“And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death…He got so tired of her asking him about his secret that he felt like he was going to die. Finally, Samson told Delilah everything. He said, “I have never had my hair cut. I was dedicated to God before I was born. If someone shaved my head, I would lose my strength. I would become as weak as any other man” (Judg 16:16, 17)

The prayer meeting started with a strong ‘deliverance anointing’. It came suddenly as a waterfall of the Holy Spirit. The best way to describe it was an overflow of faith that there is an open door of freedom. Everybody wanted to pray and pray…it was easy to flow with the prayer…We ‘disconnected’ from the family line of curses…there was shouting ‘amen…amen… overflow…overflow…’. Then the Word came, describing what has happened in the heavenly realm: great deliverance from the evil spirit of Dagon (ogbanje).

Dagon was the principal deity of the Philistines, who was ‘imported’ from Assyria and Babylon. He looked like a half man and half fish. He was the god of fertility, harvest and victory in war. The Philistines depended on Dagon for success and they offered various sacrifices for his favor. (In Nigeria, where I live, there is a similar idol called ‘mammy water’ or ‘ogbanje’).

Goliath ‘insulted David by his gods’. He invoked the spirit of Dagon, the idol of the Philistines. David knew that the real battle is spiritual. The victory decreed in the heavenly places shall manifest in the natural. Also, David could have known the story of ‘love and betrayal’ between his ‘brother’ Samson and Goliath’s ‘sister’, Delilah. Samson was defeated by Dagon but only for a time. After he repented, God helped Samson to destroy the temple of Dagon and kill its worshippers. I am sure that David told himself: ‘Jehovah helped Samson. In the same way, He will help him kill Goliath’. He does not need a sword! The Word of God shall be his sword and his strength!

This is the story: Delilah is a beautiful Philistine woman who seduces Samson. She is a worshipper of Dagon. The lords of the Philistines pay a lot of money to her, to betray Samson. I read that the total amount was about $10 million. Their purpose was to discover the secret of his supernatural strength and the way to overpower him.

The long hair of Samson was a visible symbol of his life time dedication to God. But the real strength of Samson comes from the Holy Spirit. Four times in these chapters, we are told that the Holy Spirit came upon Samson and he did great exploits in battle (Judg 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). In all these episodes, the Holy Spirit moved him, propelled him forward as a champion, to defeat his enemies.

These are great lessons: The Holy Spirit is given that we may receive power, to gain victory in spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit is the power to salvation and deliverance. The devil wants you to sin and grieve the Holy Spirit. Then you become weak and stumble. The devil wants to steal your anointing and to destroy your strength! The word ‘strength’ in Hebrew means the power to produce wealth and to be fruitful. That is what the devil wants ‘to tap’ from you. Samson said that without the strength, he will be ‘weak, like any man’. The devil wants you to become spiritually tired, not better than an unbeliever, so that he can control you! ‘The Ogbanje spirit’ wants you to be weak spiritually and physically, unable to pray, to read the Bible or to come to church.

David knew this story. He was jealous over the seal of the Holy Spirit in his life. He protected the source of power in his life. That is why he defeated Goliath. Before he attacked the giant, he possibly prayed Psalm 140 and God gave him the victory.

In Christ I declare:

“My Lord God, you are the powerful One who saves me.

    You protect my head in battle.

Lord, don’t let the wicked have what they want.

    Don’t let their plans succeed. Selah

My enemies are planning trouble for me.

    Lord, make that trouble fall on them.

Pour burning coals on their heads.

    Throw them into the fire.

    Throw them into pits they can never escape” (Ps 140)

In Jesus name

Amen!