25Th August,2013

Topic: DON'T GO BEYOND DIVINE MANDATE Pastor:Ayo Oyebanjo Date:Sunday 25Th August,2013. Bible Texts:Judges 14:1-4;12-20;Judges 15:1-8;Judges 13:1-5 ".....and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."(Judges 13:5b KJV) Our God is a master planner and He orchestrates things around us for different purposes to achieve His objective. We must be careful to understand divine mandate on any issue and not to extend beyond it. Different events that happen to us are all part of the process of the divine agenda but we must not wrongly interpret an event that is part of a process leading to an end that was not intended by God.When we do it, disaster is looming which always leads to regrets. Samson was raised by God with a divine mandate to begin the deliverance of the Israelites from the Philistines.(Judges 13:1-5). The prophesy was that Samson will begin the process of deliverance and not end it. God would have to orchestrate some circumstances to bring that to happen.Accordingly,orchestrated certain circumstances which brought Samson into direct confrontation with the Philistines,thereby giving him a legal/justifiable basis to attack the Philistines. Our God is a sovereign and just God hence the bible avers in Proverbs 26:2 KJV "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come" And (Romans 8:33, 34 KJV "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. "

God brought Samson in contact with Timnah but Samson did not understand that his attraction was for him to fulfill God's divine mandate and not for marriage. It was to create a legal and justifiable occasion for Samson to initiate his ministry and confrontation with the Philistines. God was in it but God's purpose was different from Samsons. Samson extended the mndate!

STOP WHERE GOD STOPS!DON'T EXTEND BEYOND WHERE GOD STOPS!

25Th August,2013

God orchestrated the relationship with Timnah for two reasons: TO CREATE A LEGAL AND JUSTIFIABLE BASIS FOR CONFRONTATION WITH THE PHILISTINES Our God is a God of order as well as being sovereign.God needed a basis to attack the Philistines. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRESS REHEARSAL OR MOCK TEST TO PREPARE SAMSON AHEAD FOR THE DELILAH ONSLAUGHT Timnah and Delilah's strategy were synonymous.In life God gives us mock tests to prepare us ahead for the real test but because of our lack of understanding and discernment,we often fail both tests. Samson would have subdued Delilah with ease if he had learnt from his test with Timnah. The grace of God and Samson's gifting was to find expression in fulfilling what God had predetermined before he was born and conceived Propelled by a lack of understanding,Samson failed to learn the test lesson,superimposed his mandate,mitigated but partly fulfilled his purpose of beginning to deliver Israel.He subsequently fell cheaply to Delilah's snare. Always ask what lessons you can learn from every experience in life as some of them could be a dress rehearsal for other subsequent experiences. Samson wagered a riddle with his in-laws- if they could decode his riddle he would give them some garments and change of clothing. They were to match his offer if they did not solve his riddle within seven days. Timnah was manipulated by her family to extract the answer to Samson's riddle from him and won the prize. A chain of events sequelled that experience: Samson killed some Philistines and handed over their clothes to his in-laws in fulfillment of his betting terms; Timnah was betrothed to the best man at the wedding as her family felt Samson was no longer interested in marrying her.Samson became annoyed subsequently and smote and killed Timnah along with her father and family members. This was a Divine initiated error in fulfillment of God's agenda. The error gave Samson a platform to begin to execute his divine mandate

25Th August,2013

Eg.A spirit of error came upon Queen Vashti's so that Esther could mount the throne and preserve the generation of Jews that could have been exterminated by Hamman(Book of Esther).

SIMILARITY BETWEEN CONDUCT OF TIMNAH AND DELILAH What both Timnah and Delilah did were exactly the same and if Samson had learnt from the experience he would not have fallen for Delilahs snare. 1. There was a secret in both cases-A riddle and power secrets. The Philistine were interested in the secrets in both instances to have an advantage over Samson. 2.1To win something from him-A prize. 2.2 To know how to subdue him. The Philistines used his betrothed wife-Timnah and Delilah,both Philistines,to manipulate and weary Samson him until he let out the secrets. The devil has no new strategy of getting people down-he uses the same old tricks but because we fail to learn we keep on falling.Samson fell prey because he did not learn from history.

"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."~George Santayana

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO US? Are we going to allow ourselves to be a victim of the same old trick of the enemy because of our refusal to learn from the mock test administered by God in preparation for your exams?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION TO LIFE There are assignments in life that have expiration time and you will have yourself to blame if you exceed the expiration time because you are going beyond the divine mandate. Eg.1 Kings 13:1-30. The young prophet tarried after completing his assignment and became tempted and deceived by the older prophet.He was subsequently killed and eaten by a lion on his way home.

25Th August,2013

The strange thing is that the lion didnt eat the carcass and he didnt run away. Even stranger, the lion didnt attack the donkey of burden, but both of them stood in the road and watched the carcass of the young prophet. You know what was happening? God was in total control. The young prophet stayed beyond his allotted time, the enemy came and he regretted. The moment your "glory cloud" indicates it is time for you to move,you must move!

There are locations for which you must not stay beyond your allotted time or else it will begin to create problems for you. There are relationships you must not extend beyond the divinely appointed mandate like Samson. Abraham and Lot were examples of divine mandates that were extended with the attendant problems. The meaning of the name "Lot" in Hebrew is a "veil","covering". Lot was a covering on Abraham .It was only after Lot was separated from Abraham that God told him in Genesis 13:14 KJV "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:" It was only then that God's prophesy was fulfilled in Abraham's life while Lot gained nothing from the relationship.Lot lost everything he acquired in Sodom. People God sends into your life should be released when they have completed their assignment.If you hold on to them they will become a liability instead of an asset-like Lot became to Abraham.

DON'T GO BEYOND DIVINE MANDATE

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM GOING BEYOND DIVINE MANDATE? 1. Pray and ask yourself some very frank questions. 2. If not very clear,seek counsel from those you respect and trust.Ultimately you are the best 3. Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit in order to see clearly

25Th August,2013

WHAT DO I DO IF I DISCOVER THAT I HAVE EXCEEDED MY DIVINE MANDATE? 1. Call yourself to order and align yourself with your divine mandate in line with purpose. Samson did not know it was time to realign until he lost his two eyes and he paid dearly for it. The bible admonishes us in Isaiah 55:8 KJV: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

2.We must always be careful of exceeding God's divine mandate for us.

If you do not make your ways right with God,there can be no mandate for you. The reason why Samson had a divine mandate was because of God's covenant with Abraham and relationship with His chosen race-the Israelis. You need to have a covenant with God,sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ, for you to have a mandate from Him. There must be a turning point to make a new start with God in your life.God will then hand over His agenda for His purpose in your life.

PRAYER If there is anywhere I have stayed beyond the time alloted,God please help me to move on. if I am extending any relationship beyond what it is intended to achieve help me not to make a mistake. Today I am realigning myself with you.IJN,Amen

25Th August,2013