Where is my Paste?
God’s presence is superior to the annointing.
Have you ever been in front of your wash bowl ready to brush your teeth, and realise you have lost the paste you applied on your toothbrush earlier? First instinct will be to look around to check where the “mushy stuff” had gone to. Then you realise it’s just right there on the floor, or in the wash bowl. Annnoyingly sometimes, it could just be hanging on your clothing.
The question then becomes ; At what point did the paste slip off the toothbrush without one realising it?
The story of Samson in Judges 16 teaches us of a young boy whom the angel of the lord had given clear instruction to his parent, on how he should be raised even before he was conceived. He was to be dedicated to the lord.
The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” (Judges 13:3-5)
Samson grew up to be a powerful , fierce , young man who wins all of his battles, simply because the spirit of the almighty God rested upon him. He was even known for killing wild animals with his bare hands, and God protected him all through.
As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat.(Judges 14:5-6)
As we read on the story of Samson, we realised that some of Samson’s actions did not align with the will of God. However, it appears he continues to excel in his doings. It was accounted that the spirit of the lord was strongly upon him.
However as soon as Delilah (his wife) was able to deduce the source of Samson’s strength by cutting his hair, he became powerless and was captured by the philistines. Ironically, when the Philistines attacked Samson, he still attempted a defence, not realising that his power had left him. This must have been an absolute rude shock for Samson because he was caught unawares.
Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him. So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. Judges 16:20-21 NLT
Similar to the story of Samson, sometimes we do not realise that we are far away from God’s presence until something outrightly goes wrong. At such instance it could seem unreal because we felt absolutely great moments before. The fact that the evidence of God’s annointing is still been felt on an individual’s life doesn’t mean that they are still in right standing with God.
I believe sometimes God keeps his annointing for his name’s sake and to bless other people who are in need of it. A great worship leader for example can continue to bless his congregation in amazing ministrations , but could have lost his stand with God.
David understood the importance of not loosing his paste in Psalms 51:10–11, when he cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
This was a prayer he had to say ahead of time, as he understood that it was possible to continue to live a vibrant life without the presence of God.
Prayer: Dear lord, help me to always remain in your presence. Just like David, I pray today that you do not take your holy spirit away from me. Help me not to go far away from you, that I do not realise I am journeying all on my own. May your voice be the only one close to my ears.
Help me lord, not to loose my paste without realising it.
