Just Like Samson

Bible Reading: Judges 16:6, 16-21

So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong.” Judges 16:6

YOU’VE HEARD THE story of Samson, right? He was the first muscleman, the first superstar athlete. He had muscles like Sylvester Stallone, a smile like Tom Cruise, and hair like Fabio.

Before Samson was born, an angel appeared to his mother and told her that she would have a son and that “his hair must never be cut,” for he would be “dedicated to God” (Judges 13:5). As he grew, Samson learned of his special birth and dedication to God, and the Bible says that “the Spirit of the Lord began to take hold of him” (Judges 13:25). Samson soon became famous among his people for his many feats of physical strength and his many victories against the Philistines (the “bad guys” of the story).

But Samson had a big weakness: beautiful women. One day he fell in love with an enchanting woman named Delilah, whom the Philistines bribed to find out what made Samson powerful so the Philistines could capture him. Well, to make a long story short, Samson ended up telling Delilah, “I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else” (Judges 16:17). The next time ol’ Sam took a nap, Delilah sneaked a barber into the room and Samson’s hair was gone in a minute! Before the day was over, Samson was tied up, blinded, and taken away as a prisoner.

A lot of people read Samson’s story and make the mistake of thinking that Samson’s power was in his hair. But Samson didn’t get his power from his hair; it came from the Lord! His hair was simply a symbol of his dedication to the Lord. He was captured by the Philistines because “he didn’t realize the Lord had left him” (Judges 16:20).

You’re just like Samson. OK, so you don’t have muscles the size of Cleveland, but you are like him in one respect: Your strength comes from the Lord. That means your power to resist temptation comes from God. You’ll never find the power to resist temptation inside yourself. You can only win over temptation and sin through the power of God and the presence of his Spirit

REFLECT: The way to resist temptation in the strength of the Lord is through prayer and trust in him. Read the following lines out loud, then seek God’s strength by following through on what you’ve said:

• Before I’m faced with a temptation, I will pray (seeking God’s strength through the day).

• When I’m faced with a temptation, I will pray (seeking God’s strength for that moment).

• After I’ve resisted temptation, I will pray (thanking God for victory).

PRAY: “Lord, I am not strong enough to resist temptation, but I know that you Help me to resist the devil’s attacks today.”