Unleashing Samson

He was strong and impressive; a clever Nazarite who could spin riddles, destroy lions barehanded and conquer a thousand men with a donkey’s jawbone. He was Samson, and he was not to be messed with.Samson

Yet this man of strength eventually found himself tied up, blinded, and put to work at a grindstone like a common mule, all because of a stupid compromise.

Act 3 of the story finds him regaining strength, gearing up for one last challenge, then conquering more powerfully after his failure than he’d conquered during his greatest successes.

Men weary of their own failures and struggles should take note. The man God redeems should, in response, offer his body a living sacrifice then live accordingly. To compromise afterwards by misusing the gift of his body is madness, the kind of insanity that bound and blinded Samson.

But if that happens, his example is a reminder and a game plan. The man who messes up often finds his greatest strengths come after his most massive failures.

Take our man, for example. Samson was bound by a vow to abstain from cutting his hair. (Judges 13:5) He was dedicated to God as a Nazarite from birth, and so long as he was faithful to this vow of separation, he retained his strength.

But when presented with an aggressive beauty named Delilah, he broke his vow and integrity, never imagining the nightmare a simple compromise would bring. As soon as he foolishly told Delilah the secret of his strength, she betrayed him to the Philistines, who immediately tied him up, gouged out his eyes, and put him to hard labor. (Judges 16:17-21)

Let’s underscore that part of the story. Samson’s strength came from faithfulness to his vow of separation. That’s what much of scripture reminds us of, you know – God’s call to us to be separated men. (I Peter 1:16) Separated from the world; separated from idols; separated from our own particular Delilahs. You have yours; I have mine. But I think you know what I mean.

Your own Delilah doesn’t care any more about you than Samson’s did. Whatever your weakness may be – pornography, commercial sex, affairs or anonymous encounters – you can be sure it will only weaken and betray you. Look what it’s done so far. Look at how it’s affected your confidence, your judgment, your general ability to perform. Be honest about this. Has sexual sin done anything for you, other than to weaken and limit you?

It certainly weakened Samson. His compromise came from breaking from God’s design and his own integrity, but thankfully, that wasn’t the end of his story. When he allowed his hair to grow back, his strength returned, and with it came a determination to once and for all destroy the enemies who had so brutally kept him from his potential. (Judges 16:22-30)

It needn’t be the end of your story, either. So if his compromise mirrors your own, take heart. Because his final victory can mirror yours as well. I hope you’ll begin by recognizing that, apart from a consecrated relationship with God, you’re very much like Samson at his weakest. But in returning to Him through repentance and a commitment to knowing Him and His will for you, then obeying what you know, your spiritual and emotional potential will return as surely as Samson’s hair
grew back.

I can testify to this firsthand, and I can’t help but both wince and rejoice at the irony. My worst failures gave birth to repentance, then understanding, then a passion to walk with other men who’ve been through similar failures. That passion was an indicator of a calling, and that calling’s taken up the past 30 years of my life.

Unleashing Samson involved repenting and waiting for his power to return. Your compromise has been foolish and destructive, to be sure. But if you’re one of those guys who’s willing to replace the wrong steps with the ones, then your potential, like Samson’s, is still waiting to be unleashed.

Comments

Emma Beltran | May 16, 2016

Recovering our faith in God, after failure and struggle before.

Ron | May 16, 2016

This is the place God is taking me through right now. I've allowed sexual sins to have their way in my life and it has only made me weak spiritually. I have repented and I am seeing God helping me to turn everything back to Him. I've been a failure in my marriage, my walk with God and my ministry. I have recently turned back to the Lord and He is giving me the strength and desire to pull the columns of deceit and perversion down. It's been great to once again allow His Holy Spirit to direct my evey move. Do ALL to the glory of God and with His help that is what I desire more than anything.

Brian | May 17, 2016

I have drifted far from the Lord and indulged in sins that I did in secret and tried to hide from others–such as internet pornography, holding anger and bitterness in my heart, and what is so bad is that I have given into my same-sex attraction over and over and over either in the act of lusting in my heart, viewing inappropriate material online, talking to other guys online and it leaves me feeling dirty, ashamed and it corrupts and darkens my heart and I have doubtful thoughts of whether I was truly saved, if God ever done a good work in me. I used to love and read God’s word. Anyways I feel like I have put myself so deep into a pit and I can't get myself out of it and I know that I can't. I feel like God won't restore me because I have drifted too far, into grievous sins. Committing these awful sins has made me wonder if I was truly saved or if I was never saved to begin with. I don't know. True Christians don't habitually give into sin over and over and over the way I have. I have indulged so much I feel numb. I feel hopeless, in so much despair. I want my heart to be fully repentant but I feel dull and numb. I don't know what else to do. I fear because I have given into porn so many times, God closed His ears and left me in the condition that I'm in. There are times I have that desire in my heart for God and His Word. I can't explain this. I'm so confused right now. Somewhere along the way I lost my way.

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