Where Does Your Strength Come From?
An abstract of TBC Lead Pastor Connor Kraus’ sermon on March 15, 2026, in the Book of Judges series. Watch the sermon video here.
Learning from Samson's Story
The Philistines kept asking Samson the same question: "Where does your great strength come from?" They couldn't understand how one man could defeat entire armies, carry city gates 39 miles uphill, and escape every trap they set for him. There was something supernatural about Samson that demanded an explanation.
But the real question isn't just about Samson's physical strength. It's about where your strength comes from—and what you're doing with the gifts God has given you.
A Life of Wasted Potential
Samson's story is one of the most dramatic in the Bible, filled with flaming foxes, jawbone battles, and incredible feats of strength. But it's also one of the saddest. Samson was given a gift from God—supernatural strength—that was meant to deliver Israel from their enemies, the Philistines.
From before his birth, Samson was set apart as a Nazirite, which meant he followed special vows including never cutting his hair, never drinking wine, and never touching dead things. This wasn't just about following rules—it was about being devoted to God. Samson's strength came from this relationship, from God's Spirit empowering him for a specific purpose.
The problem? Samson spent most of his life using God's gift for his own purposes rather than for God's kingdom.
Every time Samson fought the Philistines, it wasn't because he was leading Israel into battle or trying to free his people. It was because he'd gotten himself into trouble—usually over a woman. He fell for Philistine women three times, and each time it led to disaster.
After one failed relationship, Samson got so angry that he caught hundreds of foxes, tied their tails together with torches, and set them loose in Philistine grain fields—destroying their entire food supply. When the Philistines retaliated, Samson fought back with such fury that he "tore them limb from limb."
Later, when the Philistines tried to capture him, Samson picked up a donkey's jawbone and defeated an entire army. The victory was so complete that the Philistines left Israel alone for 20 years.
But here's the tragedy: Samson could have done so much more. He had a gift that no other judge in Israel's history received. Yet he never led armies, never united his people, and never fully delivered Israel from oppression.
The Fall of a Strong Man
Samson's downfall came through a woman named Delilah. The Philistine leaders offered her a fortune—an absolute lottery-winning amount of money—if she could discover the secret of Samson's strength.
So Delilah asked him directly: "Where does your great strength come from? How could someone tie you up and make you helpless?"
You'd think Samson would recognize the trap. But love had blinded him. Three times Delilah asked, and three times Samson lied to her. Each time, she did exactly what he said would weaken him, then called in Philistine soldiers. And each time, Samson woke up and destroyed them all.
Finally, worn down by Delilah's constant nagging and blinded by his love for her, Samson revealed the truth: "My hair has never been cut because I am a Nazirite to God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man."
Samson's greatest fear wasn't death—it was becoming ordinary. He didn't want to be "like any other man." He loved the power his gift gave him. But he'd never used that gift the way God intended.
While Samson slept, Delilah had his hair shaved off. When he woke up, and the Philistines attacked, something terrible happened: "He did not know that the Lord had left him."
Imagine that moment. Samson had spent his whole life taking God's gift for granted, assuming it would always be there. Now, when he needed it most, it was gone. He'd traded God's gift for the love of a woman who betrayed him.
Rock Bottom in Gaza
The Philistines captured Samson, gouged out his eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and forced him to grind grain in a prison in Gaza—one of the most humiliating jobs imaginable, usually reserved for animals. The strongest man in Israel had become a blind slave, entertainment for his enemies.
It's deeply ironic. Throughout his life, Samson's eyes had gotten him into trouble. The Bible says "his eyes saw" the women he wanted, and he pursued them. Now those eyes were gone, and Samson was literally blind—just as he'd been emotionally blind to Delilah's betrayal.
But there's one small detail that changes everything: "His hair began to grow back."
God wasn't finished with Samson yet.
One Last Act of Faith
The Philistine leaders gathered at the temple of their god Dagon to celebrate. They brought Samson out to mock him and entertain the crowd. Thousands of people—including all the Philistine leadership—packed the temple and its roof.
Standing between the massive pillars that held up the building, blind and humiliated, Samson prayed for only the second time in his entire story: "Lord God, please remember me. Strengthen me, God, just once more."
He had no reason to expect God would answer. He'd wasted the gift God gave him. He'd broken his vows. He'd valued his own desires above his devotion to God. But in his moment of greatest weakness and humility, Samson cried out—and God answered.
With renewed strength, Samson pushed over the pillars. The temple collapsed, killing all the Philistine leaders and thousands of their people. The Bible says, "those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life."
It's a victory, but it's bittersweet. What if Samson had stewarded his gift well from the beginning? What if he'd spent his whole life fighting for God's kingdom instead of just his final moment?
What Can We Learn from Samson?
1. Steward Your Strength for God
You might not have supernatural physical strength, but God has given you gifts. Maybe it's talents, abilities, relationships, resources, time, or influence. These aren't just for you—they're meant to be used for God's kingdom.
The temptation is to use our gifts for ourselves or to simply be satisfied with them without fully using them. But God has given you something for a purpose. Don't waste it like Samson did. Thank God for your gifts, and then use them in deeper obedience to Him.
2. Let Rock Bottom Refocus You
In that dungeon in Gaza, grinding grain with his eyes gouged out, Samson had time to think about what could have been if he'd made different choices. That rock bottom moment refocused him. It helped him see clearly that his strength came from the Lord, not from himself.
Maybe you're at rock bottom right now. Maybe it's something you brought on yourself through poor choices, or maybe it's completely out of your control. Either way, you can use this time to refocus on the Lord. Don't let bitterness carry you through—let humility bring you back to God.
The strength to refocus doesn't come from within you. It comes from Him. Like Samson, you might need to pray, "Lord God, please remember me."
3. God Isn't Finished with You Yet
This is the most hopeful truth in Samson's story. Even after everything he'd done wrong, even after he'd wasted decades of opportunity, even after he'd traded God's gift for his own desires—God still answered his prayer.
Some of you feel like you're at rock bottom. You feel like God has abandoned you. Your head knows that's not true, but your heart feels something different. Here's what you need to understand: God has not abandoned you.
No matter what you've done, the sins you've committed, the people you've hurt, the poor choices you've made—there's nothing that can separate you from God's love. Our feelings of separation usually have more to do with us pushing God away than with God leaving us.
What it takes to restore that relationship is crying out to Him: "Lord God, please remember me."
If you don't know Christ yet, this message is especially for you. You might feel distant from God, separated by your sin and your choices. That feeling is real—sin does separate us from God. But God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you so that the relationship could be restored.
All you need to do is cry out: "Lord God, please remember me. I've been walking away, sometimes running away. I'm returning, and I want to trust in Jesus as my Savior."
God is not finished with you yet. Not by a long shot.
Take Your Next Step
Samson's story reminds us that God can use even our lowest moments for His glory. His strength shows up not just when we're strong, but especially when we're weak and humble enough to ask for His help.
If you're ready to discover how God wants to work in your life, join us this Sunday at 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. Come as you are, whether you're at rock bottom or riding high. God isn't finished with you yet. Plan a visit today.