Today we read more about King Hezekiah, and while he was by many standards a pretty good king, he made a very big mistake. He allowed the Babylonians access to see all that was in his kingdom, which would later in history prove to be a very big mistake because it allowed the Babylonians access to information for making plans for future conquest. This lesson applies to our personal lives as well. While it is good to have close friends, we must guard our hearts and minds to only allow a few select people to be that close. More importantly, we should never allow others to take the place of God in our lives. His presence and influence should never be superseded by anyone or anything. God is sacred and should be the first and most important relationship in our lives.

Today we finish up the story of Sampson. The thing that caught my attention the most was how Sampson needed to have his eyes removed and placed in confinement to be in a place where God could once again use him. This is how God sometimes gets our attention. He removes the distractions in our lives so we can be clear in how He needs us to be used for Him. Hopefully nothing this drastic ever happens to us, but this is why God wants an authentic relationship with Him, so we know exactly how to be used by Him for His perfect plan.

Sorry for the delay today. I totally lost track of time. Today as we begin the book of Judges, it astonishes me at how quickly the Israelites turn from God. It’s a lot like the way I am at times in my relationship with God. No matter how many times I find myself closer to God, it seems there is an equal number of times where I find myself drifting again. But just like the Israelites, God is always there waiting on me.