The Trap
Theme of the Week: Avoiding the Samson Trap
Sunday, April 29, 2007
 1 of 1
Who Said It…Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson is a clinical psychologist for the Orange County, California, Sheriff's Department, counseling inmates in the Central Jail. He also serves the county by instructing at the police Training Academy and serving as a forensic psychologist for the county courts. He and his wife live in San Clemente, California, and he is an adjunct professor at Ryokan College. What He Said…The Trap
Men desperately seek to hide from the raw nerve of fear. Women can be afraid and start a self-help group. We're stuck with bluffing our way through, covering our fears with bravado.
Every man fears being seen as inadequate at some level—for good reason. We don't work according to the Manufacturer's specifications. We were designed to function with God's presence as the glue keeping our souls intact. But after the Fall, the human soul tried to make do without God, filling the vacuum through pretense and bluster.
The Samson trap boils down to the lies our sinful natures settle for. Samson was sure he knew what would make him happy—and charged ahead, taking one wrong turn after another. He banked on "image" to get him by and refused to confront his fear. Samson's escapism meant that "he didn't realize that the Lord had left him" (Judges 16:20). Jesus wants to step in, remove sin's blemish, and free our misdirected lives from fear. The Holy Spirit points us to godly management of our appetites.
Adapted from How to Succeed Where Strong Men Fail (Shaw, 1997) by permission.
Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
Men of Integrity
Connect with God | Transform my Mind | Live by His Power
Relate Better | Make an Impact
Home | Archives | Contact Us
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Try an Issue of Men of Integrity
Free!
|
 |
|
No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders.
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
Give Men of Integrity as a gift
Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
share this page
RSS Feed
