The High Cost of A HairDo by Rev. L.A. Artis

All of us want to be glam...RIGHT? 

There isn't one among us that ever wants to be caught having a 'BAD HAIR DAY'.  Brothers want their stuff tight at all times.  And Ladies....well you know how we do it.  The first strand that is out of place is cause for a near conniption.  Ladies know that we can be in casual attire but when our hair is beautiful -- so are we.  We also know that we can have on the most elegant and exquisite of attire but if our hair isn't together -- neither are we.  Our hair is our crowning glory.  The way our hair looks speaks volumes about us as a person.  It is because our hair says so much about us that there is such a high cost associated with its beauty, lustre and maintenance.  There is a very high price and cost to be paid for keeping your tresses just right. 

There are countless products out there to make sure that we look our best.  There are moisturizers, volumizing shampoos, conditioners, shine and sheen products.  There are hot oils, mink oils, pink oils and olive oils.  There are strengthening, thickening and growth products for the hair.  Hair sprays, stiff stuff, hair mud, hair gels, slick stuff, thick stuff.  There are waving products, smoothing products, curling implements and straightening oils, chemicals  & implements all designed, created, crafted, manufactured, mass produced and marketed so that we can be properly coiffed, hooked, done and did.

Hair.  Beautiful, glorious, lush and strong.

One of the judges of Israel had long hair.  His name was Samson. 

Samson's hair must have been all of those things for he was a Nazarite.  Samson's long hair was not a sign of vanity as in Absalom's case.  The length of Samson's hair was to show:

1.  His obedience to God

2.  His separation unto God

3.  His convenant with God

4.  Proof of his being a Nazarite with a Nazarite call.

5.  Symbolic of the Glory of God upon his life.

Samson was born with a mantle.  He was born into an anointing.  He was destined to be powerful, mighty and great.  While it is true that he was born into this mantle -- it is also true that he was supposed to maintain the mantle at all costs.  Just because one has an anointing does not mean that you cannot lose the anointing. 

John 10:28 says, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

But it doesn't say that we can't get up and walk out of his hand.  In other words, no one can force you out of the destiny, will, purpose, plan and anointing of God but do possess the power to step out of his will, power, purpose, plan and hand if we choose to follow the leading of our flesh rather than the leading of the Lord.

This was Samson's downfall.  He had a mighty anointing.  He was born into it.  He did not have to labor to obtain it but he did have to labor to maintain it!  It is the same for us today.

Samson was able to operate under the mantle of the anointing he was born into for a season but as most people know -- you can not continue to drive your car without going to the gas station for a filling and a refilling.  Samson's anointing was real but because we never see in the course of the text his praying for the anointing that was on him to remain on him, in time he began to run on charisma and not dunamis oil. 

Any of us who has ever been to the salon can tell you that one of the main reasons we go to the salon is so that someone can wash our hair.  It is during the times of washing that stress is released.  It is because as the stylist begins to run their fingers over our scalps, endorphins are released.  When these endorphins are released we begin to relax, detox and de-stress.  It is also when we feel the most free to release our innermost secrets, fears and feelings.  There is something about having your scalp massaged, having your head rubbed and having your brain stimulated in this way that causes you to open up and share your heart.  Stylists often know secrets that others don't simply because people who are relaxed will say things that stressed out people will never utter.

Samson paid a very high price for having his hair DONE!  His reputation was DONE!  His assignment was DONE!  His anointing was DONE!  His mantle was DONE!  Did he gain pleasure from getting his hair 'DONE'? - yes!  But was he DONE as a result of his hair being DONE -- ABSOLUTELY YES!

In simple terms -- "DON'T LET SATAN DO YOU!"

Samson was a judge and a prophet of God.  He had no business with his head in Delilah's lap.  Preachers, prophets, ministers, psalmists and people of God -- KEEP YOUR HEAD OUT OF DELILAH'S LAP!  Putting your head in her lap puts you in the position of smelling the aroma of seduction -- simply because of the location of your mind.  THE MIND OF CHRIST HAS NO BUSINESS IN THE LAP OF SEDUCTION!  It sets you up for an obvious conflict of interests.  If you don't want your mind to be on certain things you have to keep your head out of the Enemy's lap. 

Delilah was sent as the agent of temptation and entrapment.  If Samson had only realized the trap when he first saw it, he never would have even allowed himself to be close to Delilah in the first place but he believed that his strength, power and anointing was his simply because he had operated in it for so long.  He failed to realize that the only way to stay anointed was to stay pure, free of entanglement and live a Delilah lap free existence.

Delilah kept caressing him and de-stressing him and Samson kept telling her lies as to where his strength really was.  But it was only a matter of time.  Delilah knew that the man of God had no business being in her arms, in her company with his head and hair sprawled across her lap.  Trust me, if you keep putting your head in Delilah's lap, trust me, she is going to find the combination to your safe.  She will discover where your strength is because in time you will be caressed enough, relaxed enough and LAX enough to tell her just what she wants to know.  In time she will hit the right spot and the key to your power will come flying out of your mouth.

Scientists agree that the best way to determine the health of a person, the level of toxicity, the level of toxidity, chemicals, nutrient levels, diet, drug use, misuse, poisoning, drug abuse and contamination is through hair analysis.  Hair analysis can be done long after blood and urine samples are no longer viable or obtainable. 

You would think that after having his head in her lap the first time and having his enemies come in to attack him the very first time would have been enough to wake him up to his purpose, his calling and his assignment.  It wasn't.  By this time, he still looked like a Nazarite because his hair was long but if we were to do a spiritual hair analysis on him we would find that his prayer diet, his Word intake, his consecration levels were at all time lows while his flesh levels, his carnality, lust spirits, pride, slowfulness, unconcern and luke-warmness was at an all time high.

Delilah kept asking and in time her head rubs paid off.  The locks of his head which symbolized his covenant with God were cut off.  The final tie to him and God was severed at the moment in time.  Samson rose up like he had always done after his hair was cut off but he found that he was shaking with no power!

How many of us are like Samson?  How many of us are still in Church but are just SHAKING WITH NO POWER!  We are doing what we have always done but we don't realize that that which divinely connected us to God, to His power, to His anointing, to His authority has been severed, lost and squandered by our dalliances with Delilah?  How many of us were called to be Nazarites but failed to walk cricumspectly?  How many of us think that an old anointing is good for the new tests, tasks and trials?  How many of us received power years ago but have done nothing to stay connected to the power source?  How many of us are just realizing that we have been running on old oil?  How many of us are like Samson -- we were given one assignment and we have failed to do it with excellence, prudence and piety?  How many of us were chosen to be different and we chose rather to be common?  How many of us were called to a high place but squandered it all for low places, low feelings and low traps?  How many of us are just realizing the HIGH PRICE OF A HAIRDO? 

Samson's hair was cut off and when it was, he lost his final connection to God/  God is merciful, but his spirit will not always strive with man.  You can continue in compromise so long that God decides to withdraw his power from you.  Samson found out that placing your head in Delilah's lap meant placing yourself in a precarious and a dangerous place.  Samson lost power.  Samson lost his freedom.  Samson lost his reputation.  Samson lost his ability to see.

When you sever the ties that keep you anointed you will love dunamis.  You will cease to walk in freedom.  You will lose your reputation.  You will love your ability to discern, foreknow and you will lose your gifts as a seer in the House of God.  What was true for Samson is true for us today.

But we are not left without hope in this lesson.  While Samson was in captivity something wonderful started to happen.  He didn't get his freedom back, he didn't get his reputation back,  But his hair DID GROW BACK. 

Don't you THINK IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO LET YOUR HAIR GROW BACK?  What do you mean?  I mean don't you think it is time for you to go back to looking like God always intended for you to look to Him and to the people around you?  Don't you think it is time for you to become the person you were destined to become?  Don't you think it is time to return to your original calling?  Don't you think that it is time for you to return to your original state?  Don't you think it is time for you to reclaim the mantle of a Nazarite?  Don't you think it is time for you to wait for Him to restore Glory back to you? 

It is time to LET YOUR HAIR GROW BACK.  Hair is called GLORY in the Word of God.  It is time for you to GET THE GLORY BACK!

When God anoints, He anoints the forehead, He anoints the face, He places oil in the ear but those that walk in the mightiest anointings have oil not just in these places but those that walk in the mightiest anointings have oil poured over the heads and into their HAIR and so great is the pouring out that it runs all the way down. 

Jesus' feet were washed with HAIR.  We will know Christ when we see Him by the marks in His hands and feet but we will also know Him by the HAIR like wool. 

Let your HAIR GROW!  Go back to the purpose you were designed for.  When Samson let his HAIR grow back, he devastated and destroyed the Enemy of God.  Am I asking you to let your natural locks grow?  NO!  But is this a clarion call for the people of God to return to their original place so that they can do massive damage to the Enemy of God and to the Enemy of their souls -- ABSOLUTELY YES!

Whatever it takes to keep your "HAIR" sharp, long and looking good is what we must do.  Losing your "GLORY" just may mean losing your life and the lives of those God has sent you unto.  Nazarites don't let the razor near your head.  Don't let the razor near your calling.  Don't let the razor near your dreams.  Don't let the razor near your divine destiny.  Don't just keep it at the length it has always been either -- Let your HAIR GROW!  Maintain it at all costs because The Body of Christ has no time for a BAD HAIR DAY! 

Making Sure I Maintain My Locks,
Elder L.A. Artis, CEO
L.A. Artis Ministries, Inc.
http://darkblessingbylaartis.com