When temptation comes, run to God for strength to make the right choice.

Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. When it was told to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “ Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.” Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron. After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you.” …It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. So he told her all that was in his heart … She made him sleep on her knees, …She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. … It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars….Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” … Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. …And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Judges 16:1-31

Unless weaknesses are addressed, they have potential to cause trouble in our life. Vulnerabilities can either drive us closer to God or blind us to His love, as two Old Testament stories demonstrate.

Joseph and Samson faced similar temptations but responded differently. Day after day, Potiphar’s wife tried to entice Joseph, yet he rejected her advances (Genesis 39:7-9). He endured hardship for his choice, but in the end, God’s servant received immeasurable blessings. Samson, on the other hand, willingly gave in to Delilah (Judg. 16:15-17) and experienced something very different.

Samson had been consecrated to God, and the Holy Spirit was moving in his life (Judges 13:24-25). Nevertheless, he chose the path of self-indulgence. Because Samson rationalized his weakness, it soon began to dominate his life. He exchanged God’s blessing and supernatural strength for earthly pleasures. When we face temptation, we can respond as Joseph did, or we can pursue a course similar to Samson’s. The choice is up to us. In times of weakness, it is essential for us to depend on God, obey Him, and seek the strength to make good decisions—ones that honor God and draw us closer to Him.