the dangers of success?

In our staff meeting yesterday, we looked at the different phases of growth as a leader. While we covered a wide gamut of issues, the one that really stood out to me was the possible danger of success. How success or natural gifting can actually cover up for deficiencies of character or a refusal to grow in areas of your life.

I immediately thought of Sampson. We are all familiar with his story, but we can miss an important part of his life. Sampson was called by God and given super human strength as a gift. He was successful in every endeavor and any time he needed God to make a way, He did. Whether it was killing a lion with his bare hands, smiting (i love that word) a thousand philistines with a donkey jaw bone, or getting water to gush out of a hole in the ground when he was thirsty.

Then along came Delilah. Sampson already had a history of desiring women outside of God's covenant, and he did not heed his parents warnings. I believe he gave into his desires partly because he was blinded by the things God was still doing thru him. Because the consequences for his sin were not immediate, he put himself in the "this could never happen to me" category.

Imagine his scenario. He is dating a girl who has been payed off by Sampson's enemies who want to know what has to happen for him to be made weak. Sampson would make up a story like "you have to tie me with new bowstrings", and low and behold he would wake up tied in new bow strings! Then he would summon his strength, snap out of them, and kick some major philistine booty. This happened three times in a row so even if Sampson wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, he had to figure this girl was up to no good!!!! Instead, his success caused him to wrongly believe that the sin in his life was no big deal. He thought, God can't really disapprove of this, after all, He is still using me. I've been mega successful in what I'm called to do. I can "feel" God. Ultimately, his refusal to confront the lust in his life, ended up costing him his.

I wonder how many of us don't heed the voice of the Holy Spirit to repent of certain sins because our lives don't fall apart right away? We tend to think that If this sin were really an issue, God wouldn't be blessing me like this, or surely I'd be miserable. Is God calling you turn in an area of your life? Maybe you know you need to end a relationship, forgive someone, or ask for someone's forgiveness. Maybe its a "secret" sin like gossip or pornography, but you've fooled yourself into believing its not that bad. Let's not be like Sampson and think because we still have a measure of spiritual "success," its not that big of a deal. All sin hurts the heart of God and ends up costing more than you want to pay. James 1:21 "LAY ASIDE all filthiness, and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness, the implanted word, which is able to save your soul" What is God wanting you to "lay aside?"

I'll end this post with the hope God offers even in the midst of sampsons failure. Verse 22 of chapter 16 tells us that "before long, his hair began to grow back." Why would the bible writer feel we needed to know something as seemingly obscure as that? Because it shows the grace of God at work. Even though he failed and missed out on God's best because of his sin, the thing that identified him as called by God did not take long to reappear!! The same is true for us today. No matter what we've done, or where we've been, before long, the grace of God begins to reappear, and just like Sampson, we have the final victory over our enemy!!!!!

"a humble heart and a contrite spirit, God will never deny"