OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2026.
TOPIC: DEALING WITH DEMONIC OBSESSION
MEMORISE
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. - (2 Timothy 2:4)
READ: Judges 16:1-21 (KJV)
1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
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.
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.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
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 brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
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.
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.
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 brake them from off his arms like a thread.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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 shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
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.
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 wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
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.
MESSAGE
When a fellow is obsessed, it means that the person's mind has become completely preoccupied with someone or something, such that the fellow loses control of his or her emotions concerning that person or thing. Most cases of obsession are demonically induced and often lead to the destruction of the victim unless God intervenes. For instance, some people are obsessed with food; they can never stop eating. If a believer is in this situation, he or she will be unable to fast and will become an easy target for the enemy.
Some people's obsession is alcohol; they cannot stop drinking. Substance abuse and uncontrollable sexual desires are other forms of obsession. Going by today's Bible reading, we can say that Samson's obsession with women was what destroyed him. Excessive sleeping is another obsession that some people have. The Bible says that if a fellow loves sleeping too much, he or she will end up in poverty (Proverbs 20:13). The devil often turns people's inordinate affections to obsessions aimed at destroying them.
I recall the story of a teacher who had a bicycle. He was so obsessed with his bicycle that whenever he got to a muddy part of the road, he would come down from the bicycle and carry the bicycle across the muddy portion of the road. When a person becomes obsessed with someone or something, the enemy can make that person a slave through that avenue. He will usually make the person fight anyone who attempts to set him or her free. The devil usually targets young people with obsessions because he wants to make them his slaves for life. When teenagers become obsessed with hard drugs, for example, they waste their youthful years on the unprofitable venture. Many of them lose their lives early, while those who manage to grow into adulthood are usually unable to start a fresh life unless God intervenes.
Beloved, flee every inordinate affection. Don't allow the enemy to turn them into an obsession that will suck out your essence and destroy your future. Rather, be obsessed with God and His word. This is what Jesus meant when He said that you should love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Therefore, spend quality time with God worshipping Him, praying, studying, and meditating on His word daily. This is how to avoid or escape from inordinate affections and demonic obsession. The Lord will keep your mind at rest and bless you abundantly, in Jesus' name.
KEY POINT
Never allow yourself to be addicted to or obsessed with any person or thing besides God.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Leviticus 19 - 21
HYMN 31 - YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION
1. Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin; Each victory will help you Some other to win; Fight manfully onward, Dark passions subdue; Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.
CHORUS
Ask the Saviour to help you
Comfort, strengthen, and keep
you; He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
2. Shun evil companions,
Bad language disdain; God's name hold in reverence, Nor take it in vain; Be thoughtful and earnest, Kindhearted and true; Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.
3. To him that overcometh God giveth a crown; through faith we will conquer, though often cast down; he who is our saviour our strength will renew; look ever to Jesus, he'll carry you through.
