Praise Temple RCCG Seychelles

Praise Temple Youth Service
15th March 2026
Theme: Abba Father
Bible Text: Isaiah 61:1-3; Romans 8:15

We are sons and daughters of the most high God. We are sons and daughters of power. We are not slaves.
- Our Father says He will give us beauty for ashes
- He will give us joy instead of mourning
- He will give us praise instead of despair
- Our Father can give us anything
- Because all things belongs to Him
- He created all things and by Him, we live and move and have our things

But God will not give us all things because sometimes we are not ready for it.
- This is because there are some things that can bring destruction in our lives
- God knows what is best for us
- God cannot give us something that we are not ready for because it will endanger us
- He is the unlimited God
- Whatever you need God has it
- God says He will prepare a table in the presence of our enemies
- God has already set a table before us
- It has already been cooked or it is already here

There are stages in life we need to pass first:
1. We need maturity
2. We need obedience
- There are small things that God asks us to do and we ignore Him
- If you obey small instructions, God can trust you with bigger things
- God needs to see your obedience in the small things before He can give you bigger things
3. We need knowledge
Sometimes God will allow us to go through certain storms or situations so that we will know Him, to know He is the One who protects us, for e.g., He may allow us to go through lack in order for us to know that He is the God who provides
- God knows the best way to deal with us
4. Responsibility
- Can you be trusted with what God gives to you?
- Take care of what God gives to you
- You have to take responsibility of what comes in your hands
- Are you ready to do whatever it takes for your business?
- Are you ready to sacrifice?
- We must take responsibility of what God gives to us
5. Accountability
- Give account to God

- Yes He is Abba Father
- Yes He has all things
- Yes He can give us everything
- But He will not just give us everything
- Because He needs to know that we can handle it
- He needs to know that we will be responsible for it
- He cannot give us what will harm us
- God gives us gifts but we need him to give back to Him

Luke 11:11-13
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Let’s look at everything our Father allows and takes from us as a blessing.
- Sometimes we lose things because God has something better for us
- Things are taken away from us, it is either we are not ready for it or it is not good for us
- Sometimes we don’t want to let go of what we have
- Let go of what you have already achieved and already seen because it does not end here
- This is not all that God has for you
- God wants you to do more
- Just trust God
- What He has on the way is better
- God knows you better than you know yourself
- When God says let go and move forward, He knows you have the ability to do it
- Learn more and more about your Father
- Don’t give up
- Know His character
- Stick around long enough so that you can know why He took it away from you
- When God takes away the small things from you, please do not give up
- Never stop serving God no matter what you are going through

“For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

- God is here with you
- Yes it gets tough and heavy
- It gets tiring
- But do not be afraid because Abba Father, the One who loves you and cherishes you is here with you
- He is the All Sufficient God - El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1). This represents a mother
- The all breasted one refers to someone who can nurture us
- The most joyful place for a baby to be is next to mummy
- And God is like our mother as well
- He is the One who nurtures us
- He is our provider
- He is the source of abundance
- Famine may pass, but the baby will be nurtured
- It never runs dry as long as the baby sucks, the milk keeps coming
- As long as you stay next to God and keep receiving from Him He will keep giving you

The safest place for a baby to be is in the womb. God is called the breasted One (Genesis 49:25).

We can trust Abba Father (Isaiah 49:15)
- Sometimes we see that things are not working for us
- We feel that things are going wrong at the time and we might feel rejected, unheard and unseen
- He is the God who sees all and hears even what you don’t know about, so why worry?
- He died for you to show you how much He loves you
- We must learn in these times to put our trust in Abba Father, the breasted One
- Just do what He asks of you
- Follow Him even with tears in your eyes, cause His plans for you is more better than your plan that you have for yourself
- It is better than your dreams and your wildest imaginations

Why do we take away our destiny from His hands, and handle it ourselves?
- We know we are weak sometimes
- Sometimes we get tired
- But our God never sleeps nor slumbers
- God is always alert
- He sees and knows all things
- He can do more than we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20)

Preaching by Pastor Gina Labaleine

Praise Temple Sunday Service
8th March 2026
Theme: The Holy Spirit

Bible Text: John 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 14:26; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 1:13

The Holy Spirit gives us the new birth. We cannot be born again without the Holy Spirit.
God loves us and His love has already been given to us (John 3:16).

The fellowship with the Holy Spirit is important because He is the one that empowers you.
- God wants to draw us close to Him
- Lack of fellowship with the Holy Spirit and disobedience becomes a barrier to listen to His voice
- We cannot neglect the Holy Spirit
- Listen to the voice and to the instruction of the Holy Spirit
- The first place of impact is when the Holy Spirit starts giving us instructions
- He is the gift giver (1 Corinthians 12)
- He is the intercessor (Romans 8:26-27)
- It is the Holy Spirit that give us God’s character
- But this cannot happen if there is no attention
- We grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) by the small things we do
- We need the Holy Spirit here on earth
- The Holy Spirit overflows in us
- The Holy Spirit does the transformative work in our lives
- We should love God more than the things around us
- We have to be prepared to end every relationship that is causing us to shift away from God
- We have to let go of the world
- Everything we do is filtered through our actions

It is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that causes us to keep worshipping Him despite the circumstances we have passed through in our lives.

Give back our attention to the Holy Spirit as a church, as a person and as a human being.

Preaching by Pastor Curtis Basset

Praise Temple Sunday Service
22th February 2026
Theme: The Fire of God

Matthew 3:11-12
John the Baptist declares his subordinate role to Jesus, stating: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Bible text: Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8

A man of power is a man of fire and carries fire (Acts 2:1-3)

When you carry fire, you have authority, dominion and control
over everything.

What is fire?
Biblically fire is a powerful multifaceted representation or manifestation of the presence, the power and the holiness of God.

God can manifest Himself in different ways.

In the Bible, fire is mentioned 5000 times which shows its importance.
- Fire came to judge
- Fire came to destroy
- Fire came to protect

When we are talking about the ancient fire we are talking about a force that consumes, and that refines (Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24)

- Fire symbolizes the glory of God (Exodus 24:17)
- God uses fire to announce His presence
- God clothed Himself in fire (Exodus 3:1-12)
- God’s fire is a refiner fire. It can refine and purify you

God uses fire to demonstrate His power in people’s life (Acts 2:1-4)
- God can use His fire to defend you, protect you and to judge your enemies and to destroy those bad things around you (2 Kings 1:9-15)
- It does not matter how big the enemy is, the fire of God can defend you

Dreams is a manifestation of what will happen physically.

1. If you are carrying the fire of the Holy Spirit in you, there is no power that can contend with the power of God.
- If you carry fire, the enemy cannot do nonsense with your life
- The people that carry the fire of God means that they are connected to God
- Fire has its assignment; that is purification and refinement
- Fire will remove contamination, pollution and it makes you holy because it is a holy fire 🔥

2. Fire is for judgement and destruction (Number 16:35)
- When the enemy is trying to do something against you, just report it to the Lord
- Fire is a symbol of protection over the believer (Zechariah 2:5; Exodus 13:21-22)
- When lions see fire, they will run away
- When you carry the fire of God you should not be afraid of going anywhere
- Wherever you go, the fire of God goes with you

Why do you think we need the fire of God as a whole for victorious living?

1. It empowers you over the flesh, over sin and over Satan
2. We can use it in our service (Acts 10:31)
3. It transforms you from natural to supernatural, from ordinary to in-ordinary and from nobody to somebody
4. It will shape you from being a timid and fearful person to a bold person (Hebrews 1:7)
- The flame of fire is only for those who belong to God

"Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (Psalm 105:15).

The fire that killed the enemy in Daniel 3 is the consuming fire 🔥

When you are carrying the fire of God, nobody can sow anything evil that is not of God is your life.

If your body is carrying the fire of God, they cannot shoot arrows in your life and they cannot put any evil garment in your life, they will go into ashes.
- The only thing you need to do is to make sure you carry that fire
- When you carry the fire of God, the enemy will catch fire🔥
- The fire of God will purify you and deliver you
- When a church connects with the fire, there will always be unity and they will always connect together in one accord and in one Spirit (Acts 2:1)
- If you want to catch the fire, you need to be one in the Spirit of God
- When the church is on fire, anytime they gather together, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself
- You cannot receive the fire when you are still connected to the world and the flesh
- When you are connected to the fire, doing exploits will be easy for you as a Christian

Preaching by Pastor Femi Aridunnuomo

Praise Temple Youth Service
15th February 2026
Theme: Double Portion Restoration
Bible Text: Isaiah 61:1-7; Job 42:10

The Bible text above shows how the Lord gave a brand new beginning to the people of Israel and to Job his servant.

- You will repossess your possessions in double portions
- You will experience double portion in Jesus name (Isaiah 61:7)
- God offers divine exchange
- God can shift you from a place of shame to a place of honour
- God can shift you from a place of humiliation to a place of celebration
- You cannot be walking in shame and honour at the same time. They are opposite sides, they are like darkness and light
- Glory and honour goes together
- The Lord is promising us that He is taking us out from a place of shame and putting us in a place of honor
- Shame is not pleasant because it affect our emotions
- It affects our sense of our identity
- It affects our wellbeing
- Shame can come from our past mistakes, past failures, our actions and circumstances beyond our control
- Failure and fruitlessness brings shame
- God is taking us out from a place of shame to a place of honor
- It is time for us to repossess anything that we have lost in the past
- This is your season of restoration and recovery

The Israelites worshiped false gods and idols. Due to their rebellion and disobedience, the Lord has allowed them to be taken in captivity and to be taken in exile, scattered in different places and they were like slaves in different nations.

God wanted to change that situation and wanted to give them honour in double portion.

The people of Israelites suffered a lot:
- They went through pain
- Through defeat
- And through shame

A time came that God decided to intervene in their situation and give them a double portion for their troubles.
A time came that God said enough is enough. The Lord promised them to return them to where they belong.

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

God wants to restore what you have lost because He is a restorer of everything you have lost.
Even if there is a delay, it will surely come to past.

Whenever you are going through shame and reproach, that is not the end to the story. God is waiting to restore you and honor you.

What happened to the children of Israelites?
Is the same thing that happened to Job, as he walked through a season of losses, shame, pain and rejection. At the end of the of the day, God restored to Job a double portion blessing.
The Israelites went through shame and rejection because of their disobedience to God, however Job did not commit any sin. Some people can go through shame without doing anything.

Other examples of people that went through shame in the Bible and God turned their situation around:
- David (Psalm 51)
- Peter (Luke 5:1-4)
- Jesus stepped in to remove that shame at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1-5)
- Hannah was barren and was lifted to a place of fruitfulness. Then she gave birth to Samuel.
- Rachel was also barren
- Joseph went to prison
- Whatever you went through, God will rewrite your story
- You will enjoy everything good that your heart desires

What is double portion?

1. It means twice as many. When God says He will give you double, it simply means He will give you twice as much as you have requested.

2. It means more than ordinary. It means living an exceptional life beyond ordinary. It means you will be blessed beyond their losses. It is not just about material prosperity, it is also about spiritual fulfillment, emotional healing and renewed purpose

- Whatever you are going through, just know that God has not forgotten you
- God is a specialist of turning shame into fame
- God is specialist of turning sorrow into celebration
- God can transform stories to testimonies of grace and favour
- God turns cases around so your case will not be different
- The Lord does not desire for us to face shame

How do we position ourselves for double portion

1. Stay connected to Jesus because He is the only one that is capable of wiping your shame and give you double honour
- You cannot enjoy blessings outside the Lord
- If the Lord cannot help you, no one can help you
- Stay connected to Jesus
- Return to your first love
- As a matter of fact double portion blessings belong to first borns (Deuteronomy 21:17; Colossians 1:15; Romans 8:17)
- It is through God that we ca ln enjoy double blessings

2. Trust in God’s promises (Proverbs 3:5)
- Do not lean on your own understanding
- There is nothing that happens to a child of God that God does not know
- It does not matter why you are going through (Psalm 23:4)
- When we go through difficulties the Lord is there with you
- Keep trusting in God (Romans 10:11)
- Let us trust in the Lord
- He has many promises for us
- His promises are yes and Amen

3. Faithful obedience
- Obedience is the key that is able to take us out of the place of loneliness, place of failure and lift us up
- If you want the Lord to lift you up, be obedient to the voice of the Lord
- Walk in the fear of the Lord
- Obedience is the key that will cause us to enjoy double portion of blessings
- It is obedience that restored Peter (Luke 5:1-5)
- Sometimes the intructions of the Lord may sound ridiculous
- But God usually uses the ridiculous to bring out the miraculous
- So be obedient and stay obedient
- If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19)
- If you are willing and obedient you shall enjoy the double blessings of the Lord

4. Faithful service
- It involves being focused in what you do and being consistent
- Stay consistent if you have made a covenant to the Lord (Psalm 92:13-15)
- You need to faithfully serve where you have been planted
- It is through that faithful service, staying focused and consistent that you will get double portion
- Elisha received double portion because he remained faithful, focused and consistent, he knew what he wanted and he refused to be distracted (2 Kings 2:9-11)
- You can receive a double portion if you are faithfully serving with love

5. Pray without ceasing
- prayer can take you out of that difficult situation
- When you are walking in any kind of shame, you can report it to God
- He will never be tired of hearing your cry
- Do not get tired of praying
- One way to actualize the promise of this double portion is in the place of prayer
- Pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16)
- The moment Job prayed for his friends, the Lord gave Job a double portion of what he has lost (Job 42:10)

Your life from today will be better than your life in the past. You may be going through challenges.

- Weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning
- Your story is going to change
- Your testimony is going to change
- You are going to sing a new song
- God is going to take you to a new level
- God has done it before
- Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever
- He is going to do it for you
- For your shame you shall receive double honour
- God is waiting to honour you and restore everything you have lost
- God is waiting to give you back in double measure
- God will fill you with everlasting joy
- There will be multiplications in your ministry
- It is not the time to give up
- May the joy of the Lord be your strength

Preaching by Pastor Raphael Demba

Praise Temple Sunday Service
8th February 2026
Theme: A brand new beginning

Isaiah 43:18-19
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”

The lessons we need to learn from the people of Israel:

1. Letting go of the past is essential and embracing the future is vital
- Learn from your past

There are two categories people in life
- One that approach the future as it is
- One that approach the future with intention

2. The old can prevent the new to manifold in your life
- We must let go of old things
Old means things that have potential to tear you down. They are those things you are not paying attention to.

3. How you perceive life will determine how you will end in life
- What you perceive is what you will see
- What you see is what you seek
- If you want to learn things in life, go and ask people who are older than 50 years

Whenever there is a brand new beginning there is a brand new offense and a brand new devil

- Watch out for offense
- Opportunities come in disguise
- Youths take up your cross
- The Lord will give wisdom to the elders

4. God’s Word is the final authority over our reality (Isaiah 43:1-2)
- The God that I serve will make a way for you in the wilderness
- The Lord can never back down on His Word
- His will always fulfill His promise
- Take God for His Word
- Do not question God
- Instead question God with His Word
- Take His promises back to Him and remind Him
- God can never sway from His Word
- God can never lie
- God is always faithful

Whose Word are you going to depend this year?
It should be the Word of God

When you have God’s Word you become unbreakable, unshakable and untouchable (Psalm 125:1).

There are two types of new beginnings:
1. New beginning (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2. A brand new beginning

You can never have a new beginning if Jesus is not in your life

Preaching by Pastor Aaron Marianne

Praise Temple Thanksgiving Service
Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Praise Temple Sunday Service
25th January 2026
Theme: All power belongs to God

Psalm 62:11
God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God

We have seen what the power of God is capable of even to the mightiest of kings and to the strongest of men. The power of God surmounts them all.

Power can come in different forms:
- A boss can have a certain power over their staff
- A teacher can have a certain power on their students
- Parents have certain power over their children
- But still not all power have the power over your life
- Even your parents, teacher, the bank, the Supreme Court, the housing estate and the government has its limits
- Anything that you can imagine have certain kind of power but not all the power
- All power belongs to God

Joseph’s older brothers had a certain power over him and they wanted to kill him (Genesis 37:21-22). They could have killed him because there were many of them, but they couldn’t because power belongs to God. Not even Reuben, the first son had all the power over Joseph.

1. No one can say your life is over if God is not done with you
- Doctors can say it’s over
- Authorities can say it’s over
- Parents can say it’s over
- But if Jesus says no, they cannot do a thing

2. You cannot remain in a prison when you are destined for greatness (Genesis 41:14)

It was the wife of the man in charge of the army that lied against Joseph. She had power and stature but you know what? All power belongs to God.
- No lie is strong enough
- No hate is dark enough to keep you bound
- You will rise
- You will shine
- And you will succeed

3. No one can disrupt the plan of God for your life no matter what they do, say, no matter how far they go, no matter who they know, no matter who they bribe.
They cannot disrupt the plan of God over your life because God holds all the power.

Later on the brothers fell down on their knees at the mercy of Joseph (Genesis 45:5-8). Jospeh could have ordered all the army to kill them or throw them in prison because he was in charge of everything in Egypt and the king was the only one higher than him. But still God holds all the power.

- You are here today because power belongs to God
- When Jesus says yes nobody can say no
- When God opens a door, nobody can shut it. Not even ourselves
- Joseph was a carrier of the power of God
- The power of God was in his favor

Why was Joseph the carrier of the POWER OF GOD (Genesis 45:5-8).

1. Joseph was a man that gave glory to God
- for his successes

2. Joseph did not keep any grudge. He forgave easily and accepted the will of God for his life

Sometimes what is keeping us bound is unforgiveness. It is a prison that we place ourselves in.

Prison was the place of elevation for Joseph.
- Are you in a prison right now:
- You should shout
- Dance
- Praise
- Worship
- Because maybe that prison is your place of elevation

If we can agree that God is in control even when you are in prison or they have sold you into slavery
- If you can come in terms with the fact that God is in control of your life, it will be easy to forgive
- You will let go and forgive
- Joseph knew who held his life
- He knew the One who called him
- Joseph’s life was not in the hands of his Father or his brothers
- His life was in the hands of the all powerful God
- Even when he was in slavery he was giving his best
- Even when he was in prison he was giving his best
- Wherever you are it should not stop you from worshipping God
- You should read the Bible more
- Do more
- It doesn’t matter where you are today, it should not stop you from praising God

3. Joseph did not use that power that God gave him to destroy (Genesis 50:20-21)

- Joseph did not use that power to cause harm but to save many lives
- What the enemy is meant for evil God has turned it around for your good

4. Joseph kept according to the will and the plan of God
- Joseph stood by the will of God
- Joseph did everything according to the will of God
- Sometimes we forget why God has given us power and we start using that power for our own satisfaction and benefit
- When God gives you power don’t forget why He gave you that power
- The reason God gave you power is to save lives
- When God gives you power, He has a plan and purpose for that power
- It will foolish for us to use that power for our own feelings, otherwise we would be looking for trouble and end up like King Nebuchadnezzar
- If we can just accept it as the will of God, we will soar and fly
- If we can accept that God is in control because our lives are in His hands, it will help us a lot
- Instead of complaining and running into shortcuts, do more by praising God and worshipping Him
- Keep serving and worshipping Him and He will give you victory

You can also be a vessel to carry the power of God when you go through storms and desperate moments, keep your mind set on the Word God.
- Do not insult God
- It would be an insult to God to think He is no longer in control
- Because all power belongs to God
- He is forever on the throne and all power belongs to Him

God sent a prophet to anoint the son of Jesse.
Samuel was very sure of the Word of God. He asked Jesse to bring out all the sons and they were not the one. They did not sit down until that boy came. Samuel waited for him.
- They never pictured David as a king
- Even the father excluded him, so he was not fit for a king
- Davis was not in the army like the other boys
- Power belongs to God
- It doesn’t matter if you don’t look like it
- It doesn’t matter if they refused you, neglected you or excluded you
- If God has chosen you, no rejection can stand over your life, not even your brothers or parents’ rejection
- If Jesus says yes, nobody can say no
- God had chosen David to be king
- That same boy that was excluded, rejected and forgotten was the greatest king until today
- The One who holds all the power trusted David

What is it about David?
- David was a humble man
- David obeyed his father to take care of the lamb and to bring food to his brothers at the camp
- David’s elevation came through his service and the door opened for his life
- Power does not belong to the soldiers nor Goliath
- All power belongs to God and it was in David when he faced Goliath
- David had the confidence even in front the other soldiers who tall, strong and muscular men
- He went and faced Goliath before the whole army
- He was not confident in himself, he was confident in the power that was in him
- He was confident in the One that holds all the power
- We must be like David, we must know who the power belongs to
- He did not put his trust in the soldiers, not in any men
- He was not afraid of Goliath, a huge giant that stood in front of him
- We must learn to trust God in the dark
- We must learn to be still when He is fighting for us
- We must worship harder and praise anywhere we are
- Laugh in the face of tribulation
- We must keep our peace in the midst of storms
- Once we know that all power belongs to God alone and how much He loves us and died for us, now we can rest assure that things are working out for our own good
- He has done it before and He will do it again

- God has the power to turn a fetus into a human being
- The power to cause rain to fall down from the skies
- The power to calm any storm
- The power to heal the sick
- The power to raise the dead
- The power to deliver prisoners
- The One who holds all the power has got your back
- He holds you in His mighty powerful hand even if you are fragile, small, weak and tired
- You are in the hand of the most powerful One
- That means nothing can harm you or touch you
- There is nowhere where His hands cannot reach
- There is no storm too deep, no mountain too tall, no valley too low for Him
- Because He’s got you

We serve an amazing God

Preaching by Pastor Gina Labaleine

Praise Temple Youth Service
18th January 2026
Theme: All power belongs to God

Psalm 62:11
God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God

Bible Text: Judges 13:6-7, 24-25; Judges 14:1-4; Judges 14:14-20

Phillistines was the enemy to the Israelites. Instead of Samson choosing someone from his own tribe that knew God, Samson went out to the Phillistines to find a wife and his parents objected. The parents did not realize that God had chosen him to work against the Phillistines to deliver Israel from their rule.

This is the Lord’s way of beginning His work through Samson. It was actually the plan of the Lord.

Samson killed a lion with His bare hands because he was very strong. That was his gift from the Lord. On his way back, there was honey formed in the lion’s carcass and he ate some of the honey (Judges 14:6,9).

After that the father gave consent for him to marry the Phillistine woman, and Samson asked for seven days feast.

The Lord blessed Samson with so much strength. No one could defeat him. They had to ask 3000 men to tie him up. Samson snapped the ropes in his arms and killed a 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:11-15).

Even a 1000 men could not stop Samson. Samson was a revengeful men. He was full of anger But he was doing the will of God.

Samson called on the Lord and the Lord answered him. The Lord gave him what he asked for (Judges 15:18-20).

One day Samson spent the night with a pr******te and the enemy had seen it and they caught him. (The Phillistines knew that women was his weak point). Samson fell in love with a woman called Delilah. The Phillistines used this against him (Judges 16:1, 4-5).

Delilah enticed him over and over again until Samson revealed the secret that makes him strong.
Every lie he told to Delilah, the Phillistines would use it against him.

Even when Samson had seen it that Delilah would betray him. Even though, he was a strong man:
- he had a soft heart
- he kept on forgiving Delilah and loving her
- he kept on taking care of her
- But Delilah kept on betraying him

And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death (Judges 16:16).

Vex means to be deeply troubled, distressed or tormented, spiritually unease or affliction, emotional torment. To be vexed is to experience mental, emotional or spiritual anguish and disturbance.

This verse above (Judges 16:16) exposes how the enemy uses relationships, conversations and daily pressure to compress the soul of the chosen one until they surrender their strength.

The enemy applies emotional force until the inner man is weakened. Outside Samson was strong, however Delilah was working overtime to cause his inner man to be weak. We do not know how long it took her but it took her some time but she never gave up.

Delilah put daily pressure on him and compelled him. Meaning she forced him to break his will through the intensity of his emotion. This is not persuasion but it is a manipulation disguised as care. Therefore, Delilah was using manipulation disguised as care. It looks like love, but it was emotional pressure that has been disguised as affection.

Delilah did not use a sword as a weapon, however she used words as a weapon. The wrong voice in your ears can corrupt your flow.

And we must understand that where there is a covenant there is a counterfeit assignment. When God has chosen you and made a covenant with you, there will always be a counterfeit assignment against you.

The word vex in Hebrew means his soul became shortened, diminished, reduced, or squeezed to his limit.
- It is soul fatigue
- It is when your emotions have been pushed to the edge
- It is when your capacity is shrinking
- It is when your gift is functioning but your soul is collapsing
- Many chosen ones today are not under physical attacks but they are vexed
- This manifests in premature death
- Stress opens the door to the spirit of infirmity, sickness and diseases

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength (Proverbs 17:22).

Samson revealed his secret to Delilah (Judges 16:17).

Youths be aware of these types of people we let into our lives.
They wear us out through:
- manipulations
- and control until your soul is exhausted
- That is what we refer to as the spirit of Delilah or Jezebel

Every time God marks someone, hell releases a Delilah to wear them down. Not through obvious demonic confrontation, but through daily pressure:
- Emotional erosion
- Psychological illness

It is the enemy that uses somebody with access to push you past your discernment until your spirit grows tired enough to compromise. This is classic witchcraft. It is the manipulation of a person’s mind, will or emotion.

Sometimes we might feel that we are under attack from witch doctors, but it is rather someone close that has opened the door.

If a person is drained by emotional demands caused by someone, it is not a physical attack, it comes from emotional manipulation.

- Samson was gifted but vulnerable
- Samson opened his heart to Delilah (Judges 16:17)
- If you are not careful, the weight of people’s words can sometimes be heavier than the weight of your calling

The enemy does not always try to defeat us in a moment, he tries to drain us overtime. Satan understands that if he cannot take your anointing, he will target your strength. If he cannot stop your gift, he will wear down your soul. This is why some of us feel tired and don’t know why.

The enemy’s strategy is daily pressure, that kind of warfare that accumulates. The kind that you don’t notice until you feel empty:
- It feels like exhaustion
- Irritation
- Heaviness
- Or being emotionally done
- We call it a bad day/ week/ month/ year

The Bible calls it soul vexation meaning fatigue. Therefore, you are not tired because you are weak but it is because you have been under Judges 16:16 attack.

You may be tired because something has been pressing your soul everyday. It is the Delilah assignment putting pressure on you.

The devil’s strategy against those who are called to the purpose of God
We must know the strategies of the enemy:
- It comes through relationships
- It comes through anyone you have given access to your life
- Someone you love or care can be used and sent on a Delilah’s assignment
- So we must be vigilant
- Youths be careful who gets access to your heart

All this time Samson had been vexed to death but at that moment he remembered who called him by name, who gifted him and chosen him. He remembered that power belongs to God and prayed to Him (Judges 16:27-30).

Samson killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime. That was the end of Samson’s life. He fulfilled his calling to begin the freedom of Israel, but at the cost of his own life.

- Samson declared that power belongs to God when he was at his lowest
- He did not run back to Delilah or to any other woman
- but he called to the One that holds power in His hands and had strengthened him over the years
- We will not die like Samson

Preaching by Pastor Gina Labaleine