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Resilience Through Faith Adversity

With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything. -Judges 16:16-17a

Recently, I got to see a magician perform. It’s been a really long time since I’ve experienced this – like, since a classmate’s 3rd grade birthday party – but this was seriously cool. The magic was a lot more sophisticated and the magician was legit funny, but one thing didn’t change: after the tricks, the audience wanted to know how he did it.

I have the feeling he’s been asked hundreds of times to spill his secrets, and I wonder if he’s ever been tempted to give in. You know, just one little explanation here, one little divulgence there. After years of being pestered, I’d probably give in (confessions of a people pleaser).

A man named Samson in the book of Judges can weigh in on this. He learned the hard way just how easy it is to get worn down and give in. The Lord gave Samson tremendous strength to defeat his enemies – the Philistines. The secret to his strength was his long hair that had never been cut. Sounds a little bazaar to us, I know, but let’s roll with it.

Samson fell in love with Delilah, a woman with less than exemplary values. She plotted with the Philistines to get to the source of Samson’s strength so they could overtake and capture him. At first, Samson was able to keep the secret. But after Delilah’s incessant nagging, he finally gave in. His hair was cut while he was sleeping, his strength vanished, and he was carried off by his enemies.

As Jesus followers, we experience something similar. Daily, if not moment by moment, we’re badgered with ways to compromise on our deepest convictions. Life throws a gazillion circumstances at us that make us question our values and our faith. Others will constantly ask why we live the way we do. There will always be something sparkly to lure us away. It nags. It wears on us. The testing of our faith is persistent. How can we handle it? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Expect it

While our eternal destiny is secure in Jesus, we can expect a consistent assault on the way we live out our faith. Knowing there’s a battle over our daily walk with Jesus helps equip us for it, be alert, on guard, and start to see patterns and personal vulnerabilities.

2. Remove Yourself

Sometimes, not being around the things that nag us the most is necessary. It may come to deleting an ap, canceling a subscription, ending a relationship, or making a difficult change.

3. Depend on the Lord

Sadly, I don’t see Samson asking the Lord to help him withstand Delilah’s nagging. It seems he relied on his own resolve that eventually withered away just like his physical strength. We can depend on the Lord and other godly people when we need help.

4. Return to Him

When, not if, we fail, return immediately to the Lord. God’s grace is bigger than our biggest failures. We see this in Samson’s story. His hair grew back, his strength returned, and he was able to defeat the Philistines in a heroic act of self-sacrifice (you can read about this in Judges 16:23-30).

Jesus invites us into something so much better than the world throws at us. His strength never wears down. We can count on him to give us the very best, help us withstand the nag, and welcome us back when we don’t.