This morning waking up, the Lord was speaking to me again about His people. I was sharing a bit of what the Lord was saying with my wife Jenny, and the urgency of it. Then I realized it is May 1st. There’s something symbolic about the timing of this word today. May first..”May Day”. The term “Mayday, Mayday!!” is a term that is called out over the radio during times of emergency, of extreme urgency. Like for example when a plane is about to crash and there is dire need for help. Well, someone is about to crash, and you’re in dire need of help. The Lord has been giving you instructions of what to do to save your life, and you’re not listening. Time is running out, and if you don’t listen up quickly, it will be to late. Be obedient! This may be your last warning.

The Lord has really been having me preach hard on being prepared for His coming. He told me months ago, Jerry, I’ve given you a ministry like that of John the Baptist. Warn my people! It is written in Isaiah 40:3-9,
(Isa 40:3) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(Isa 40:4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
(Isa 40:5) And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
(Isa 40:6) The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
(Isa 40:7) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
(Isa 40:8) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.
(Isa 40:9) O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Well, I’ve told you before, and I’m telling you again, this is no time to be playing games with God. There is an URGENCY about this message. And while I love to teach on healing, this is even more needful for you, for the time of reckoning is close at hand. I was fully prepared to write a message on healing today, but the Lord said No, not yet. Do this instead. My children still aren’t getting it. So how can I move on to other things if His children are not yet walking in obedience to what He has been telling them? I can’t, because God cannot effect healing in the body until certain things are set in order. Not that He will not, He can not! We are holding back the blessings of God, not Him.
Now I’m going to share the message God gave me for you. It is the story of Samson, and to get the whole story, you need to read Judges chapters 13, 14, 15, 16. Please do that. It’s important you see the impact of what happened to this mighty man of God. I will use part of chapter 16, verses 13 through 21.
Jdg 16:4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Jdg 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
Jdg 16:6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Jdg 16:7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Jdg 16:8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
Jdg 16:9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he broke the withes, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
Jdg 16:10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
Jdg 16:11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Jdg 16:12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.
Jdg 16:13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
Jdg 16:14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.  Jdg 16:15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
Jdg 16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Jdg 16:17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Jdg 16:18 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 showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
Jdg 16:19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
Jdg 16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he knew not that the LORD was departed from him.
Jdg 16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
Now see this: from his mother’s womb, Samson was a man anointed of God. He was given a gift of superhuman physical strength. He was called, he was gifted, he was anointed. But he played games with God, and it cost him his life.

 You may be saying right now, I’m called. I have gifts. I’m anointed. Allow me to burst your bubble. It is written in Proverbs 6:27-28, Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
No one in his or her right mind would argue that God had a plan for Samson’s life. But just because God has a plan for you doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to come to pass. We have the uncanny ability, just like sheep, to get into every mess that comes down the pike. Why do you think God calls us sheep, anyway? Samson got his eyes off God and got them on Delilah. Don’t you know, the devil will send Delilah to get your attention? Well, Samson desired Delilah with all his heart, even though his parents tried to warn him away from messing with Philistine women. They said, Choose a wife from among your own people. But Samson would not obey his parents. Finally his parents even relented and went along with his request.

 But I will not relent, nor give in, for I have an assignment to save your life.
When Delilah enticed Samson to show her his secret of strength, he said, Bind me with seven green withes, then I shall be weak as other men. Notice the word “ENTICED” That’s what the devil does to us. The Philistines came to afflict him. He broke off the ropes and his strength was as before. Delilah enticed him further, tell me your secret. Again, Samson played with the devil. He said, Bind me with new ropes that have never been used. You see, Samson knew that wouldn’t hold him either, but he was playing games with the devil. Just like we do, and think we can get away with it. And he broke off the new ropes. He got away with it again, didn’t he? Then she kept working on him. He said if you weave the seven locks of my hair, I shall be weak. She wove his hair into a beam of the house while he slept, and said The Philistines be upon you. He woke up and went away with the beam. Got away again. But payday is coming.
Oh, Delilah just wouldn’t lay off. She pressed Samson sore to reveal the secret to his strength. She said if you really love me, you’d not mock me, but you would tell me. Finally she wore Samson down. Let me tell you, play with the devil, and he will wear you down. I don’t care how called you are, how gifted you are, how anointed you are, if you play with the devil, he will wear you down.
The story finally comes to a head. Delilah pleaded, pressed, and pried until Samson gave in. He told her that his strength lied in the fact that his hair had never been cut off. So guess what? She made him sleep on her knees, called a barber, and had his hair cut off. Then she said to him, The Philistines are upon you! He woke up out of his slumber and he didn’t know the Lord had departed from him, and as the other times, went to shake off the bondage. Only this time, he couldn’t shake it off. And the Philistines took him, gouged out his eyes, and put him in prison

 You see, he played games with God one time too many. How about YOU? Are you playing Samson with God? Oh yes, Samson was called. He was gifted. He was anointed. But he, like many of God’s chilren, are in bed with Delilah, and no longer listening to God.

Now I’m warning you from the LORD. Don’t play these games any more. Get serious about the calling of God upon your life. Let this story about Samson serve to save you from his fate. He was called, gifted, and anointed, but he threw it all away. Can you sin and shake it off? No. Samson couldn’t and you can’t either! Let’s pray.

Father God in heaven, Lord, You are Holy and Most High. I thank You for the blood of Jesus that was shed for the remission of my sins. I worship You and give you my heart, and I fully surrender my life to you. Lord, I don’t want to end up like Samson, losing my life because of sin. Examine my heart, Lord, and show me the areas of my life that are not pleasing to You. Give me grace and strength to no longer compromise with sin. Lord, You said, Be ye Holy, for I AM Holy. I want to be Holy, Lord. Help me be teachable and pliable in Your hand, that I may fulfill the calling You have on my life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Oh Lord, thank You for Your mercy. Amen.