Side Effects

Acknowledging the end of an era and the beginning of another one. We're standing right at a door of a great shift.

Judges 13:1-8 (The Birth of Samson)

"Behold, you are infertile and have not borne children, but you will conceive and bear a son. So then, be careful and do not consume anything unclean because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death. "

Best part about God is that He has a start and an end of how long trouble lasts.

What He's designated for us will come to pass.

God opens up that which is shut down, causing the unfruitful to become fruitful.

She was unable to produce a child and yet God overrules this woman's barrenness.

When an area of your life suddenly becomes fruitful, you know God did it.

This woman encounters an angel alone and brings the Word back to her husband.

"A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome." (Judges 13:6)

A praying woman is powerful.

When you're a praying woman, God can give you a miracle immediately.

But even with a prophecy, God doesn't always give you the details.

Sometimes the side effects are worse than the problem.

There's a strength inside you that you can't see. People can't figure out how you do what you do - when it's needed, you always rise for the occasion.

The joy of the Lord is your strength. God does things that boggles the human mind, its shocks others how you can find strength in strange places.

It frustrates people when you're a strong person.

The side effects of being a strong person - people take you for granted, put more weight on you. They don't comfort you when you're a strong person.

Many times you have to encourage yourself in the Lord.

They don't think that the weight bothers you.

"You make hell look easy."

Luke 12:48

To whom much is given, much is required.

Strong people get tired too.

You can be strong and be weary, isolated, empty, in a struggle, etc.

Samson did not ask for this fight with the Philistines - it was pre-scripted.

The fight was picked out for him before he was born.

You were chosen for adversity. You were born into a test, it was set aside for you.

God equipped you before He birthed you.

That's why you can walk through hell and not be burned.

Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're not tired.

Silence is often perceived as weakness.

Silence is a great strength.

"In confidence and quietness is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)

You know who you are. If God declared it, it is so.

Once you start to understand who you are, confidence and quietness becomes your strength.

Don't have to prove who you are.

The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:14)

Samson was prescribed a fight he didn't cause.

The more you belong to God, the more He gets you together.

Just because you have His favor doesn't mean you won't have correction.

Can't do or get away with what everyone else does. That's how you know you're His.

Samson was birthed to start the deliverance of the Israelites.

Problem was, Samson is also attracted to the people he was supposed to defeat.

This conflict mirrors the issues of life we face today.

It's easy to kill what you don't like. But when he calls you to kill what you do like, it causes a dilemma.

We can have mixed feelings about any situation.

Every superman has kryptonite.

You're not as strong or weak as they think you are.

Look for someone who can deal with your weakness.

Everyone is drawn to your strength - oftentimes we don't want people to know we have a soft spot.

We spend too much time trying to prove something that is not true.

We cannot handle everything.

We're exhausted because the camouflage for your strength only serves as a conduit to hide your frailty.

People who can deal with both should get the most of your time.

Even the strongest man has to admit that his strength has side effects.

Cannot find intimacy until you can show your side effects.

Woman are so tired of being heroes 24/7 that we've lost our ability to be vulnerable.

It's not respected anymore.

Your greatest strength is in your vulnerability.

Can't be truly balanced until you can operate in both spaces, being strong and vulnerable, and not think anything less of yourself.

Sometimes it takes more power to be vulnerable than it does to be powerful.

Not many models in front of us. Either they're extremely powerful and show no mercy or extremely merciful and show no power.

We're not using the fullness of what we've got.

Being strong has been the only role you've learned.

Most have never had the luxury of being scared, tired or vulnerable.

Being tired is a side effect of being strong too long when you've been tough all your life.

You don't know how to just relax.

It's been so long since you've had a safe space, you convince yourself you don't need it. Pushing away what you could rest in because you don't know how to be tired.

Crack through your camouflage and open up to admit that you're tired.

You're being challenged to stop being superman and fully depend on God.

Depression, stress, mood swings, anxiety, insomnia are all side effects.

Do you love your image or do you want to be changed?

All you have to do is be who you really are.

Open your heart and find a resting place in God.

Let peace prevail in your life.

We've turned into what we thought we had to because of the onslaught of what we've been through. Shake it off. Shake off the side effects.

Cast your cares unto Him because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)