OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY 1ST JULY 2026
THEME: DON’T LOSE YOUR SIGHT
MEMORISE:
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; PSALM 13:3
READ: JUDGES 16:4-26
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.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
MESSAGE:
In today’s Bible reading, Delilah manipulated Samson into revealing the secret of his strength, then she passed it on to the Philistines.
Armed with this information, the Philistines shaved off his hair while he was asleep on her knees, captured him, plucked out his eyes, and imprisoned him.
However, after a while, his hair began to grow again, but he never regained his sight.
The same man who killed a lion with his fists, killed a thousand people with the jawbone of an ass, and carried the heavy gates of a city up a hill, now needed a young boy to guide him so he wouldn’t trip and fall because of his involvement with a Philistine woman against God’s law.
Those who toy with sin are in grave danger of losing their sight like Samson.
The devil and his cohorts are referred to as the rulers of the darkness of this world Ephesians 6.12, and they want everyone to live in darkness with them.
This is why they will stop at nothing to make believers lose their spiritual sight.
Christians who lose their spiritual sight often begin to call good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good and become slaves to the things they had once conquered.
This is why a man of God who had once preached against sin, for example, can turn around to say that adultery is not a sin.
Such a fellow might even misquote Scriptures to justify his blindness. The devil often causes believers to lose their spiritual sight by exploiting their weaknesses and causing them to fall into sin, as he did with Samson.
Before Samson fell, the Philistines studied him carefully to discover his weakness, and they noticed that he had a lustful desire for women, so they connived with Delilah to bring him down.
Likewise, the devil studies people to discover their weaknesses, so he can tempt them into committing sin, and then take their spiritual sight. Don’t fall into his trap!
Beloved, do you find yourself falling into some particular sins repeatedly? Are you living in sin while still trying to show up like a devoted Christian?
Don’t let satan succeed in removing your spiritual eyes so he can imprison you.
Approach God in humility and ask for His help. He gives grace to the humble James 4:6, and His grace will help you overcome sin Romans 614.
May you never lose your sight, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT:
Don’t toy with sin so you don’t lose your spiritual sight.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PROVERBS 4-7
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.
God bless you as you share.
#SeekFirsttheKingdomofGod #GodSeekers #GBY
RCCG 74th Annual Convention!
Theme: MOUNTAIN MOVERS
Date: 3-9 August 2026
Venue:The Redemption City
