Israel's side. They had previous ‘beef’ with Samson. The Philistines were a continual problem for the Israelites.

 

Samson burned down the Philistine wheat fields in retaliation for using his former wife to gather intel against him. They bribed his wife so they would not have to honor a bet that they made with Samson. They were slimy cheats! I'm telling you, read Judges chapters 13 through 16 ; it'll bless your life. Again, there was another situation where Samson was betrayed by a woman who gave over intel to his enemy. One who worked as a double agent. You can find that in Judges 15:5. Samson was known for his God-given strength. Everyone knew about Samson and how strong he was.

This group of Philistines became what we call today monitoring spirits. Now that term is not in the Bible, but we use that term today in relation to these kinds of spirits. Judges 15: 9 shows us that the Philistines went and pitched in Judah and Lehi in an attempt to capture Samson after the field burning incident. They were out for revenge to get him. They were unable to capture him, even though his own people, tried to turn him over to the Philistines. The Israelites wanted to turn him over because they didn't really want any trouble with the Philistines who were their rulers. The spirit of the Lord though, allowed Samson to be freed from them trying to turn him over. They bound him and tried to turn him over, but the spirit of the Lord came up on Samson and allowed him to be freed from the shackles.

We're told that Samson goes to Gaza in Judges 16:1. The Gazites were informed of Samson's arrival. Who would inform them of his arrival? None other than those who were pursuing him. They set up as monitoring spirits. They moved from town to town watching his moves to try and destroy him. Judges 16:2 says that the Gazites were waiting for him to kill him. We know that Samson was probably frequently in the Sorek Valley due to his love for Delilah, his new love interest. Delilah too became a monitoring spirit.

 

Monitoring spirits watch your every move. These Philistine spirits followed and tracked his steps from Judah, Lehi to Gaza, to the Sorek Valley. These spirits alert other willing spirits to bring you down. They're like a demonic hotline. They use their demonic switchboard connections to alert your moves. They use network connections to help watch and defeat you.

 

Do you have spirits that are monitoring you from location to location? They follow you. They alert others of your presence when you arrive in a new space to control and defeat you. You are wondering how your moves are known, how your actions are documented and tracked ; friend this is nothing but a demonic communication network. This, my friend, is how the Philistine spirit moves. Samson moved from city to city and these spirits followed him in an attempt to stop him.

Monitoring spirits don't just monitor, they monitor for a specific purpose. Monitoring spirits are part of the devil's team to kill, steal or destroy someone. This was their end goal.  It is time to find out the corrupted links who are on your so-called team. Are they informants to the enemy? The street psychology world would call these spirits today, flying monkeys. They don't know you. They don't know anything about you, but they have been convinced to go against you because they are beholden to the Philistine spirits. They're bribed by them. They're complicit by them or even in close affiliation with them. What does the Bible say about what we are calling a monitoring spirit? Well, David was very vocal about monitoring spirits. He was monitored by Saul, a king! Who would believe that a king would pose as a monitoring spirit? Believe it!  David tells us that his steps were being marked. His enemy was hiding. They were gathered together to take his soul.

 

Philistine spirits lie in wait for blood. In Proverbs 1:10 -19, Solomon's mother is warning him about these particular types of spirits that lie in wait for blood. They look for the innocent and they cast lots among other things. She warns her son to stay away from these types of people. Well, my friend, this is exactly what the Philistine spirit does. They lie in wait for blood. They are premeditated and calculated pursuers. Judges 16:9 tells us that these Philistine spirits were lying in wait for Delilah's plan to be successful. They were hidden on the premises ready to attack. Do you sense that there are those that are just waiting for your demise? This spirit, the Philistine spirit has created this evil plan and waits patiently for the plan to work.

 

Do you suspect that there are those waiting close by to destroy or even cash in? Listen, the Philistine Spirit is prepared to go to great lengths to take down their targets. They are prepared to even bribe others to get what they want. It really doesn't matter the cost. This spirit will corral together with others that dislike you and they will form allegiances, alliances, confederacies. This bribe included five Philistine lords who gathered together to make the deal sweet for Delilah. They made a deal that they believed she could not and would not turn down. They were right. She accepted their offer of a bribe.

What does the Bible say again about those who bribe? One that that accepts a bribe is cursed, but what about the one who offers it? (Deuteronomy 27:25) Well, Job 15:34 tells us that those who bribe are empty, even though their houses may be full of stolen riches. A bribe is like a charm in the hands of the one who gives it according to Proverbs 17: 8. If they are successful in getting someone to accept the present or the gift, they become prosperous. So, we know that they get something from this bribe.

I bet you will look at gifts from questionable contacts now in a whole different light. Watch those who are always willing to give away gifts to people. Sometimes they use gifts as bribes, Bribes are sometimes used as a tool of manipulation. Essentially it can be a form of witchcraft my friends.  We also know that those who bribe, they have corrupted hearts. Their exploitation and extortion methods and schemes have turned them into mere fools according to the Bible. ( Ecclesiastes 7:7-9) They have heart issues.  They're not concerned in the least bit about the things of the Lord. They don't care about what the Lord loves or what the Lord is concerned about. The Bible tells us that the Lord is concerned about orphans and the fatherless and the widows. These spirits could care less about the needy, they exploit and do great harm to others.

 

Have you ever wondered why your enemy is suddenly cuddled up to your confidants? Well, this is another tactic of the Philistine spirit. They get close to those who are close to you. Why? So, they can break down your network, turn them against you all in an effort to take you down. Oh friend, it is a sinister tactic indeed. If they cannot get to you directly, these spirits get to networking with your confidants and your loved ones. They are experts at discerning the weak links in your tribe and able to quickly see those who are likely to turn you over for a shekel. (Judges 16:5) Pay attention to people who want to infiltrate your circle. It may not always be for ill intent, but sometimes, people surround you and your confidants close to you for a particular reason. Be sober and vigilant, use your discernment, your Holy Ghost gut, believe it and trust it.

 This Philistine spirit is sly and cunning. It plots, it schemes to get the desired outcomes it wishes. These spirits are secretly providing Delilah with everything that Samson revealed to her while they are waiting secretly in the back to attack. They egged her on as she provided an award of winning performance to deceive Samson. If this isn't cunning and sly friends, what is? Where do we learn about the sly and cunning tactics of the enemy friend? The devil shows us one of his sly and cunning moves in the first book of scripture. He makes Eve literally doubt her reality. Satan, he was the first gas lighter. Isn't that something?

 

He made Eve doubt her reality. He slyly made her doubt what she knew to be true. Gaslighting, right in Genesis, y'all. Gaslighting ain't new, it's a trick of the enemy. It's one of the secrets of Satan. He teaches all of his sick, lying, sly, and cunning tactics to his children. They learn all of the evil ways to plot and scheme, to steal, kill and destroy the people of God. Oh, the Philistine spirit gets their playbook straight from their father, the father of lies. John 8 : 44. Watch those who tell small lies, even to other people. Watch those who try to make others question what they know to be true. They are a child of their father, gaslighting is one of his demonic tactics.

Watch those who ask excessive questions about your personal life. You will know because it is beyond nosey. You can be assured that there is evil intent behind it.  Watch those who want to know about your gifts ; or  those that want to  know about your strengths, weaknesses or what makes you break. Be aware. Immediately distance yourself.  If you suspect that they are not being true or have ill intent, begin testing those spirits. Use your discernment, deal with it immediately by establishing firm boundaries and distance.

 

The Philistine spirit likes to intimidate. They like to use fear and threats to get what they want. We see this in operation when they bribed Samson’s first wife and threatened her. They threatened to burn her and her father, and they did. The threat was linked to getting information about Sampson.  These spirits don't mind hitting below the belt, they will use fear mongering, they're nothing to play with.  They are cold and heartless. The Bible tells us to in no way show fear to our enemies. Showing no fear gives them a clear message that they will be destroyed and that you will be protected and delivered. ( Philippians 1:28.) You must resist this spirit, don't be in connection with them. Don't be in connection with them at all.

It is important for you to understand the goal of this spirit. This spirit is only interested in finding out your strengths and weaknesses for purposes to defeat you, prevail over you and to put you in bondage. Beware of those who hate your gifts, those that are constantly looking for ways to undermine your gifts, or ways to stop and block your gifts. Beware of those who hate your strength. They see this as a somehow direct threat to them.

 

Be aware this is a patient spirit; it will take the time to do what is necessary to succeed. This spirit will break the bank to do it. This spirit will use fear and intimidation to do it and even corral other monitoring spirits who are willing to join them to do it. This is their goal. If this is their main goal, doesn't this sound like Satan's work? We know that scripture tells us that Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy in John 10.10. I guess if the kingdom of darkness had a mission statement, that would be it. We came to kill you. We came to steal from you and we came to destroy you. The Philistine spirit is from hell's kingdom and they carry out hell's mission statement.

 

Do you have stealers among you? Do you have killers of dreams or ideas, plans, fun, goals, success, healthy relationship? Do you have those who are trying to destroy friendships, family relationships, dreams, finances, emotional health, physical health? Baby, if you do, you have a destroyer on your hands, sent straight from the enemy.

 

This spirit likes to see your downfall. They like to see you being tortured, demeaned and humiliated. Scripture uses the term, the Philistines “afflicted”, but so did Delilah. She also ‘afflicted’ Samson. If you look that term up in Strongs, it has to do with demeaning, it has to do with humiliating and torture. This spirit makes sport of your pain and demise. They like it. It makes them smile, they laugh at your defeat, humiliation and your bondage. It is entertainment for them. (Judges 16: 21- 25)  The Bible said that they saw him as sport, and  they wanted him to parade before him. It was like he was an animal in the zoo.

It is sick friends, there's a sadistic element here. Be aware of people who are happy to see your downfall or the downfall of others, watch them closely. They won't say it, but you can certainly catch it in the spirit. These spirits are not for you. They have been waiting for your defeat. They see your demise as entertainment, sport for the arena. Imagine the Philistines not only gouging out Samson's eyes, but watching him, the strong man who once defeated them stand before them, powerless, and they liked it.

 

Listen, this spirit is nothing to play with. They are ruthless and have absolutely no remorse for the harm that they inflict on others for their gain. They are cruel and offer unusual punishment. Gouging out a man's eyes is heartless and certainly unusual punishment. Parading him for entertainment like he was an animal, it's sick. They need to dehumanize you in order to justify their behavior. Debased minds, y'all. These spirits are waxed cold. They look, watch, and are not affected by pain, hurt, or harm. It is as if they have no conscience and no remorse. The Philistines saw Samson as an object. Their dehumanization of him was evident.

 

You cannot tame these spirits. These are people, but remember they are overcome by spirits. You can't tame them. Those who are taken over by demons, you must get away from them. If you have demons, they need to be cast out. But other folks who have demons, you must get away from them. Don't surround yourself with Delilah and Philistine spirit men and women who don't hold your same godly values.

 

Let's take a quick look at Samson, y'all. I know it's really easy to assess others around us, but have you taken a minute to ask the Lord what your issue is? After all, you didn't see the Delilah and you didn't see the Philistine spirit coming. You just didn't see it. The truth is they came upon you, spread their net and caught you, the unsuspecting. Isn't it time for us to take a minute and look at ourselves? What's our issue? How does Samson work against himself? Was he in complete alignment with God? Could that be you? Are you working against yourself? Are you in complete alignment with God? Are you in sin? Are you following his word?

 

Let's take a deep dive and look at Samson. I know looking at ourselves is tough. It's easy to point our fingers at everyone else. And yes, others may be doing evil things, like the Philistines,  r maybe they may be operating in the way that the Delilah spirit was operating. But what about us? We know that Samson was a Nazarite from birth according to the scripture. His mother was visited by an angel of the Lord. The angel declared that Samson would be dedicated to the Lord as a Nazirite.  We also know that the Lord intended for him to be used to begin to help Israel be delivered from the Philistines and that's in Judges 13:5. God had a plan for Samson from the very beginning.

 

Despite all these things that went on in Samson's life, we know that it was all part of the plan of God to take down the Philistines, who were oppressing the Israelites. What can we learn from Samson? What can we observe in this text to help us in modern day times deal with Delilah's and Philistines in our midst? What can we learn about ourselves? First of all, Samson did not understand love. What about you? We know the scripture tells us that he loved Delilah. We know from Strong's that this word love in Hebrew is ahab ; Strong's H157. The word can mean sexual involvement, it can mean a lover or even a friend, but it is likely that they were lovers. Typically, a man is not just going to lay on a woman's lap if she's just a friend, right?

 

Judges 16: 19 tells us that he laid on her lap to go to sleep. This gives us an idea that they probably had an intimate relationship.  Scripture makes clear for us in 1 Corinthians 13 what love should look like and act like. It also tells us what love is not.

Delilah clearly did not love Samson. Accepting a bribe, lying, manipulating his love, partnering with his enemy are certainly huge indicators that Delilah had no love for Samson. It could even be argued that Samson didn't know much about loving God or himself. Again, we don’t see that Samson connected with the Lord intimately. That is a hint for us to root ourselves in God's love for us.  Learn to love God. Learn God's love for you.  You must know without a doubt that He loves you with an enduring kind of love. Finally, learning to love yourself is a must.  When we have that in place, then we are in a good position to love other people. Why? Because when we know that God loves us well,  we begin to learn to love him well and we begin to learn to love ourselves well. It is only then that we are in a good position to love others well.  

 

So root yourself in God's love. Learn God's love for you. Learn how much he loves you and how much he wants you to love yourself. This my friend means putting up boundaries. It means not letting people take advantage of you or mistreat you. It means knowing who to stay away from. That's loving yourself.

How does Samson miss the signs? Well sex and lust can lull us to sleep and throw off our judgment.  That is truth. We have no business having any kind of relationship sexually with those who are not our spouses. Sex is designed for marriage.   God desires for you to have sex with your spouse.

 

We're talking about engaging in sexual relationships with anyone other than a spouse. Sex can give us false messages of real intimacy and closeness. Just because someone is giving you a great deal of attention doesn't mean they are for you. This, my friends, is another huge red flag that Samson missed. Most people engaging in sexual relations with another wouldn't believe that someone would try to misuse them or harm them. You are especially vulnerable to fake trust if you somehow believe that you are in love with them. It's hard to believe that someone might use love as a weapon against you. But in this story, that is exactly what happened. Stop and take a moment to think whether love has been used as a weapon against you. Has love been used to tame you into giving away something? Be careful. Love used as a weapon is a dangerous weapon indeed. Abstain from sexual sin, adultery, fornication. There's safety in that for us.

Samson's choice of women seemed to follow a definite pattern. Now we don't know if Delilah was a Philistine, but we do know that his first wife was. We also know that the Philistines had a tumultuous relationship with Israel. So why on earth would he choose to marry a Philistine woman? I don't know. Why would he pursue a harlot? Why did he pursue Delilah? It seems that he didn't do too much investigating of character when he chose his mates. What about you? Is that true of you?   We have to really look at ourselves. Have you tested those around you thoroughly?

 

You know, scripture tells us Samson chose his first wife. The Bible revealed that Samson saw her and wanted her. (Judges 14: 2 ) It seems as though surface beauty was enough for him. Surface beauty would be a problem for him. He told his dad that he wanted her because she pleased him. (Judges 16:3) Do you just want what you want? Have you gone after what you want in terms of relationships without consideration of character, values and beliefs? Have you only looked at surface elements and not gone into depth to find out if these relationships are of substance? Are they of God? Learn to love what God loves, learn to hate what he hates, and learn to follow and take heed to what he tells us to do in Scripture relating to relationships.

 

Another huge red flag for Samson was that he rejected sound counsel. Listen, his mother and his father asked him to find a woman among the Israelites. That was wise counsel. These women, according to his parents, would probably share the same customs, but most importantly, share the same beliefs and values as Samson. Apparently, the Godly counsel was of no effect to Samson, because we see in Judges 16:5 that he and parents ended up going to Timnath to go get this woman to be his wife. (Judges 16-5) Maybe it's time to revisit the counsel that has been given to us. Having Godly trustworthy counsel is important, it's helpful. They may see potential problems or dangers; things that we don't see because we're too invested, maybe sexually invested, or I'll say charmed. There is safety in wise counsel. The Bible tells us that there's safety in a multitude of counsel, Proverbs 11:14.  

Samson did not protect the gifts that God gave to him. He was naive and never imagined that the very gift that God gave him could be used against him. This supernatural strength that the Lord gave Samson was not meant for everyone to know. The gifts were to be used to glorify God, but when the Lord graces us with something special, we must not only steward the gift well, but also guard it from those who may want to misuse it. People often want to use and misuse the gifts of God. People see the beautiful gifts that God places in us.

 A lot of times people will be planted around you who will want to misuse these gifts. We have to be aware of it and steward our gifts well. Some may even despise the gifts and envy the giftings which bring about hate. Samson's naiveness allowed his enemies to humiliate and demean him and attempt to humble him with the very gifts that God gave him. The enemy uses this same tactic today. They'll use your wonderful gifts as weapons against you.

Joseph comes to mind; Joseph was a dreamer. If you know his story, Joseph's dreams were certainly a God-given gift. He had the ability to dream and foretell the future. He also had the gift of interpreting dreams. Joseph however, was a little bit naive in prematurely sharing those dreams. This gift was a sore spot for his brothers. They hated him for it, along with the fact that his father seemed to favor him over the others. This led them to premeditate a scheme to unalive their brother. Guard your gifts, guard your heart and stay away from these kinds of people; even those who call themselves family. They are dangerous to you. It really doesn’t matter the relationship.

 

Samson was also overconfident and took the presence of the Lord for granted. Imagine, this man who had this amazing strength whenever he needed it. You can begin to think that presence of the Lord protecting you and the very gifts that he gave you are of your own doing. You can become prideful and even expect that no matter what, the Lord is going to protect you. The Bible tells us that Samson did not recognize that the Lord had left him. (Judges 16: 20- 21) He was so used to the Lords grace that He didn’t see that he was no longer protected.

 

Are you clothed in humility?  Humility might have been a problem for Samson. Are you humble? If not, ask the Lord to search you. And if humility is an issue, ask him to help you deal with it. Self-control was another issue for Samson. He seemed to want what he wanted in the area of women. We also see that anger was something that easily triggered him. He seemed to have bit of an anger problem. When Sampson became angry, he didn't know how to manage it; him burning the Philistines fields is an example of this. He did it so quickly, and when asked why he did it, he ultimately said, I'm just getting them back for what they did to me. Now I'm paraphrasing that, you can find it in Judges 15:11. Sampson had a retaliatory spirit and his anger was not in check. What about you? Have you checked your anger? Is it in check?

Are you in a place where you're trying to seek revenge on people? We have to check ourselves. We really do have to check ourselves first. The Bible clearly tells us to not pay back evil for evil, 1 Peter 3: 9. Samson did pay back evil for evil. Samson also lacked self-control. It showed up with his inability to control his desire for women. We know that he seemed to be captured by the same type of woman. His first wife betrayed him, but also Delilah betrayed him. He also seemed to be over consumed with the idea of the way a woman looked. We know he pursued a harlot; he made risky choices as it relates to women.  Samson has some definite patterns. They were problematic patterns. Have you taken the time to explore your patterns?

Samson also had a problem with discipline. We know that he was dedicated as a Nazarite from birth. There were specific things that those who took the Nazarite vow were required to do and not do. And Sampson didn't follow those vows.  If you read between Judges 13 through 16, you'll figure out he wasn't careful to honor his Nazirite vow.

 

He had not crucified his flesh. We have to ask ourselves that, do we have issues with self- control? What about our appetites? What issues do we have? We have to seek the Lord to ask him to expose them to us and to help us to overcome those issues. The Lord can do it my friend.

Samson lacked the discerning of spirits. He didn't detect the Delilah spirit. He didn't detect the Philistine spirit. He did know that the Philistines were his enemy, but he didn't seem to see that the Philistines were following him. He didn't discern it. Samson did not have the discerning of spirits. He didn't learn that he was in trouble until he awakened on the lap of his betrayer, only to find that his locks were cut off and he didn't have strength. He didn’t recognize the betrayal until it was too late. Samson did not know how to test the spirits around him. We have to know how to not only test the spirits around us, but we must ask the Lord for the gift of discerning of spirits. This is a specific gift that helps us to know the spirits that are operating around us.

Samson lacked wisdom regarding his personal affairs. This had a huge effect on the outcome of his life. The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9: 10) We also know that the the fear of the Lord prolongs our days. (Proverbs 10:27)

We are supposed to be sober and vigilant friends. The greatest work, that the Lord is going to do is the work that he does within us. That's the greatest work that He'll do. When you allow him to do that work in you, when you allow him to search you and ask him to begin to show you yourself, things begin to change. Everything will change friends. You will change first and baby, everything else around you will either have to come into alignment or be moved out of the way. It's just no way around it. When you begin to change and the Holy Ghost begins to change you, everything will change around you. You first and then everything else.

We know that all of this that happened in Samson's story was used to fulfill prophecy. We know that all things were created by Christ and for Christ, Colossians 1: 16 - 17. We also know that according to Romans 8: 28, that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.  It was prophesied that Samson would be used to begin to help deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. ( Judges 13)  All of this was God ordained. Your story friend is God ordained as well.

 

What do you do if you recognize that these spirits are amongst you? It's freedom time, it's freedom time.

• First, make sure that you are in right relationship with the Lord. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do it right now. Confess with your mouth today that he is Lord and Savior over your life. Confess that he died for your sins, that he purchased you with a price and that he freed you from sin, because he did. Now you have the opportunity for eternal life in Hm. Believe in your heart that he was raised from the dead and he actually walked here in the flesh. Believe it. He is coming back again for you, not the church building. He's coming back for you.

 

• Prepare yourself as a bride because he's returning for you and he’s looking for a bride without a spot or a wrinkle. Repent of your sins, ask for forgiveness. Repent means turn away and stop doing the thing and turn in a new direction. Forgive others just as he forgave you. I want to be clear because a lot of times forgiveness is often used as a tool of manipulation to maintain relationships with abusers. No, you can forgive and it does not mean you have to be in connection with abusers, who are abusive to you, harmful to you, hurtful to you, disrespectful to you, dishonoring you and God. No, you don't have to be in connection. You do have to forgive, but you don't have to be in connection.

 

• The next thing is begin to rebuild your altar for the Lord. You must rebuild your altar for the Lord. One of the things I noticed in this Samson text was, he didn't seem to be intimate with the Lord. He didn't seem to talk to the Lord. Rebuild your altar to the Lord. What does that look like? It looks like praise, thanksgiving and worship and reading your word. Rebuild your altar continually on a daily basis. Your life will begin to look different.

 

• What else? Armor up, you need spiritual warfare to make it on this journey. Believers are in a war against Satan’s kingdom. You must learn how to fight in the spirit. The weapons you have available to use, they are powerful. They are mighty through God to pull down every stronghold of the enemy. Ephesians 6 is just a starting point friend. I would tell you to start there, but there are many more scriptures to help you in terms of spiritual weapons. Learn your power and authority. You have mighty power and mighty authority according to the word, Luke 10:19.

 

 

• You must also learn to armor up in prayer. We know that the Bible tells us that the prayers of the righteous availeth much. ( James 5:16) He is not going to leave you to fend for yourself. You are protected. The Lord protects his own, but you must ask and seek him regularly. He hears and answers the prayers of the righteous.

 

• The next thing is to begin crucifying your flesh. You can only do this with the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to crucify your flesh. We're taught in the Lord's prayer to pray, deliver us from temptation. He can deliver you from every temptation. Submit wholly to Him and learn what fearing the Lord is all about.

 

 

• Seek His wisdom and his understanding. Know what He loves and know what He hates. I can't say that enough. Understand what fearing the Lord is all about. Seek His wisdom and His understanding. The Bible tells us that wisdom is the principal thing ; be sure to get understanding, that's Proverbs 4:7-9

 

• Be sure to separate from those who are operating with these spirits. It's just as simple as that; when you recognize it, when he shows it to you, separate. It's for your protection. I would invite you to read Psalm 1, the whole Psalm. It tells you, who to stay away from very clearly in that Psalm. Read your word, you my friend are going to have to study the word and do your research to find who to stay away from. Trust me, it is in the word. I gave you some gems today, but there are many more hidden hints in scripture. Check out Psalms, Proverbs and Ephesians 5:11-14. Ephesians 5 is clear on who we must have no fellowship with.

 

 

• Ask the Lord for the gift of discerning of spirits, the gift of wisdom , revelation and the gift of faith in this hour. Believe me friend, we are in evil times, you need it in this hour. Realize that He gives the gifts as He wills. You can find the gifts of the spirit in 1 Corinthians 12.

 

• Walk in humility and guard your precious heart. Be sure to steward the gifts that God has so graciously given to you and use them for his glory. Observe your patterns and patterns of others. Patterns don’t lie. Learn what God says about love ( 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John, 2^nd John , 3^rd John ) Love is woven all through the scriptures.

 

 

• Recognize and take heed to sound counsel. Trust what the Holy Spirit shows you. Don’t get lulled to sleep by participating in ungodly sexual relationships. Be sure to be a fruit inspector, inspect your fruit first and then the fruit of others.

 

• Activate your faith by believing the word of God and speaking it aloud.

 

• It may be pruning season for you. Pruning is for growth. Dead parts must be removed first. Listen to the voice of the Lord. He speaks in his word. He speaks in dreams. He speaks in visions. Take heed, take the warnings and instructions, the commands and the promises.

 

 

• Join a group or a community that is committed to discipleship and understands the journey. These Break the pact issues are tough to talk about. If you don’t come here, go somewhere to get what you need!

 

 

We have an upcoming opportunity for discipleship that is specifically designed for women who are trying to Break the Pact.

• Pushing past childhood sexual abuse
• Acknowledging & overcoming sexual sin
• Cutting out occult, secret society, new age, witchcraft and cult like influences
• Combatting co-dependency by God Love Recovery
• Taking back your power from psychologically and emotionally abusive relationships
• Dedicating your life to Christ and submitting to a discipled journey

 

It's a one- year discipleship program. It's led by someone who's actually walked the walk. I have had to break every single element of the pack and I'm still breaking. Do you hear what I'm saying? I'm still breaking, but I am moving forward. Hallelujah in the name of Jesus. Listen, the Premier Program offers so many things. I designed it for people just like you.

 

If you're interested in joining the wait list, go to:

https://www.shesdiscipled.com/premier-discipleship-waitlist

 

If you’d like to listen to our SHES DISCIPLED LLC Podcasts, go to:

https://www.shesdiscipled.com/podcasts/shes-discipled-llc-podcast

 

If you’d like to read our Freedom and Abundance Blogs, go to:

https://www.shesdiscipled.com/blog

 

All relationships are serious, but some, some you don't choose. You don't choose your family, but you can always choose the amount of access that anyone has to you. Honor yourself, deny access to Delilah’s and Philistines. Be careful, be safe. Use your spiritual eyes and ears. Listen and take heed to the warnings that God is giving us in His word. God bless you, pact breakers. Go in boldness and Break the Pact. You can do it with the Lord. And remember that freedom and abundance are your birthright in Christ. God bless you.