Ready:
"Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him."
-Judges 16:19
Set:
All athletes start a sport with the best of intentions. They want to work hard, stay disciplined and become better. However, at times, athletes become distracted and allow themselves to be sidetracked or pulled away from their goals. Too many times they look back and wonder what happened to their good intentions and make excuses. But pride, selfishness and other factors are usually to blame.
Samson was a great man. He was focused, driven and he had the best of intentions, wanting to serve the Lord. However, he had one major distraction: Delilah. She tried everything she could do to sidetrack him from his faith, his pursuits and his walk. Eventually, she got him to cut his hair. Thus, Samson lost his strength and ultimately his life.
Many times we are focused on serving the Lord wholeheartedly, but we get distracted. Our sport becomes too important. Our job takes priority over our Savior. We allow "Delilahs" to sidetrack us from our focus on Christ. Maybe you have a relationship, much like Samson, that is becoming a stumbling block. Whatever it is, do not let it consume you. Don't lose sight of what is truly first in your life. There will always be "Delilahs" in your life. But if you sincerely focus on God and His word, He will help you stay on the straight and narrow.
Go:
1. As an athlete or coach, have you been sidetracked from becoming all that you can be?
2. What are your Delilahs?
3. Today, how can you avoid distractions that take your focus off of Christ?
Workout:
Romans 12:1-2
Philippians 3:12-14
Hebrews 12:1-2