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Day 70, or March 11. God can change you if you let him.

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Judges 15, verse 7. Samson said to them,

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Since you acted like this, I swear that I won't stop until I get my revenge on you.

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First, the big picture surrounding this verse.

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Today we're considering one of the best known of Israel's judges. He's one of the best

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known characters in the Bible. I remember regularly reading the account of Samson as

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a child. I used the Sunday school gift that I still have today, a King James Bible. Samson

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was dedicated to God by his parents, but he rebelled when it came to living according

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to the promises involved, with being a Nazarite. He did, however, keep the long hair part of

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the agreement. He wasn't good with women, and it finally cost him his hair and his eyesight

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when he was betrayed by Delilah and captured by the Philistines. In his last days he came

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to his senses and turned back to God. He died bringing a whole temple down upon him and

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his enemies.

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And now our action step for today. Samson was an impetuous man who acted first and thought

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second. Some of us have this same weakness, and I believe that is why Simon Peter is amongst

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the most popular disciples of Jesus. However, we need to be careful with this line of thinking.

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Just because someone has a particular weakness and is nevertheless used greatly by God, it

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doesn't mean that their weakness is acceptable in other people. I have to say that I do see

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red on occasions when people say, well, that's just so-and-so. That's what they're like.

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Not good enough. We are responsible before God to work with him on our sanctification.

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It's not simply a matter of sitting back and expecting God to do everything. If you

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have a particular weakness which you know is harming your daily witness, then ask God

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today to help you to begin to put it right in your life. Take the first step and God

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will be alongside you immediately, strengthening you in your resolve.