Message Notes:

Ezek 22:30 (NIV) God: "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”

 Samson was an incredibly strong man with a dangerously weak will.

Attitudes That Make Strong Men Weak

1. Lust: I want it.

Judges 14:1-2 (NLT) One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, "A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me."

2. Entitlement: I deserve it.

Judges 14:8-9 (NLT) Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn't tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.

3. Pride: I can handle it.

Judges 14:10-11 (NLT) As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men.

Attitudes That Make Weak Men Strong

 I want God.

 I deserve death.

 I can’t handle anything without God.

The men who change the world are not those who claim how strong they are; they’re the ones who know they are weak without God.

Eph 6:10-11 (NLT) A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

2 Cor 12:9 (NKJV) "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Response:

1. What do I desire that’s competing with God?

2. In what area of my life do I feel entitled?

3. What do I need to admit that I can’t handle without God?